So I haven't posted for a while, for the main reason that I haven't had time. Why, you ask? Well I've finally got a job!! That's right folks - all the patience and hard-work has paid off, and I finally have my foot on the ladder in the travel industry!
In August, I applied very last minute for a job at a gap year travel and volunteering company. I'd been 'umming and ahhing' about it for a while, then an hour before the application closed, I went head, figuring I had nothing to lose. As it turns out, it was the best decision I have ever made. I was offered an interview, and headed down to Tunbridge Wells (via Reading, which required a 2.30am start - ouch!)
After a full day of tests, group tasks, quizzes and a horrendous X-Factor style 'eviction' halfway through the day, then a one-on-one interview, I was on the train back to London when I got the best phone call ever. I got the job!! (I may have cried a bit on the train - how embarrassing?!). Fast-forward a month, and I have now emigrated from the north - I am now a 'southerner.' Does this mean that I'll start pronouncing my 't's and 'h's and assuming that everything above the Watford Gap is the North?
I'm now living in Brighton (the office has moved from Tunbridge Wells to Brighton - hence the need for new staff), and have a little flat with a view of the sea from my office. Yesterday I went to the Pier for lunch, and I regularly have breakfast on the beach. A month ago, I was working part-time in a crummy little cafe in the middle of nowhere. Now I'm an hour's train-ride from London, closer to France than I am to my family and friends, and slap-bang in the middle of 'London-by-the-sea.' Despite my mum's worries, it is by far the best decision I have ever made (besides quitting my shitty job at the cafe in the hospital of course).
I now have a proper 'grown-up job' with an actual lunch hour (no more 10 hours shifts without a break!), a salary (no more minimum wage!!), and best of all, it's a job I love in the field I want to work in. And that's the best feeling in the world. Now I'm only three weeks into it, so the novelty may wear off (although I doubt it), and I haven't actually been paid yet (that's going to be the best feeling in the world) but I feel I'm actually going somewhere now. Everyone I work with is lovely, and I look forward to going to work everyday instead of dreading it. That's progress right?! If I can do it, anyone can, so don't give up folks. Karma does pay back sometimes, I'm living proof :)
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
What do I do now?
It's been a while since I posted, but that's mainly been a time thing I'm afraid. It got to a point where I was doing my contracted 35 hours/week at work, plus 10 hours overtime, plus 16 hours unpaid, and it was just all getting a bit silly. I also spent a lot of time worrying and stressing about what I should do when my tenancy ended on the house at the end of June.
My housemates were all moving back home with their parents to save money, and I didn't know whether it would be best for me to do the same, or to try and find somewhere on my own. I stressed about this for months, until I forced myself to make a snap decision, and now I'm back home living with my Mum. This is fine, apart from the fact that my Mum lives in the middle of nowhere, so it's very difficult or very expensive to go anywhere - apart from that it's all good, and I'm grateful to my parents for letting me move back. (There's something good about there always being food in the cupboards and money for heating bills!)
The upshot of that however, is the fact that I had to quit my job, and I am unemployed once more. You might all think I'm mad in this day and age, to lose a perfectly good job when the chances are I'm going to struggle to find another one. To be honest, the job was dire - not only in the way that it was a crappy retail job, when that's not what I want to do in the long-term, as I can deal with that to some extent - but to the point where I was so tired, and so stressed it was becoming detrimental to my health. I'm not a crier, but I burst into tears at work several times in the last few weeks, and made silly mistakes that were gradually getting more serious in nature because I was stressed, and quitting is probably one of the best decisions I have made.
My idea now, is to volunteer to get the skills that most of the travel or charity jobs seem to think I'm lacking, and to build up a network of contacts. I'll hopefully get a part-time retail job to keep me going at the same time, and that should be that. Except of course, that it's never as easy as that. Even retail is struggling at the moment; there are no jobs in places that I've asked round where I live, and I'm being rejected from pretty much everything else.
I have made a spreadsheet of jobs that I'm applying for, and have applied conditional formatting depending on the result of the application; at the minute, it's all red. Red for rejection. I've had some good feedback from some places, suggesting that I'm only a couple of points away from getting an interview, and it's not my skills or experience that are stopping me, but rather the fact that I'm not quite focused in the specific area that they're wanting, but in a way that's worse.
