[NB_ide]

I see all kinds of figures thrown around in newspapers and such, for example that after 6mo the average graduate salary is 25k or so. I find that hard to believe and it must surely be taken from a sample of top graduates. Maybe it's just my friends but after six months most people I knew from uni (left in 2008) were unemployed or working in a supermarket. I took a first in a bioscience from a well-regarded university, but had no work experience or connections in industry and so on. I also didn't realise (poor guidance at school, imo) how there's really no work in biosciences at all, and it offers little or no access to other disciplines.

It took me over 3 years to land a job, and now I earn 15k (gross), working as a lab technician in an unrelated science. That's several thousand £ less than a typical PhD student earns, taking tax into account. I've applied for other jobs but now that I'm several years past graduating I've been told in interviews that they worry I have lapsed a bit, drifted away, mentally - and it's true, I have. My current job doesn't let me use my brain very much and I've forgotten everything I did at uni, so I'm really back at square one, but rapidly ageing and becoming less valuable to an employer with each passing year.

I have no idea what to do - this job is pretty boring but has some positive aspects. It's a complete dead end and my pay scale tops out at 17.5k I think, which I would reach over a number of years if I perform well. I'm closer to 30 than 20 and am still living in a shared student house, no chance at all that I could afford anything better.

I'd be interested to hear from others who were perhaps a bit naiive about their choice of subject, or didn't realise what one has to do to get a decent job, or can't find anything worth doing for reasonable money, etc.

I'm a bit confused by it all, and disillusioned. In my case, university made it harder for me, by letting me live like a child for even longer and shielding me from the real world. People who left school at 16 and started work can do much better for themselves than someone like me.

Let's discuss this situation, increasingly common with jobs as scarce as they are today. I don't like being in this awkward middle-ground. I either want a decent, engaging job earning a wage appropriate for someone my age, or I should just drop out entirely and go and live in a cave somewhere. I could maintain my current lifestyle on benefits alone so I'm not sure why I bother.

[/miserable rant]

[Empire08]

Graduated last year with a degree in Computer Science from Newcastle. Applied for many many jobs in my field, graduate schemes and entry level jobs. No luck there, so broadened my search to just 'any full time job'. Couldn't even get that.

I'm now working 20hrs a week in a call centre. This is the sad reality for today's graduates.

[newts2k]

(Original post by NB_ide)
I see all kinds of figures thrown around in newspapers and such, for example that after 6mo the average graduate salary is 25k or so. I find that hard to believe and it must surely be taken from a sample of top graduates. Maybe it's just my friends but after six months most people I knew from uni (left in 2008) were unemployed or working in a supermarket. I took a first in a bioscience from a well-regarded university, but had no work experience or connections in industry and so on. I also didn't realise (poor guidance at school, imo) how there's really no work in biosciences at all, and it offers little or no access to other disciplines.

It took me over 3 years to land a job, and now I earn 15k (gross), working as a lab technician in an unrelated science. That's several thousand £ less than a typical PhD student earns, taking tax into account. I've applied for other jobs but now that I'm several years past graduating I've been told in interviews that they worry I have lapsed a bit, drifted away, mentally - and it's true, I have. My current job doesn't let me use my brain very much and I've forgotten everything I did at uni, so I'm really back at square one, but rapidly ageing and becoming less valuable to an employer with each passing year.

I have no idea what to do - this job is pretty boring but has some positive aspects. It's a complete dead end and my pay scale tops out at 17.5k I think, which I would reach over a number of years if I perform well. I'm closer to 30 than 20 and am still living in a shared student house, no chance at all that I could afford anything better.

I'd be interested to hear from others who were perhaps a bit naiive about their choice of subject, or didn't realise what one has to do to get a decent job, or can't find anything worth doing for reasonable money, etc.

I'm a bit confused by it all, and disillusioned. In my case, university made it harder for me, by letting me live like a child for even longer and shielding me from the real world. People who left school at 16 and started work can do much better for themselves than someone like me.

Let's discuss this situation, increasingly common with jobs as scarce as they are today. I don't like being in this awkward middle-ground. I either want a decent, engaging job earning a wage appropriate for someone my age, or I should just drop out entirely and go and live in a cave somewhere. I could maintain my current lifestyle on benefits alone so I'm not sure why I bother.

[/miserable rant]

Yeh its all a bit ridiculous, more about who you know than what you know/did. I did an Economics degree and can't get into Accountancy and people who did irrelevent subjects like Geography seem to getting training contracts ahead of me. I feel too sorry for the new undergrads paying 9k, largely due to the fact there will not be any more 'graduate jobs'. Only a third of graduates get on grad schemes though.

