Unrealistic professions.
Discussion
When I was a kid the archetypical unrealistic profession was professional footballer.
Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic. Now there are jobs like these in video game companies, including testers but game design is a group effort today, the era of super star games designers like Sid Meier is over and there were precious few of those even at peak.
What other unrealistic profession have you come across in kids.
Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic. Now there are jobs like these in video game companies, including testers but game design is a group effort today, the era of super star games designers like Sid Meier is over and there were precious few of those even at peak.
What other unrealistic profession have you come across in kids.
- 15 y/o EBD kid with 8% attendance at school and the good old local college multi-construction training course they always get sent on wants to be a plumber or electrician cos its good money. Of course you do and of course you can........
- same clutch of EBD kids want to join the Services cos you 'don't need no qualifications' to get in. Really?
I think the examples above have more chance of becoming a footballer tbh.
- same clutch of EBD kids want to join the Services cos you 'don't need no qualifications' to get in. Really?
I think the examples above have more chance of becoming a footballer tbh.
4x4Tyke said:
Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic. Now there are jobs like these in video game companies, including testers but game design is a group effort today, the era of super star games designers like Sid Meier is over and there were precious few of those even at peak.
I would say it is more realistic today than it was a a few years ago. As you say, there are large video games companies that look for designers and testers but if you are so inclined you can write and publish your own relatively cheaply for iPhone / Android. You only have to look at hits like flappy bird to see it is possible.4x4Tyke said:
When I was a kid the archetypical unrealistic profession was professional footballer.
Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic. Now there are jobs like these in video game companies, including testers but game design is a group effort today, the era of super star games designers like Sid Meier is over and there were precious few of those even at peak.
What other unrealistic profession have you come across in kids.
It's a very skilled job which requires a relevant degree from a top uni, with the graduate not being concerned that they could earn twice as much money working half the hours doing something else! So not only is it unrealistic for most, it's also not what they think it is Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic. Now there are jobs like these in video game companies, including testers but game design is a group effort today, the era of super star games designers like Sid Meier is over and there were precious few of those even at peak.
What other unrealistic profession have you come across in kids.
Source: I went to a graduate recruitment presentation by CodeMasters and they told us that we could have a chat with them afterwards in the bar if we bought the beers. Compared to banking ones where they rolled in trolleys of food and drink at the end and told us to get stuck in.
What's worse is those who finish their GCSE's, instantly go to the same school or local college to do some stupid A-levels in drama/dance/music/cooking etc (no offence) and then go to Uni and do something similarly ridiculous only to come out at the end, or worse, drop out and do some generic minimum wage office job/bar work when they could've done that straight from school/college and probably at middle management level in the time they've spent 'studying' if they applied themselves that is.
Too many people from my year in school have done this. One particular example; Got good GCSE's, chose to do A-levels, passed. Went to Uni, dropped out, started another course the next year, dropped out. Did a course at a local college for ~£10k, didn't get a job with it so gone back to Uni... She's spent ~£50/60k on... nothing. And that's continually increasing as she's now pursuing something else.
I believe Apprenticeships are they way forward, assuming you can find a good one which will provide some good qualifications within a reputable company. Uni should only be an option if it's essentially mandatory for the field (i.e. doctor, dentist, lawyer etc).
Too many people from my year in school have done this. One particular example; Got good GCSE's, chose to do A-levels, passed. Went to Uni, dropped out, started another course the next year, dropped out. Did a course at a local college for ~£10k, didn't get a job with it so gone back to Uni... She's spent ~£50/60k on... nothing. And that's continually increasing as she's now pursuing something else.
I believe Apprenticeships are they way forward, assuming you can find a good one which will provide some good qualifications within a reputable company. Uni should only be an option if it's essentially mandatory for the field (i.e. doctor, dentist, lawyer etc).
S9JTO said:
What's worse is those who finish their GCSE's, instantly go to the same school or local college to do some stupid A-levels in drama/dance/music/cooking etc (no offence) and then go to Uni and do something similarly ridiculous only to come out at the end, or worse, drop out and do some generic minimum wage office job/bar work when they could've done that straight from school/college and probably at middle management level in the time they've spent 'studying' if they applied themselves that is.
Too many people from my year in school have done this. One particular example; Got good GCSE's, chose to do A-levels, passed. Went to Uni, dropped out, started another course the next year, dropped out. Did a course at a local college for ~£10k, didn't get a job with it so gone back to Uni... She's spent ~£50/60k on... nothing. And that's continually increasing as she's now pursuing something else.