That's not something I can change. I'm not sure what else I can do; I have five different CVs depending on what I'm applying for (some with my degree on, some not); I have written millions of cover letters; I have spent hours on the internet and walking around the local area looking for jobs, and I'm still struggling. Fortunately I've been unemployed for less than a week so far, and hopefully I'll find something soon. I just hope I don't get to the point where I regret leaving my last job.
I also plan to broaden my horizons a bit, and get loads of experience doing as much as possible. I'm determined to be really proactive; keep writing on here, and up my social media presence a bit more (I've had some amazing things happen through Twitter!) I'm going to be blogging much more now, and hopefully I'll have a bit more to blog about if I can make life more exciting!
Other than that, I'm still dreaming of travelling the world. If anyone can recommend any good travelling books to add to my repertoire, they will be very gratefully received (I seem to have a lot of time on my hands at the moment). I'm getting fit again, running 7km several times a week, and I have bitten the bullet and have dyed the ends of my hair pink! I will be spending a lot of time walking my dog, so expect lots of pictures of hills, and in the meantime wish me luck!!
My housemates were all moving back home with their parents to save money, and I didn't know whether it would be best for me to do the same, or to try and find somewhere on my own. I stressed about this for months, until I forced myself to make a snap decision, and now I'm back home living with my Mum. This is fine, apart from the fact that my Mum lives in the middle of nowhere, so it's very difficult or very expensive to go anywhere - apart from that it's all good, and I'm grateful to my parents for letting me move back. (There's something good about there always being food in the cupboards and money for heating bills!)
The upshot of that however, is the fact that I had to quit my job, and I am unemployed once more. You might all think I'm mad in this day and age, to lose a perfectly good job when the chances are I'm going to struggle to find another one. To be honest, the job was dire - not only in the way that it was a crappy retail job, when that's not what I want to do in the long-term, as I can deal with that to some extent - but to the point where I was so tired, and so stressed it was becoming detrimental to my health. I'm not a crier, but I burst into tears at work several times in the last few weeks, and made silly mistakes that were gradually getting more serious in nature because I was stressed, and quitting is probably one of the best decisions I have made.
My idea now, is to volunteer to get the skills that most of the travel or charity jobs seem to think I'm lacking, and to build up a network of contacts. I'll hopefully get a part-time retail job to keep me going at the same time, and that should be that. Except of course, that it's never as easy as that. Even retail is struggling at the moment; there are no jobs in places that I've asked round where I live, and I'm being rejected from pretty much everything else.
I have made a spreadsheet of jobs that I'm applying for, and have applied conditional formatting depending on the result of the application; at the minute, it's all red. Red for rejection. I've had some good feedback from some places, suggesting that I'm only a couple of points away from getting an interview, and it's not my skills or experience that are stopping me, but rather the fact that I'm not quite focused in the specific area that they're wanting, but in a way that's worse.
That's not something I can change. I'm not sure what else I can do; I have five different CVs depending on what I'm applying for (some with my degree on, some not); I have written millions of cover letters; I have spent hours on the internet and walking around the local area looking for jobs, and I'm still struggling. Fortunately I've been unemployed for less than a week so far, and hopefully I'll find something soon. I just hope I don't get to the point where I regret leaving my last job.
I also plan to broaden my horizons a bit, and get loads of experience doing as much as possible. I'm determined to be really proactive; keep writing on here, and up my social media presence a bit more (I've had some amazing things happen through Twitter!) I'm going to be blogging much more now, and hopefully I'll have a bit more to blog about if I can make life more exciting!
Other than that, I'm still dreaming of travelling the world. If anyone can recommend any good travelling books to add to my repertoire, they will be very gratefully received (I seem to have a lot of time on my hands at the moment). I'm getting fit again, running 7km several times a week, and I have bitten the bullet and have dyed the ends of my hair pink! I will be spending a lot of time walking my dog, so expect lots of pictures of hills, and in the meantime wish me luck!!