[Aggster]

I graduated with a 2.1 from Birmingham last summer and am STILL job hunting! Wish someone had told me back then that experience is valuable on the job market, much more than your grades even. I find my lack of experience is stopping me from getting a job, and without a job I cannot get experience...and so the vicious cycle continues :/

[Slumpy]

I graduated in July, in maths, and got a grad job at the start of March(think I'd put in around 40 odd apps, and been to maybe, 5-6 final round things). I was pretty lucky though, because I didn't have much in the way of work experience.

[BritGirl]

It's threads like these that make you think twice about university

[Bubble87]

I also graduated 2008 with a BSc in Marine Biology and Zoology. Ended up working part time at Debenhams for 2 years (lol) and now I'm in an entry level job with the NHS and going back to uni in Sept to do Radiotherapy. Although my First degree is now virtually useless, I wouldn't have gotten onto Radiotherapy without it because my A Levels were dreadful!

[Meee123]

I graduated a few short years ago with a 2.1 in Graphic Design, and thought I was lucky landing a job immediately in a branding and packaging design firm, whilst most of my course mates had to take jobs in shops/bars/care etc. I soon learned that I was the unlucky one as I hated my job, colleagues, boss etc. They pay was okay I guess, at £18.5k starting which would have gone up a tiny amount on annual reviews, and I could certainly manage to live on that. My colleagues we genuinely really horrible though, I was a common (well thats what I was called, being from a single parent council estate family and going to the local comp!) mixed-race chick in a completely white-male snobby environment an although I HATE people who use race/gender as cop-out, I did get disheartened by the comments, treatment etc and often wondered why the hell my boss even took me on.

Put off design for life because of my environment, I decided to go into health and social care instead, and have been studying again for A Levels and NVQs, and am applying to studying at uni again soon on a health course, and what I've since learned is that those I sniggered at before who took low paid care jobs are those who are actually REALLY better off as there are always, and always will be, jobs in care, and they have the real progession opportunities, right from care assistant through to social workers/allied health/management/private practice etc, which are reasonably stable (depending on funding obv.) and aren't the WORST paid careers in the world!

Now, I love my current job, and my only regret is that I didn't studying social care instead of art and design at college!

[lcsurfer]

nowadays its all about who you know and not what you know! within my degree it's all about the contacts and even though my uni is an ex polytechnic our lecturers gave us loads of networking opportunities/ job opportunities and ways to gain experience so we can boost our CV making us more employable!
Compared to my friends who went to Russell group uni's, I'm much better off when i start my job in Nepal this summer, and even got that job through networking.

[Sprockette]

I graduated first with a degree in Nutrition which I topped up into Biomedical Science but I haven't had a relevant job yet. I'm looking for a laboratory job, I'm not fussed about pay to start with. £13k is the usual salary of the jobs I end up applying for. I just need a foot in the door...

I'm now considering any job that has prospects, scientific or not. I've had jobs in shops/bars/restaurants so far and I'm starting another in a factory tomorrow but I'm sick of these type jobs that will get me nowhere. I'm thinking of studying again but I don't know what. A masters is useless without experience. I would start something new in health if I was able to get experience at the same time. I can't afford to go back full time though and as I'm 26 I feel too old to take like, 6 years part time to get another degree while working.

If I could go back I would chose a different degree to start with or else I would have done an apprenticeship in healthcare or... something else Don't know. So depressing.

[NB_ide]

(Original post by lcsurfer)
nowadays its all about who you know and not what you know!

It's always been that way, and always will be - and it makes complete sense as well. If I had to hire someone I'd think in the same way.

I wish we were really told that from the start, though. Or maybe we were and I didn't listen? Anyone reading this thread, if you want to work in your field, or even out of it, do placement years, do summer internships, do extra projects and "awards" at school, anything will help.

[MagicNMedicine]

(Original post by lcsurfer)
nowadays its all about who you know and not what you know! within my degree it's all about the contacts and even though my uni is an ex polytechnic our lecturers gave us loads of networking opportunities/ job opportunities and ways to gain experience so we can boost our CV making us more employable!

This is a point often missed when people slag off ex polys. They are often good for networking as the more 'vocational' courses tend to have as lecturers, people that are involved in the industry. When I studied in Leeds I got to know a fair number of Leeds Met students and despite the fact we all used to call their university mickey mouse etc, they all managed to get jobs afterwards, they were doing degrees like Public Relations, Events Management, Landscape Architecture, and they all did placement years and got jobs through networks from their placement or from their lecturers. From my Leeds Uni friends there was a much more mixed story, some got grad schemes with large companies, others were lost by the wayside and working in bars/shops or receptionists/general office admin jobs. Their courses were more academic but they didn't offer any networking opportunities.

