19, no job, not sure what to look for.

[scott15]

I'm 19, and am struggling with trying to choose a career.

I worked in retail whilst at college, I learnt as much as I could whilst there, starting on tills, customer services, departments and warehouse, as I wanted to gain as much experience as I could.

I left college early as I didn't get on we with the teacher for many reasons, he didn't want to teach, told me i was stupid if i didn't understand things, told me that my GCSE grades (11 C's) showed that i only worked as hard as i needed to to scrape by.. etc. So i ended up with only one A level.

I then went into Car bodywork, first working in a crash repair place. I didn't enjoy it as much as the place just bodged cars, lied to customers, and there was no panel beater there so I couldn't even start an apprenticeship. I left there and decided to try out working on classic Vw's. Which i also didn't enjoy as much as i thought i would, i left at the end of my trial, as i didn't want to mess the owner about and leave without giving him any warning, or not enough time to replace me (it was only me and him working for his company).

Im now looking for a different job, but i am unsure what it is that i want to do. I had saved up a fair amount of money whilst working, just incase i did become unemployed, as I don't want to be on any sort of job seekers allowance. So I don't NEED to rush into a job.

I have had a look at going back to college, although i will have to pay for this now.

Uni isn't an option as I only have one A level, and the only other way in is if your parents earn less than 30k, which they dont. (so much for equal to all students ).

How did you lot find the jobs that you are in?

Did you know what you wanted to do?

Thanks

[Alx323]

Had no idea what I wanted to do at 19 and still no idea really at 23! Promoted within retail, seeing how that goes for now then perhaps try and become a paramedic eventually. I went to uni but had to leave as I used up all my finance repeating a year, but I still have some credits to put towards something else, and I had an awesome time too! Don't discount uni, I got in with only one A-level (foundation courses are everywhere to help with this) and my parents earned way over the 30k threshold you speak of. Although with the fees as high as they are now, I'd suggest not doing it unless you really wanted to.

[AJS-]

You're young enough to just try a bunch of different stuff until you start getting closer to what you want. Sign up with temp agencies, and make direct approaches to any companies that look even half appealing.

[WolfAir]

First of all decide what you like doing? write it down.
Myself, I like mechanical things, engines, seeing how things fit together, working with my hands, and so I went into Engineering.
If you're not sure what you like, google personality tests, or career quiz and try a few they will give you a list of options related to what you enjoy. Don't worry too much because you are still young and have a lot to experience in life. But I will say don't like me leave it too late, married with a child, working full time and studying is not the best fun I have had good luck. drop me a pm if you want to chat
peace

[DuraAce]

Didn't really know what I wanted. Joined the military to 'see the world' and experience new things, glad I did as it's been bloody brilliant so far.

[scott15]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I took a career quiz, and came back with this as a list of possible jobs:
• Scientists
• Research department managers
• University instructors
• Engineers
• Professors and Teachers
• Medical Doctors or Dentists
• Psychologists
• Corporate Strategists and Organization Builders
• Business Administrators and Managers
• Military Leaders
• Lawyers
• Judges
• Computer programmers/specialists, or Systems Analysts



I realise that i am still young, but I don't like the feeling of wasting my time. I'd prefer to be working towards something.

I like buying and selling stuff. I had 11 mopeds between the age of 16-17, i'd buy them, do them up, and sell them after using them for a month or so. Im now also onto car number 11 in two years of driving, buying and selling again. I also buy car parts and sell for more too. I have looked into car salesman jobs, although i have been warned away by most. Long hours, and not great pay, were a few major points made by most.

I haven't fully shaken off the idea of uni, however i think i am more looking at it as an excuse to move out, and meet lots of new people. Which isn't a bad thing, although it will get me into a lot of debt, which i really do not want. So i wont think about uni unless i really am sure.

[The Beaver King]

Unusually, I actually had a reasonably good idea of what I wanted to do at 19. Many people don't though, you just have to try a few different jobs until something fits most of your criteria and you enjoy it (or not hate it).

I wanted to join the Army, but had no idea what I wanted to do while in. I went through all my grades with my recruiter, did my BARB test and he suggested Ammo Technician in the RLC. It made sense, as I had a strong connection towards engineering and fixing things.

Sadly, long term illness killed that idea off.

I ended up doing a CAD apprenticeship and have now been working in Construction for 6 years.

Basically, look for jobs that appeal to your personal interests. You're still young, so don't worry too much about a career yet. I didn't get into CAD until I was 21 and I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it at the time.

With the stuff you have put about yourself so far, perhaps look to become a mechanic working for a dealership or something? The car salesman route shouldn't be discounted, some people have a natural 'knack' for it and can make a decent amount of money easily.

[GadgeS3C]

scott15 said:

Thanks for the replies so far.