Monday, 22 April 2013
Wanted: talented graduate who will work full-time in the centre of London for FREE
The tenancy runs out on my house in Leeds at the end of June, and so it's time to start thinking about what I'm going to be doing next. It's a thought that, quite honestly terrifies me. I think I know (vaguely) what I want to do with the rest of my life, but getting there isn't going to be easy.
I've been working towards the goal of working within the global aspect of charity work since I was at University (bearing in mind that I started Uni almost 5 years ago, that's quite a long time now), and yet I'm still nowhere near. In fact, I seem to be going backwards.
Since June last year I've been working at a small cafe/newsagents, and in that time I've been promoted to supervisor and am now pretty much running the whole unit. I am however, bored out of my mind and ready to move on. I work at least 50 hours/week EVERY week, and am paid a pittance for what I do; I rarely make it from month to month without struggling, and running out of money in the last week or so, and I'm by no means extravagant. I always said that I'd rather be poor and happy than rich and unfulfilled, but when I'm poor and miserable you know it's time for something to change.
Don't get me wrong, I love living where I do now; my house and housemates are amazing, it feels like home and it's in a great location, but I feel like I'm missing out on life. We're all in the same boat, and can rarely afford to do more than the bare minimum. We don't have time to socialise together very often, and when we do it's always on a very tight budget. We can't afford to all go out for tea or bowling, and so are often limited to a cheap bottle of wine or two and a DVD. Whilst this is fun, I feel like I've lived like a student for long enough, and surely by now I should be earning some proper money.
This however, is easier said than done. I'm willing to forgo a high salary for job satisfaction, but getting the job that I want is nigh on impossible. I'm broadening my interests, and am willing to do anything that's even remotely related to the career that I want, and yet I still have no luck. I'm willing to work for next to nothing, and I'm a hard worker; I'll go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that I do the best job possible. I'm willing to move ANYWHERE in the country, or even the world, make any kind of sacrifice possible - but what I can absolutely not afford to do is to work for free. Unfortunately, it seems that's what most employers want. Looking at entry-level or graduate positions, a lot of them are unpaid internships or voluntary opportunities, that 5 or 10 years ago would have been paid and easily-doable.
Surely I'm not asking for much? I know times are tough, and I'm not expecting to be paid a fortune. I'm happy to forgo a social life and luxuries if I'm in a job I enjoy and I can see I can progress somewhere, but I still need to live. That's not unreasonable, is it? I'm paid slightly more than minimum-wage at the moment, and as I said, struggle for money.
I pay all my bills on time, and usually have enough food in the house, but that's it. No luxuries, no new clothes, no trips out, nothing. What am I supposed to do when these companies want me to work for free? Who is going to pay my rent, my bills, pay for my food or my travel costs? Most of these jobs are in London; are there some secret, free-rent, free-food places hidden away that only interns know about, or are these jobs only targeted at people who have wealthy families; whose parents can afford to pay for such things whilst they work for free.
If there were bursaries available that would pay my basic costs, I would happily work for free, but it's quite literally not possible. I cannot do it. Take these voluntary opportunities at Comic Relief for example:
http://www.comicrelief.com/jobs/volunteer
I would love to be involved in any aspect of Comic Relief (preferably working with the individual aid organisations nation/world-wide) but their offices are in Vauxhall, London. Even if I lived in the middle of nowhere and commuted for 4 hours a day, I still couldn't do that for free. There's always the option of working full-time alongside it of course, but if I can't live now whilst working 50 hours/week, what hope do I have in London on far fewer?
So what? I've just got to give up on my career because I can't afford to live on the bottom rung? Of course not; I'm not going to give up but quite honestly I'm running out of options. I'm trying to be broad-minded, but I won't be able to save any money as it stands at the moment, and I honestly don't know what other options I have.
I know I'm not the only one in such a situation, and that's what makes me angry. There are so many people of my generation that are struggling to get the experience and contacts they need, because they cannot afford to volunteer or intern. Something needs to be done about it, whether it be assistance from the government, or the organisations themselves. We're not asking for much - just enough to live on would be nice.