[lcsurfer]

(Original post by NB_ide)
It's always been that way, and always will be - and it makes complete sense as well. If I had to hire someone I'd think in the same way.

I wish we were really told that from the start, though. Or maybe we were and I didn't listen? Anyone reading this thread, if you want to work in your field, or even out of it, do placement years, do summer internships, do extra projects and "awards" at school, anything will help.

It's always been common sense really, i dont know it's just how my dad raised me to be honest. All off my jobs i've done/had are through networking... only had 1 formal interview ever and I've managed to work around the world since starting my degree.
Tip for you... get on Linkedin it's facebook but for professionals, if you want to see my profile on it as an example ill give you the link if you want it. it's a great way to network

[NB_ide]

(Original post by lcsurfer)
It's always been common sense really, i dont know it's just how my dad raised me to be honest. All off my jobs i've done/had are through networking... only had 1 formal interview ever and I've managed to work around the world since starting my degree.
Tip for you... get on Linkedin it's facebook but for professionals, if you want to see my profile on it as an example ill give you the link if you want it. it's a great way to network

Aye, common sense isn't too common. I was always sheltered and introverted so didn't realise how society works or how to interact with people profitably.

I'm not sure linkedin is any use for me, I'm not a "professional" as such - and what, do you meet people on there or just add people you know IRL?

[Bubble87]

(Original post by Sprockette)
I graduated first with a degree in Nutrition which I topped up into Biomedical Science but I haven't had a relevant job yet. I'm looking for a laboratory job, I'm not fussed about pay to start with. £13k is the usual salary of the jobs I end up applying for. I just need a foot in the door...

I'm now considering any job that has prospects, scientific or not. I've had jobs in shops/bars/restaurants so far and I'm starting another in a factory tomorrow but I'm sick of these type jobs that will get me nowhere. I'm thinking of studying again but I don't know what. A masters is useless without experience. I would start something new in health if I was able to get experience at the same time. I can't afford to go back full time though and as I'm 26 I feel too old to take like, 6 years part time to get another degree while working.

If I could go back I would chose a different degree to start with or else I would have done an apprenticeship in healthcare or... something else Don't know. So depressing.

With your degree in nutrition have you thought about training as a dietitician? Pretty sure it's one of the courses the NHS pays for so going back full time wouldn't be as bad as you think.

[lcsurfer]

(Original post by NB_ide)
Aye, common sense isn't too common. I was always sheltered and introverted so didn't realise how society works or how to interact with people profitably.

I'm not sure linkedin is any use for me, I'm not a "professional" as such - and what, do you meet people on there or just add people you know IRL?

You start by adding people you know and put up any experience your degree etc, join groups, speak to proessisonals... basically it's an online CV and you have connections and then that persons 'friends' can see your profile.. etc, it's really good.. I use it alot and I'm graduating this year.. I'll send you a link to my profile as it is to have a look

[Aggster]

(Original post by Bubble87)
I also graduated 2008 with a BSc in Marine Biology and Zoology. Ended up working part time at Debenhams for 2 years (lol) and now I'm in an entry level job with the NHS and going back to uni in Sept to do Radiotherapy. Although my First degree is now virtually useless, I wouldn't have gotten onto Radiotherapy without it because my A Levels were dreadful!

oh wow, I've been trying so hard to get into an entry level NHS job, any tips/advice you could give me? well done btw and lol I had a temp job at debenhams over xmas!

[Aramiss18]

Majorly regretting not doing a year in industry.

[Sprockette]

(Original post by Bubble87)
With your degree in nutrition have you thought about training as a dietitician? Pretty sure it's one of the courses the NHS pays for so going back full time wouldn't be as bad as you think.

Lol oh, yes it would I started Dietetics and wasn't good enough to finish it... *hangs head in hopelessness*

[Llamageddon]

I graduated with a first in Genetics from UCL, dossed around for half a year afterwards, worked for 6 months in a sweet shop then started a masters at Liverpool. Passed that and then did a teacher training degree but was utterly useless at teaching so I'm now working as a research assistant at Liverpool University whilst also pretending to be a policeman in the special constabulary.

I am simultaneously content and concerned about my job, where I am, where I expect to be and where I think I should be at now. My wage is OK but it's in a role with little to no progression attached in a field that doesn't interest me. I want to change direction and do an analytical role outside of science research but I'm not entirely sure how to. 5/10?