I believe Apprenticeships are they way forward, assuming you can find a good one which will provide some good qualifications within a reputable company. Uni should only be an option if it's essentially mandatory for the field (i.e. doctor, dentist, lawyer etc).
A-Levels, in any subject require the expansion of critical thinking continued at University. I'd rather my children went to University and got a degree in cooking rather than not go at all. Too many people from my year in school have done this. One particular example; Got good GCSE's, chose to do A-levels, passed. Went to Uni, dropped out, started another course the next year, dropped out. Did a course at a local college for ~£10k, didn't get a job with it so gone back to Uni... She's spent ~£50/60k on... nothing. And that's continually increasing as she's now pursuing something else.
I believe Apprenticeships are they way forward, assuming you can find a good one which will provide some good qualifications within a reputable company. Uni should only be an option if it's essentially mandatory for the field (i.e. doctor, dentist, lawyer etc).
Your 2nd paragraph is more the person's issues rather than the system.
Apprenticeship system in this country is an utter ball bag. I was invited for 5 years to be an apprenticeship training provider but on moral grounds flatly refused to get involved. Very few are actually permanent employment. 1000's and 1000's are 1 to 2 year contracts with no job security at the end. Some big charities use them as a money generator churning out care/hospitality/contsruction/call centre quals which end up being about as much use as used toilet paper.
According to my contacts at a big college in Herts, Apprenticeship numbers are also markedly down as the students realise how bad the majority are.
4x4Tyke said:
Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic.
My brother wanted to design games as a career, and used to mess around writing programs on our ZX Spectrum. When he grew up, he ended up with a job designing BAFTA Playstation games.kurt535 said:
A-Levels, in any subject require the expansion of critical thinking continued at University. I'd rather my children went to University and got a degree in cooking rather than not go at all.
Your 2nd paragraph is more the person's issues rather than the system.
Apprenticeship system in this country is an utter ball bag. I was invited for 5 years to be an apprenticeship training provider but on moral grounds flatly refused to get involved. Very few are actually permanent employment. 1000's and 1000's are 1 to 2 year contracts with no job security at the end. Some big charities use them as a money generator churning out care/hospitality/contsruction/call centre quals which end up being about as much use as used toilet paper.
According to my contacts at a big college in Herts, Apprenticeship numbers are also markedly down as the students realise how bad the majority are.
The number of people applying to be on apprenticeships like IT are down across the board (20% fall), probably because they realise that they are being employed for cheap (subsidised) labour rather than a meaningful career.Your 2nd paragraph is more the person's issues rather than the system.
Apprenticeship system in this country is an utter ball bag. I was invited for 5 years to be an apprenticeship training provider but on moral grounds flatly refused to get involved. Very few are actually permanent employment. 1000's and 1000's are 1 to 2 year contracts with no job security at the end. Some big charities use them as a money generator churning out care/hospitality/contsruction/call centre quals which end up being about as much use as used toilet paper.
According to my contacts at a big college in Herts, Apprenticeship numbers are also markedly down as the students realise how bad the majority are.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/23/ict_appre...
The levy hasn't helped this, as firms want to claw back as much of that money as possible because if they don't spend it on apprenticeships its gone forever.
However apprenticeships at a decent construction firm or house builder, or a solid engineering apprenticeship at somewhere like Land Rover, those are still massively oversubscribed. I know one house builder that has to jack up the wages every year for their construction apprenticeships because other firms keep trying to steal their part trained staff.
I'd rather more students went onto an apprenticeship scheme tied to an actual job rather than just drifted to Uni and did the seemingly default History degree at a middling Uni that a large chunk of students in my area (at least the ones I know of) have ended up doing. Most have no clue as to what they actually want to use that degree for, certainly not teaching history as that is the first question I ask them when I find out they want to do a History degree. It isn't as easy to get a decent job at a bank or office with just a history degree today as it was when I was a kid, least not from an average Uni.
BMWBen said:
4x4Tyke said:
When I was a kid the archetypical unrealistic profession was professional footballer.
Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic. Now there are jobs like these in video game companies, including testers but game design is a group effort today, the era of super star games designers like Sid Meier is over and there were precious few of those even at peak.
What other unrealistic profession have you come across in kids.