I know times are tough at the moment, but we're the future. What happens in 20 years time when there's a huge skill-gap across generations, as most people have been forced to work in monotonous, unskilled retail jobs? Somebody throw us a rope and give us a chance? We can do it, I promise.
I've been working towards the goal of working within the global aspect of charity work since I was at University (bearing in mind that I started Uni almost 5 years ago, that's quite a long time now), and yet I'm still nowhere near. In fact, I seem to be going backwards.
Since June last year I've been working at a small cafe/newsagents, and in that time I've been promoted to supervisor and am now pretty much running the whole unit. I am however, bored out of my mind and ready to move on. I work at least 50 hours/week EVERY week, and am paid a pittance for what I do; I rarely make it from month to month without struggling, and running out of money in the last week or so, and I'm by no means extravagant. I always said that I'd rather be poor and happy than rich and unfulfilled, but when I'm poor and miserable you know it's time for something to change.
Don't get me wrong, I love living where I do now; my house and housemates are amazing, it feels like home and it's in a great location, but I feel like I'm missing out on life. We're all in the same boat, and can rarely afford to do more than the bare minimum. We don't have time to socialise together very often, and when we do it's always on a very tight budget. We can't afford to all go out for tea or bowling, and so are often limited to a cheap bottle of wine or two and a DVD. Whilst this is fun, I feel like I've lived like a student for long enough, and surely by now I should be earning some proper money.
This however, is easier said than done. I'm willing to forgo a high salary for job satisfaction, but getting the job that I want is nigh on impossible. I'm broadening my interests, and am willing to do anything that's even remotely related to the career that I want, and yet I still have no luck. I'm willing to work for next to nothing, and I'm a hard worker; I'll go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that I do the best job possible. I'm willing to move ANYWHERE in the country, or even the world, make any kind of sacrifice possible - but what I can absolutely not afford to do is to work for free. Unfortunately, it seems that's what most employers want. Looking at entry-level or graduate positions, a lot of them are unpaid internships or voluntary opportunities, that 5 or 10 years ago would have been paid and easily-doable.
Surely I'm not asking for much? I know times are tough, and I'm not expecting to be paid a fortune. I'm happy to forgo a social life and luxuries if I'm in a job I enjoy and I can see I can progress somewhere, but I still need to live. That's not unreasonable, is it? I'm paid slightly more than minimum-wage at the moment, and as I said, struggle for money.
I pay all my bills on time, and usually have enough food in the house, but that's it. No luxuries, no new clothes, no trips out, nothing. What am I supposed to do when these companies want me to work for free? Who is going to pay my rent, my bills, pay for my food or my travel costs? Most of these jobs are in London; are there some secret, free-rent, free-food places hidden away that only interns know about, or are these jobs only targeted at people who have wealthy families; whose parents can afford to pay for such things whilst they work for free.
If there were bursaries available that would pay my basic costs, I would happily work for free, but it's quite literally not possible. I cannot do it. Take these voluntary opportunities at Comic Relief for example:
http://www.comicrelief.com/jobs/volunteer
I would love to be involved in any aspect of Comic Relief (preferably working with the individual aid organisations nation/world-wide) but their offices are in Vauxhall, London. Even if I lived in the middle of nowhere and commuted for 4 hours a day, I still couldn't do that for free. There's always the option of working full-time alongside it of course, but if I can't live now whilst working 50 hours/week, what hope do I have in London on far fewer?
So what? I've just got to give up on my career because I can't afford to live on the bottom rung? Of course not; I'm not going to give up but quite honestly I'm running out of options. I'm trying to be broad-minded, but I won't be able to save any money as it stands at the moment, and I honestly don't know what other options I have.
I know I'm not the only one in such a situation, and that's what makes me angry. There are so many people of my generation that are struggling to get the experience and contacts they need, because they cannot afford to volunteer or intern. Something needs to be done about it, whether it be assistance from the government, or the organisations themselves. We're not asking for much - just enough to live on would be nice.
I know times are tough at the moment, but we're the future. What happens in 20 years time when there's a huge skill-gap across generations, as most people have been forced to work in monotonous, unskilled retail jobs? Somebody throw us a rope and give us a chance? We can do it, I promise.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
When I grow up I want to be....