I took a career quiz, and came back with this as a list of possible jobs:
• Scientists
• Research department managers
• University instructors
• Engineers
• Professors and Teachers
• Medical Doctors or Dentists
• Psychologists
• Corporate Strategists and Organization Builders
• Business Administrators and Managers
• Military Leaders
• Lawyers
• Judges
• Computer programmers/specialists, or Systems Analysts

At your age I knew I wanted to do some form of engineering but for various reasons I got into it a long way round - lab tech job, part time degree, evolved job into an engineering role, moved into project leadership and more commercial roles...

Not suggesting engineering, just that there is more than one way. I appreciate that many of the study options have become much more expensive.

Just a thought on the career list above - there are some quite diverse roles there. The common links appears to be: managing detail, managing people and leading people.

Some of those career quiz things can be quite variable so I'd suggest doing a few more and seeing what results you get. Then try and see what common themes they have as that might open some more directions.

Keep posting as I suspect you'll get lots more useful advice here. You've already demonstrated your capability by asking the question in a mature fashion!

Good luck.

Edit - I know you're trying to avoid job centres but they might provide some useful advice and more importantly enable you to access resources that might help you. They may also be completely useless but you can always sign off if you don't need the money!

Also - if you are considering apprenticeships, I know some of the engineering institutions have a range of bursaries available to support people. There is a big push on getting people into them so worth considering if you want to go that route.

Feel free to PM me if I can be any help.
Gary

Edited by GadgeS3C on Friday 22 November 09:31

[Bullett]

That job list seems to cover most general areas!

I had no idea at 19. I wanted to be pilot but dodgy eyesight put paid to that, I then drifted through 6th form not really trying and failed everything pretty much (I have 8 or 9 GCSE and O Levels). Went to college and did a music technology qualification. I had several part time jobs, Blockbuster, shop work, pub work and a call centre job.

Considered all sorts, engineering, architecture, military office etc but drifted until my early 20's when I got offered two full time roles - manager/assistant in Blockbuster or full time in the call centre. Took the call centre job as it was more flexible and fitted in around my music (I was in a couple of bands and ran a live sound company with money from the Princes Trust).

I now do call centre design and I'm a technical pre-sales consultant.

The whole point of that story was that you have plenty of time to get a career. Find something you enjoy (mostly) have a positive attitude and you will do well, probably ending up somewhere you never expected. The job you end up with may not even exist as a concept today.

You sound like you have an entrepreneurial streak. Try to build on that or something in sales, not all sales roles are shiney suits and wide ties.

[evilmunkey]

Sounds like you are doing well with the buying and selling , Have you thought about self employment ? There is no rule to say you have to go work for someone else and from reading it looks like its something you are good at and enjoy. I would be having a word with the local business link office and approach the job centre about small business start up courses etc. I love being self employed / freelance. Its hard work but i basically get paid to do what love doing and have never been happier to get up on a morning.

[GadgeS3C]

evilmunkey said:

Sounds like you are doing well with the buying and selling , Have you thought about self employment ? There is no rule to say you have to go work for someone else and from reading it looks like its something you are good at and enjoy. I would be having a word with the local business link office and approach the job centre about small business start up courses etc. I love being self employed / freelance. Its hard work but i basically get paid to do what love doing and have never been happier to get up on a morning.

Business link is sadly gone but the National Enterprise Allowance (NEA) is flavour of the month with job centres. I suspect implementation is variable but around here (Notts) if you have a basic business idea you can get access to an 8 week course which will cover the basics of running a business and walk you through building a business plan.

[nammynake]

Train driver?

http://www.traindriver.org/

[scott15]

Thanks again for all the help.

Engineering seems to be something that comes up a lot when speaking to people about jobs. My family tell me it would be a good route for me, and anyone else that know me say the same. I have had an interview for a motorsport engineering company last year. I got down to one of two people, but didn't get the job due to the other person having experience. The company rang me after, an said that they have put me forward for another job in their company. I re-did my interviews for that job (i had to redo them as it was a different department, so different people and different manager). But the same happened again, was down to the last one of two, and the other had experience.

I have thought about going self employed. I can always find cars that i could easily make a profit on.

My dad has said that he can loan me the money to start my own business, although i'm not sure whether this is a smart idea?

I will try a few more job tests, an see if there are any jobs in common between them.

[RizzoTheRat]

I still don't know what I want to do with my life and I'm 40, I enjoy what I do now but don't have a career plan. There's nothing wrong with drifting in to jobs because you enjoy them.

Sounds like you enjoy mechanical stuff and engineering, which covers a wide range of jobs. True a lot of engineering/scientific jobs need further education, but don't let that put you off, I used to work with a bloke who had left school with a couple of o-levels, and then after working a few years decided he wanted some more qualifications, and had a PhD by his mid 30's.

An apprenticeship in fabrication/machining/mechanic/etc might be worthwhile as a way in to engineering. Also the military can be a good career for the technically minded, I worked with another bloke who'd joined the navy to train as an electrician with a couple of o-levels, he left 30+ years later as a Lt Cdr having spend quite a few years flying Lynx helicopters.