It's a very skilled job which requires a relevant degree from a top uni, with the graduate not being concerned that they could earn twice as much money working half the hours doing something else! So not only is it unrealistic for most, it's also not what they think it is Today it seems quite a lot of youngsters want to be professional video games designer or tester, which is equally unrealistic. Now there are jobs like these in video game companies, including testers but game design is a group effort today, the era of super star games designers like Sid Meier is over and there were precious few of those even at peak.
What other unrealistic profession have you come across in kids.
Source: I went to a graduate recruitment presentation by CodeMasters and they told us that we could have a chat with them afterwards in the bar if we bought the beers. Compared to banking ones where they rolled in trolleys of food and drink at the end and told us to get stuck in.
On the other hand, tester is a minimum wage job for the most part, often taken on by kids trying to get a break (few do). Large games companies go through swathes of testers as the burn out rate is very high and they're typically hired on short term contracts to allow for ramping up and down as the business requires.
Banking is (much) better paid but less exciting. And all the good jobs are in the city, whereas games jobs tend to be in cheaper areas (to some extent).
Source: I'm a games programmer of 16 years experience.
kurt535 said:
A-Levels, in any subject require the expansion of critical thinking continued at University. I'd rather my children went to University and got a degree in cooking rather than not go at all.
Your 2nd paragraph is more the person's issues rather than the system.
Apprenticeship system in this country is an utter ball bag. I was invited for 5 years to be an apprenticeship training provider but on moral grounds flatly refused to get involved. Very few are actually permanent employment. 1000's and 1000's are 1 to 2 year contracts with no job security at the end. Some big charities use them as a money generator churning out care/hospitality/contsruction/call centre quals which end up being about as much use as used toilet paper.
According to my contacts at a big college in Herts, Apprenticeship numbers are also markedly down as the students realise how bad the majority are.
I agree that A-levels/equivalent do promote critical thinking and are required in order to progress on to University - I thought that much was obvious. However, my point was that those who do not have a solid idea of what career they wish to pursue and/or are not 100% confident that University is for them (for whatever reason) then they shouldn't just go along for the ride (like many of my friends did), for the social aspect and student loans etc. As ultimately they would be better off starting in industry at the bottom and working their way up without the wasted 3-5 years and £60-90k of debt. Not to mention 0 industry experience.Your 2nd paragraph is more the person's issues rather than the system.
Apprenticeship system in this country is an utter ball bag. I was invited for 5 years to be an apprenticeship training provider but on moral grounds flatly refused to get involved. Very few are actually permanent employment. 1000's and 1000's are 1 to 2 year contracts with no job security at the end. Some big charities use them as a money generator churning out care/hospitality/contsruction/call centre quals which end up being about as much use as used toilet paper.
According to my contacts at a big college in Herts, Apprenticeship numbers are also markedly down as the students realise how bad the majority are.
I think you may have missed "I believe Apprenticeships are they way forward, assuming you can find a good one which will provide some good qualifications within a reputable company." in my previous post. I, as well as a few friends and family have all completed apprenticeships in reputable organisations, with a permanent contract upon starting, earning more than most graduate jobs so I firmly believe that this is better than walking blindly into University just 'because'.
Aside from that, I completely agree that there is a large amount of useless apprenticeship schemes in the industries you mentioned. I personally applied for many similar IT apprenticeships earning ~£100pw with no job in the end and s
tty qualifications. Luckily I didn't get them and landed on my feet in arguably the best apprenticeship scheme in the country.BMWBen said:
It's a very skilled job which requires a relevant degree from a top uni, with the graduate not being concerned that they could earn twice as much money working half the hours doing something else! So not only is it unrealistic for most, it's also not what they think it is
Source: I went to a graduate recruitment presentation by CodeMasters and they told us that we could have a chat with them afterwards in the bar if we bought the beers. Compared to banking ones where they rolled in trolleys of food and drink at the end and told us to get stuck in.
Yes, getting the high score on super mario kart is not the killer credential they think it is.Source: I went to a graduate recruitment presentation by CodeMasters and they told us that we could have a chat with them afterwards in the bar if we bought the beers. Compared to banking ones where they rolled in trolleys of food and drink at the end and told us to get stuck in.
Gareth1974 said:
My brother wanted to design games as a career, and used to mess around writing programs on our ZX Spectrum. When he grew up, he ended up with a job designing BAFTA Playstation games.