For years I wanted to be a showjumper, inspired by my five years of riding lessons. Despite the fact that I only had lessons for an hour a week (which deteriorated to once every two weeks as prices rose), I was certain that I'd be the next superstar and spent hours dreaming about it. This then graduated to a desire - than a serious ambition - to be a doctor, inspired by a long and crazy obsession with the long-running BBC drama 'Casualty.' This ended when choosing my A Level options, upon realising that I was dreadful at science and maths, and I just didn't really enjoy it.
After my internship, I went to several interviews for jobs that I'd love, and was told each time that I did really well and in any other circumstances they'd love to hire me. Unfortunately, people were now being forced to apply below their stations and I was competing against people with years of experience in the sector. I just didn't cut the mustard. I was told to volunteer for a while to gain even more experience and contacts (it really is who you know), but most internships and volunteering are full-time, or more time than I can give. I don't know who they think is going to pay my rent while I work for free, but it certainly won't be me.
I know I'm not the only one; my peers are either struggling to find employment, being made redundant or are in rubbish retail jobs like me. So what happened to our dreams? Whether it be the crazy, childish ones or the serious ones, why are we unable to follow them anymore? I have friends that dream of being policemen, art therapists, designers, pilots, midwifes, vets, chefs, biologists and more and yet none of them are able to achieve their goals. Although they have relevant experience and qualifications, everyone I know is stuck working in retail, in minimum-wage roles, unemployed or due to be made redundant. I know a girl who was made redundant three weeks into a new job, and a boy who was made redundant after over a year. Films from Disney upwards make you believe you can be whatever you want to be as long as you work hard enough and are a nice person, and this just blatantly isn't true anymore.
So with a generation unable to follow our dreams, how are we to stay motivated? With thousands of young people stuck in jobs they hate, or find unfulfilling, how are they to succeed? Retail tends to be monotonous, doing the same thing day in, day out. What happens when people just stop caring about their work; will customer service standards drop? Will this cause even more high-street businesses to go into administration? Or will more people take the option to be unemployed rather than work in an environment they don't like?
How do we combat the social aspects of this? It's not just career-oriented dreams that people are giving up; earning minimum wage, people are struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck. Your twenties is supposed to be full of fun, getting drunk, travelling the world and making silly mistakes. My housemates and I can't even afford to go out for tea together, let alone go on holiday or go out on a regular basis. Stuck in the house when you're not at work, eating noodles or couscous for the third night a row, knowing that all you've got to look forward to is another day at work doing the same thing that you did the day before, it's hard not to fall into a kind of depression that's hard to snap out of. It's difficult to see how things will improve in the future, or how to get yourself out of the situation. It's not that you're unhappy - you love your house and your housemates, it's just that you don't feel like you have a life anymore, or at least not a life that you'd choose.
With the UK rating having just been downgraded to AA for the first time in history, our economy is getting worse and worse, and I'm worried about what's going to happen next. Although we're not quite in the same situation as Spain, with 60% of young people unemployed, we have an entire generation that's unskilled and unprepared for the future. We're going to be getting to all the hurdles in life much later than everyone else - I have no idea when I'm going to be able to get on the property ladder (can't even envisage renting on my own let alone affording a mortgage in the near future), and god knows when people are going to able to afford to get married or start a family. We're not going to be able to afford to start a pension, and so are going to be working much later than previous generations. We are the first generation of the economic crisis, and are living under a government woefully unprepared and with no knowledge of how to help us.
Despite this, I hold out hope that the economy will improve, and that one day we'll all be able to get the career that we want. In the meantime, I'll keep slogging away, and spend my evenings dreaming of travelling the world. Companies, when you're hiring, spare a thought for us lot and maybe throw someone a lifeline. You won't regret it.
So with a generation unable to follow our dreams, how are we to stay motivated? With thousands of young people stuck in jobs they hate, or find unfulfilling, how are they to succeed? Retail tends to be monotonous, doing the same thing day in, day out. What happens when people just stop caring about their work; will customer service standards drop? Will this cause even more high-street businesses to go into administration? Or will more people take the option to be unemployed rather than work in an environment they don't like?
