The Student Room Group

If you're around 26 years old and...

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I'd go for it, it doesn't mean you're wasting your youth - you can do this until something more appropriate comes along.
Reply 21
Original post by 4TSR
... the only job you can find is stacking shelves in Tesco, despite being smart above average and have good A levels and you're good at many other things, would you do it? would you think it's shameful for a young man to "waste" his youths doing this?


Of course. Think of the shame of doing a perfectly respectable job to earn money when the alternative would be to sit at home on your arse doing nothing.
Reply 22
Original post by BeautifullyTragic
If you're around 26 years old and the only job you can find is stacking shelves in Tesco, then you might not be very good at networking. Counts for a lot these days, all my jobs were through who I know, not what grades I got.


Aren't you just assuming that the guy didn't get offered this job because he knew someone who worked at Tesco?
Reply 23
Original post by kka25
It's that bad ye? :frown:

Asking because I'm doing one as well =/


Nah, I was just being picky about what job I wanted.
There's absolutely nothing shameful about it. One thing I hate is people who think they're far superior to a job they're offered. Yes, there's certain circumstances where this is true, but this ain't one of them. I know friends who refuse to take part-time jobs in university, not because they want to focus on their studies, but because they think they're much better than most jobs out there. If they're planning on moving away next year, they're probably gonna struggle.

Anyway, take the job. It's money, experience, and you might actually enjoy the job!
Original post by Jake22
Aren't you just assuming that the guy didn't get offered this job because he knew someone who worked at Tesco?


I wasn't talking about the Tesco job, how he got that job is irrelevent. I just meant if the OP is moaning that they want something more than working there, then learning the art of networking might be a good idea to nudge them in the right direction of where they want to be.
Unemployment is a much bigger waste of youth than underemployment. Would I like stacking shelves? no. Would I prefer it to having no money? Yes.
Reply 27
Original post by py0alb
Nah, I was just being picky about what job I wanted.


Owh, I see :biggrin:

Mind me asking what area you're in? I mean for the PhD :smile:
Original post by 4TSR
... the only job you can find is stacking shelves in Tesco, despite being smart above average and have good A levels and you're good at many other things, would you do it? would you think it's shameful for a young man to "waste" his youths doing this?


Not to say that what you're doing is a "bad job", but if you feel unfulfilled in what you're doing, you need to firstly think seriously about what you want to do, the qualifications that you have for it, and what you wanna do in order to train yourself up for it or make yourself a good prospective professional.

So, question 1, what do you wanna do? ;-)
Reply 29
Well it's better than doing nothing. If there was really nothing else I had found, then I would, and keep looking for other 'better' work in the mean time.
Reply 30
It depends, if I was looking for a job I'd give at least a couple of months from being made unemployed. to try and find something I really want to do. Working in a job you like is usually better for everyone in the long run and it's easy to get stuck in a rut if you get in to something you don't like. However if you don't have that luxury to look around or you continue to not find anything I'd take the job- it's money and experience at the end of the day, and I certainly wouldn't think it was shameful. I know some people would but you have to just get on with your life and do what you need to do, so ignore them.

xxx
Reply 31
I wouldn't think it as bad. It's a job isn't it and those are few and far between sometimes.
Yeah? Why not? Who gives a **** what other people think. If they want to spend what may be their one and only existence competing in some petty social hierarchy game then so be it, it doesn't concern me.
Reply 33
It's a job at the end of the day!.Better than sitting at home all day, drawing the dole and turning your brain to mush watching daytime TV.
Reply 34
Where did I say that you NEED a degree to get far in life?
:confused:

I am simply stating a FACT. If a smart person with a degree versus a smart person WITHOUT a degree apply for a job, then the person WITH the degree will get that job 9/10 times.

I also never said that having a degree GUARANTEES you a job. But it ONLY helps your chances, not hurts them. If you can get easily get a uni education which will HELP your chances, why not do it?
I unfortunately am that 26 year old :frown: I'm looking for a job in Biomedical Science but it's proving difficult to get that first step. I don't like my job but I liked the 6 months unemployment before it a hell of a lot less. I have no contacts really, the only people I know in the area are in the same position as me. So I am working to keep myself while applying for jobs to give me experience (don't care about the wage, it's usually about £13/14k) and doing some voluntary work in a healthcare charity. I look up conferences and talks to network/keep my knowledge up to date but they all seem to be either in another part of the country, >£100 to attend or else you have to be already working in the area. I've been to 1 talk, 1 general meeting/conference and had 2 months voluntary work in the area in the last year but it's tough going. I am getting thoroughly demoralised working in a kitchen/bar but at least it's keeping me... it sucks though when it seems like the best thing about your life is that other people have it worse (I'm getting so sick of being told that!), at least I have a job. So depressing.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 36
Original post by Sprockette
I unfortunately am that 26 year old :frown: I'm looking for a job in Biomedical Science but it's proving difficult to get that first step. I don't like my job but I liked the 6 months unemployment before it a hell of a lot less. I have no contacts really, the only people I know in the area are in the same position as me. So I am working to keep myself while applying for jobs to give me experience (don't care about the wage, it's usually about £13/14k) and doing some voluntary work in a healthcare charity. I look up conferences and talks to network/keep my knowledge up to date but they all seem to be either in another part of the country, >£100 to attend or else you have to be already working in the area. I've been to 1 talk, 1 general meeting/conference and had 2 months voluntary work in the area in the last year but it's tough going. I am getting thoroughly demoralised working in a kitchen/bar but at least it's keeping me... it sucks though when it seems like the best thing about your life is that other people have it worse (I'm getting so sick of being told that!), at least I have a job. So depressing.


if you don't mind me asking, what university did you study biomedical science at and what level of degree did you leave with?
Original post by christrev
if you don't mind me asking, what university did you study biomedical science at and what level of degree did you leave with?


Not a very direct route unfortunately, wish I could go back to when I was 18 and start over! I started with Dietetics, then did a top up in Biomedical at Glasgow Caledonian to get IBMS registered. I didn't get any placements though. I do get interviews though, I seem to look good on paper but need to work on my experience and interview skills (need to expand my answers). I'm getting better at them but not there yet.
As people have said a job is a job. It's not great work granted, but if it helps you along your path to your chosen career via giving you work experience then you might as well do it.

The days of walking into a job with a degree (if they ever existed) certainly aren't around any more. Damn shame I must admit, but there are so many unemployed people around now that there is bound to be someone applying who's had more experience in work than a student, possibly over a longer period of time too. I guess what I'm trying to say is get all the experience you can.
Original post by TurboCretin
As long as shops exist we will need people to stack shelves. Snobbery over jobs is ridiculous. The most lowly, demeaning jobs are usually the most essential in any society.


Most essential, but also the worst paid jobs out there.....

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