Yes and good for him, I'm sure your brother will report those roles require some natural aptitude, a lot of hard work and are quite rare, just like the professional footballer analogy and there are even fewer rock star game developers in the world than premier league players.4x4Tyke said:
Gareth1974 said:
My brother wanted to design games as a career, and used to mess around writing programs on our ZX Spectrum. When he grew up, he ended up with a job designing BAFTA Playstation games.
Yes and good for him, I'm sure your brother will report those roles require some natural aptitude, a lot of hard work and are quite rare, just like the professional footballer analogy and there are even fewer rock star game developers in the world than premier league players.Edited by Gareth1974 on Wednesday 7th February 16:46
Edited by Gareth1974 on Wednesday 7th February 17:49
When I was about 18 everyone in the town I grew up wanted to work offshore and earn £1000 a week on the rigs. So they all did their survival courses for £1000 and waited to apply for jobs.
My uncle got on the rigs without the certificate and the company fronted the bill. He was on minimum wage for a while and when he started but what the guy on the street didn't know was he was a trained welder doing a part time Electronics degree. Most of the people on that particular rig were all mates of mates. To this day people still think you can get on a rig and earn £10k a week... You can if you don't mind going to a war torn country as he found out.
My uncle got on the rigs without the certificate and the company fronted the bill. He was on minimum wage for a while and when he started but what the guy on the street didn't know was he was a trained welder doing a part time Electronics degree. Most of the people on that particular rig were all mates of mates. To this day people still think you can get on a rig and earn £10k a week... You can if you don't mind going to a war torn country as he found out.
I got sent this today from an apprenticeship group I still get e-mails from:
Skills devolution needed to power economy: London and other parts of the country are experiencing severe skills shortages that could hinder economic growth and leave them vulnerable to the impact of Brexit, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London (APPG for London) argued at Westminster Tuesday. In a specially convened Westminster Hall debate, Catherine West MP set out how the present skills system is unable to meet the growing demand for skilled employees, and made an urgent case for skills devolution to London and other major towns and cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool. Catherine West said: “I’m asking government to act now to free our skills system so it truly delivers the education and training employers are looking for. In London we want to respond to the needs of our growing population and dynamic business community but our powers are limited."
It certainly backs up doing apprenticeships except the model is broken - as the OP highlighted my point at the lack of decent apprenticeships out there. Firms won't commit to employees.
This disaster has also stuck:
A company approved to provide external quality assurance for digital apprenticeships will fold in September, in a situation described as an “unworkable short-term solution”. The Institute for Apprenticeships approved the Tech Partnership for the role in December, two months after it announced plans to shut up shop. The IfA also confirmed that if no suitable replacement is approved by September, it may itself have to take on the quality-assurance role for the sector, “either on a permanent basis or for however long is necessary to cover any transition”.
One ball bag after another
Skills devolution needed to power economy: London and other parts of the country are experiencing severe skills shortages that could hinder economic growth and leave them vulnerable to the impact of Brexit, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London (APPG for London) argued at Westminster Tuesday. In a specially convened Westminster Hall debate, Catherine West MP set out how the present skills system is unable to meet the growing demand for skilled employees, and made an urgent case for skills devolution to London and other major towns and cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool. Catherine West said: “I’m asking government to act now to free our skills system so it truly delivers the education and training employers are looking for. In London we want to respond to the needs of our growing population and dynamic business community but our powers are limited."
It certainly backs up doing apprenticeships except the model is broken - as the OP highlighted my point at the lack of decent apprenticeships out there. Firms won't commit to employees.
This disaster has also stuck:
A company approved to provide external quality assurance for digital apprenticeships will fold in September, in a situation described as an “unworkable short-term solution”. The Institute for Apprenticeships approved the Tech Partnership for the role in December, two months after it announced plans to shut up shop. The IfA also confirmed that if no suitable replacement is approved by September, it may itself have to take on the quality-assurance role for the sector, “either on a permanent basis or for however long is necessary to cover any transition”.
One ball bag after another
Snowflakes that think instagram and vlogging is going to make them the next big thing and make the millions, despite the fact they have spent hours on youtube and know what the next big thing is and just take selfies of themselves.
What makes it worse is that people follow them making thousands of 'accidental' selfies and think their life is amazing.
What makes it worse is that people follow them making thousands of 'accidental' selfies and think their life is amazing.
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