How do we combat the social aspects of this? It's not just career-oriented dreams that people are giving up; earning minimum wage, people are struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck. Your twenties is supposed to be full of fun, getting drunk, travelling the world and making silly mistakes. My housemates and I can't even afford to go out for tea together, let alone go on holiday or go out on a regular basis. Stuck in the house when you're not at work, eating noodles or couscous for the third night a row, knowing that all you've got to look forward to is another day at work doing the same thing that you did the day before, it's hard not to fall into a kind of depression that's hard to snap out of. It's difficult to see how things will improve in the future, or how to get yourself out of the situation. It's not that you're unhappy - you love your house and your housemates, it's just that you don't feel like you have a life anymore, or at least not a life that you'd choose.
With the UK rating having just been downgraded to AA for the first time in history, our economy is getting worse and worse, and I'm worried about what's going to happen next. Although we're not quite in the same situation as Spain, with 60% of young people unemployed, we have an entire generation that's unskilled and unprepared for the future. We're going to be getting to all the hurdles in life much later than everyone else - I have no idea when I'm going to be able to get on the property ladder (can't even envisage renting on my own let alone affording a mortgage in the near future), and god knows when people are going to able to afford to get married or start a family. We're not going to be able to afford to start a pension, and so are going to be working much later than previous generations. We are the first generation of the economic crisis, and are living under a government woefully unprepared and with no knowledge of how to help us.
Despite this, I hold out hope that the economy will improve, and that one day we'll all be able to get the career that we want. In the meantime, I'll keep slogging away, and spend my evenings dreaming of travelling the world. Companies, when you're hiring, spare a thought for us lot and maybe throw someone a lifeline. You won't regret it.
Friday, 4 January 2013
20 things I'd like to do before I'm 30.
This past month or so has had me thinking. A lot. No-one I know has had any good news, though there has been a lot of bad, and we all seem to be pretty stuck in a rut with no way of getting out of it in the near future. I know a lot of graduates, and the amount on minimum wage jobs is staggering.
George Osborne has recently released his Autumn Statement, which was pretty depressing. Not going to go into details here (I don't understand a lot of it) but it's bad. We're now in a triple-dip recession, growth isn't happening as quickly as he 'predicted' and it's only going to get worse before it gets better. One of the only 'bright sides' in the statement was the fact that unemployment has decreased slightly. Statistically that might be true, but that all depends on how (and who) you work out the stats. The amount of UNDERemployment has actually increased significantly. This is people who want/need full time work, but have had to accept part-time hours because that's all that's available.
That's me, my housemates and most of my friends at least. And from what I've seen, a lot of people across the country. It's a serious problem, with people struggling to get through month to month on minimum wage and few hours, but with very little/no help because 'technically' they're employed. It makes the stats look better, but actually a lot of people are much worse off.
I can't see the situation improving enough for me to be able to volunteer any time soon (bye bye career), so I've decided to be positive about the future. I might only be 22, but time has a habit of springing up on you, and before you know it I'll be 30. There's a lot of things I want to happen by then, so I thought I'd document some of them here.
1. Travel. I don't care where to, but I have itchy feet that I can't quantify.
2. Be earning more than minimum wage in a job that I can tolerate. Earning a comfortable amount in a job that I love would be a bonus but I'd settle for the former.
3. Lose weight. I've been trying to do it for years, but been too lazy/weak to really stick to it. If I don't get back down to a size 12 before I'm 30 I never will, and then I'll never be happy with the way I look.
4. Be fit. This is probably more important than the point above. I don't want anything stupid to prevent me from doing the things I want to do.
5. Travel around the UK more. I want to climb lots of hills in the Lake District, Scotland and Wales and I hope to have done so by then. Preferably on my own.
6. Live somewhere I am happy and settled. At the moment I have no ties - I am a sail. It's terrifying and exciting, but I'd like to think I have somewhere vaguely home-like at 30.
