Graduates - what did you do next?

[caught]

Finished with a first in Business about 18 months ago, literally applied left right and centre for anything and everything as I lacked experience big time. The only job I'd had that stuck was working the match days across the park.

Found myself warehousing in Kirkby. Honestly, it is pretty grim, today I spent most of my day doing the bins - no one bothered to get rid of 4 days worth whilst I was off like. Not quite what I expected right out of uni if I'm honest BUT I'm in my early 20s, time is on my side (for now). It has got me my first car, and I reckon that it'll eventually do me in good stead because I know what life is like at the low end. I just need to work out what needs to change to go places.

What's really bugging me at the minute is a mate of mine is the same age as me, he's a spark and is on three times my wage without any of this further education and is talking of buying jags and owning his own house. And seems to remind me, and perversely enjoy doing so, at every opportunity.

The grimmest job in the world is tolerable if you have an aim in sight. During and immediately after university (Economics) I worked for LCC as a parks and gardens maintenance worker (almost 100% literally shoveling sh*t and technically below minimum wage once the day was done) and in the call centre of a bank (where I'd get told off almost daily for having terrible sales stats and not, ahem, recommending PPI enough). But I had two things I really wanted to do: be able to afford a masters degree and get to take a trip on the Trans-Siberian express.

I manged to do both and, while my MA led to a job I left pretty quickly to go back to uni and do a PhD, the basic principle of working hard and unpleasant jobs to get where I wanted to be was pretty much the best education I ever had.

 

[degsy]

just to save me looking through 8 pages.

Has anybody answered...Mrs Robinson.

 

[typerkid]

After uni I got a job with an accountant and stayed there for a a few years,then went back to college,and via the open university,I was able to scrape through my exams and became a qualified accountant.
This was back in 1972,and after a few years learning the ropes and developing contacts I was able to become a self employed accountant.
Now employ 3 people,but am agonising whether to retire now...am 66,but don't want to close down and put my 3 employees and friends out of work.....

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

After uni I got a job with an accountant and stayed there for a a few years,then went back to college,and via the open university,I was able to scrape through my exams and became a qualified accountant.
This was back in 1972,and after a few years learning the ropes and developing contacts I was able to become a self employed accountant.
Now employ 3 people,but am agonising whether to retire now...am 66,but don't want to close down and put my 3 employees and friends out of work.....

Could you not somehow pass the business on?

 

[njligernj]

In terms of a salaried job nobody is going to take you seriously, promote you or pay you real money until your late 20s/early 30s anyway -- working a real job in your early 20s will only demoralize you.

Exceptions are the tech industry, clear "ladder" jobs (government) and careers which (typically) require a lifetime of service (doctor/lawyer etc.). Oh and professional footballer of course ... always an option.

So travel (and jobs which include travel like doing ESL or whatever its called now abroad) is an option and wouldn't hurt your career.

You could make more money than most of your fellow grads by just doing a job people don't like to do (garbage, sewers, underwater welding). You'd be ahead of them all income-wise until around 35-40 probably at which point they'd surpass you (unless you pivot and start your own business which is relatively easy in those kind of sectors).

You can do whatever you like of course but remember:

You will probably want to change careers by 30-40 anyway. So how important is that 8 uninterrupted years of service in some shitty early 20s job?

Connections > experience, talent, resume ... everything.

Use reality and the way the world actually works (even if accepting that reality cripples your soul), rather than the fantasy world most people live in, to guide your decision making.

 

[typerkid]

Could you not somehow pass the business on?

Yes...am looking for a buyer,problem is,most buyers are more interested in the contacts and "the books" side of the business,and the small corporate stuff we do,and seem reluctant to talk about retaining my loyal staff.