One important point though, it is worth signing on with the job centre as this means your national insurance stamp gets paid while you're not working, which has a big impact on your pension when you get there.

[Podie]

Based on what you've said in this thread, it sounds like you should find an apprenticeship with a decent dealer and learn the trade properly. Get the experience in, and then set yourself up as a marque specialist.

[ReaderScars]

You're also elegible for a Start Up loan. You've got some money put aside, you know what you like, you've got a decent track record.

What do you need to develop your sideline into becoming your main earner?

Tools
Power
Garage or small unit, or shared workspace
Insurance

What else can you think of that you need to make this work?
How much will it cost?
What are the risks?
What skills have you already got?
How did you get your customers for th scooters and cars?

If you can answer these you're on the way to making a successful application and business plan. You don't need to borrow large amounts - just enough to cover your basics like the garage rent, the tools, the electricity and insurance.

And as a self employed person you should be able to claim working tax credits to keep you from starving. I would say forget about working for anyone else. Go for self employment.

[kiethton]

If your a hands on type of person why not look at going back to college/starting as an apprentice to a trade:

Plumber
Bricky
Sparky

I've never seen a poor (competent) tradesman and from there you can move to self-employment/building contractor as you gain experience/cash.

[scott15]

ReaderScars said:

You're also elegible for a Start Up loan. You've got some money put aside, you know what you like, you've got a decent track record.

What do you need to develop your sideline into becoming your main earner?

Tools
Power
Garage or small unit, or shared workspace
Insurance

What else can you think of that you need to make this work?
How much will it cost?
What are the risks?
What skills have you already got?
How did you get your customers for th scooters and cars?

If you can answer these you're on the way to making a successful application and business plan. You don't need to borrow large amounts - just enough to cover your basics like the garage rent, the tools, the electricity and insurance.

And as a self employed person you should be able to claim working tax credits to keep you from starving. I would say forget about working for anyone else. Go for self employment.

I think this is more what i should look at doing.

I have answers to all of them questions, plus a few plans of keeping the risks to a minimum.

In answer to the people saying to be a mechanic/get into a dealership, I don't enjoy cars after working on everyone else's cars 6 days a week. Working on cars and motorbikes is pretty much my only hobby, so when i was doing it 50 hours a week, it took away from what i enjoyed doing. To some people it may seem ideal being able to do their hobby for a job, but actually for me it was the opposite. I didn't want to do any work on my own cars, i could barely even be bothered to keep them clean. And since it took away a big hobby of mine, i didn't have much to do in the evenings after work, which made the situation even worse.

I will look into different bits of engineering. I wouldn't mind sheetmetal working, as i do enjoy welding, and i'd like to learn even more about working with metal. Although i'm not sure whether i could do it for a long period of time, or if i'd enjoy it for a few months an then get bored.

I'll also look into going self employed. I've always wanted to be my own boss, even since i was a kid, but i'm sure everyone else had that same idea too

Who has started out on their own at a young age? and how did it go for you?

[STW2010]

scott15 said:

Thanks for the replies so far.

I took a career quiz, and came back with this as a list of possible jobs:
• Scientists
• Research department managers
• University instructors
• Engineers
• Professors and Teachers
• Medical Doctors or Dentists
• Psychologists
• Corporate Strategists and Organization Builders
• Business Administrators and Managers
• Military Leaders
• Lawyers
• Judges
• Computer programmers/specialists, or Systems Analysts

I work in academia and wouldn't mind knowing what a University instructor is!

Back in the day when I was looking for career advice the questionnaires I filled in would give me a similar list. I went to a career fair when I was 16 and met a guy from Glaxo Wellcome (now Glaxo SmithKline, GSK), and was instantly drawn in to the pharmaceutical industry. So I chose my A levels to suit that (Chemistry and Biology for that pathway, and Psychology as a side interest) and was then offered a job at GSK to work in their labs and study a chemistry degree part time. I rejected that offer as I wanted to study full time.

So upon completing a chemistry degree I was a bit unsure about the pharmaceutical industry, so went into a chemical processing role. That sucked, and remembering back an interest I had at Uni I found a fully funded MSc to do which would change my career direction (electronic engineering, physics and chemistry combined). I found that the job market was more geared to Physics graduates, but really enjoyed the research project, so I started applying for PhD positions.

I was offered 3x positions- conducting polymers, hydrogen fuel cells or waste management. I chose waste management, and have now worked in that field for 5 years since completing my PhD (4 of which in academia).

So, I sort of fell into each of those pathways based on what my interests were at the time. Do I regret not following my initial 'dream' of working in the pharmaceutical industry? Not at all.

[davepoth]

I'm 32 and still don't know what I want to do.

Don't think about what job you want, think about the things you want to do in a job and then hopefully the job you want will become clear. What do you like doing?