7. Not care (as much) what other people think about me. Probably the biggest, and the most difficult aim.
8. Speak very good (if not fluent) French.
9. See the Northern Lights.
10. Visit every continent.
11. Have a pension. Or some savings. Or something to fall back on at least!
12. Have attended the wedding of a close friend. Of course this is entirely dependent on them, but I can definitely see it happening.
13. Buy some expensive clothes - i.e. ones that will last a while and are not from New Look/Primark!
14. Have something published. Should be an easy one - you can self-publish on e-readers nowadays ;)
15. Run 10km without stopping.
16. Walk the Coast to Coast.
17. Ridden a horse along a beach (a silly notion I've wanted to do since I was little)
18. Spend a day not caring what other people think of me. More difficult for me than this sounds.
19. Be a better friend/relative - I'm very bad at getting back in touch with people for various reasons, and I know this is something I need to improve.
20. Above all, be happy.
George Osborne has recently released his Autumn Statement, which was pretty depressing. Not going to go into details here (I don't understand a lot of it) but it's bad. We're now in a triple-dip recession, growth isn't happening as quickly as he 'predicted' and it's only going to get worse before it gets better. One of the only 'bright sides' in the statement was the fact that unemployment has decreased slightly. Statistically that might be true, but that all depends on how (and who) you work out the stats. The amount of UNDERemployment has actually increased significantly. This is people who want/need full time work, but have had to accept part-time hours because that's all that's available.
That's me, my housemates and most of my friends at least. And from what I've seen, a lot of people across the country. It's a serious problem, with people struggling to get through month to month on minimum wage and few hours, but with very little/no help because 'technically' they're employed. It makes the stats look better, but actually a lot of people are much worse off.
I can't see the situation improving enough for me to be able to volunteer any time soon (bye bye career), so I've decided to be positive about the future. I might only be 22, but time has a habit of springing up on you, and before you know it I'll be 30. There's a lot of things I want to happen by then, so I thought I'd document some of them here.
1. Travel. I don't care where to, but I have itchy feet that I can't quantify.
2. Be earning more than minimum wage in a job that I can tolerate. Earning a comfortable amount in a job that I love would be a bonus but I'd settle for the former.
3. Lose weight. I've been trying to do it for years, but been too lazy/weak to really stick to it. If I don't get back down to a size 12 before I'm 30 I never will, and then I'll never be happy with the way I look.
4. Be fit. This is probably more important than the point above. I don't want anything stupid to prevent me from doing the things I want to do.
5. Travel around the UK more. I want to climb lots of hills in the Lake District, Scotland and Wales and I hope to have done so by then. Preferably on my own.
6. Live somewhere I am happy and settled. At the moment I have no ties - I am a sail. It's terrifying and exciting, but I'd like to think I have somewhere vaguely home-like at 30.
7. Not care (as much) what other people think about me. Probably the biggest, and the most difficult aim.
8. Speak very good (if not fluent) French.
9. See the Northern Lights.
10. Visit every continent.
11. Have a pension. Or some savings. Or something to fall back on at least!
12. Have attended the wedding of a close friend. Of course this is entirely dependent on them, but I can definitely see it happening.
13. Buy some expensive clothes - i.e. ones that will last a while and are not from New Look/Primark!
14. Have something published. Should be an easy one - you can self-publish on e-readers nowadays ;)
15. Run 10km without stopping.
16. Walk the Coast to Coast.
17. Ridden a horse along a beach (a silly notion I've wanted to do since I was little)
18. Spend a day not caring what other people think of me. More difficult for me than this sounds.
19. Be a better friend/relative - I'm very bad at getting back in touch with people for various reasons, and I know this is something I need to improve.
20. Above all, be happy.
Friday, 23 November 2012
A new start!
I realise I haven't posted on this blog for a while, and that's for many reasons. For example:
1) I've been busy. Working full time and working weird hours does silly things to all of my free time!
2) I've lost all motivation and haven't really had anything interesting to say. Nothing I felt I could portray on here anyway!
Now however, I've realised I really miss blogging! Not just for other people to read (though it's a nice bonus if they do), but it's nice to have something to refer back to now and then. I don't keep a diary, and don't use Facebook as much anymore, so it's nice to have a record of what was going on in my life at the time!
Since June I've been working at a coffee shop in a hospital (not going to say where or I'd risk losing my job!) and I hate it. I don't mind the job as such, but I'm expected to do a lot more than I actually get paid for and volunteer to do more on top of that. Again, I don't mind that so much; that's always been the case everywhere I've worked. I'm an awful mixture of being incredibly reliable, desperate for money and I have a bad case of not being able to say no to anything. An employer's dream, but my nightmare.
I've got a bit better recently though, and I wouldn't mind that if the work environment was nice, but it's really not. It's just like being back at secondary school; everybody there is two faced, bitchy and really immature. They slag everybody off behind their backs but are as nice as pie to their face, and EVERYBODY knows everyone else's business. Now I couldn't hack that in high school, never mind amongst grown adults, and it just makes it a really uncomfortable place to work; I don't feel like I can be friends with anyone, and to say I spend over 40 hours/week there I think that's a really sad state of affairs.
It does however, provide me with some entertaining stories which I'll share at a later date. For now though, I'll leave you with my top ten hates about working in retail (and yes, they all involve customers!)
1. People talking on their phones when they come to me at the till. Yes, I am still a human being, and no you can't communicate with sign language or just ignore me whilst you continue talking to your friend. Please finish your conversation, and THEN I will serve you. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to not serve them, so I just kill them with kindness. I ask them as many questions as I can, upselling and talking really loudly so that they can't ignore me, whilst giving them a very pointed look. Whilst this doesn't stop them talking on the phone, they do look awkward and it gives me great satisfaction.
2. If I put my hand out for your money, please put it into my hand and not onto the counter so that I have to scrabble around trying to prise it up for 5 minutes. I don't have a disease and I do wash my hands frequently. IT'S OK TO TOUCH ME and your sale will go much quicker!
3. I do not set the prices for the products. Yes we're expensive, but we're a hospital and companies tend to overcharge a captive audience I'm afraid. Please don't take it out on me as I definitely don't get any of their profits!
4. The inability of people to clear up after themselves. This is a bit hit and miss where I work; we do get a lot of people on crutches who I totally forgive. The majority are perfectly able-bodied however, but will still leave stuff on the table for me to go and collect and put in the bin which is two feet away from where they were sat. I know this doesn't sound much, but it's the principle of the thing. I am employed to make you coffee, not be your skivvy.
5. People who don't read signs. We have signs that tell people what all of our cakes, pastries and pasties are right next to each product, but I will still get people shouting at me whilst I'm trying to make drinks, to ask me what the pasties are. LEARN TO READ! Said people also can't read opening hours or the menu board. Which brings me onto...
6. When I ask you "What size is that; small, medium or large?" please don't answer regular. What the hell is regular?? I've given you THREE options, choose ONE of them!
Me - "Small, medium or large?"
Idiot - "Just your regular one please."
Me - "Is that small or medium?"
Idiot - "Oh I don't know, just regular."
Me - "Medium size then?"
Idiot - "Oh no, haven't you got anything smaller?"
Me - "......"
7. If the shutters are down 3/4 the way, half the lights are off and the yellow tape is across the entrance and you have to get on your hands and knees to get in, we are most definitely closed. Even if you say "Can't I just get such and such?" we are most definitely closed. I'm not going to say "Oh well done, you saw through our charade of being closed and crawled through the shutters to get to us, of course I'll serve you for your chewing gum and chocolate bar. First though, you have to scale the drainpipe, shimmy across the roof and base jump off the other side. Then you'll be worthy of my service." Idiots. And no, you cannot use the cash machine, we are closed. All my takings are spread out across the counter, I cannot let anybody in, please take no for an answer.
I am aware that this problem would be solved by closing the shutters all the way but we can't - you can only open and close them from outside the shop. Madness.
8. If I apologise and tell you that the seating area is closed, then the seating area is closed because I've got to do some extra cleaning in it, not because I'm being annoying on purpose. Yes, we close at 8pm, and yes that is 40 minutes away, but I don't care if you'll be gone by then. I need to scrape all the chewing gum off the bottom, deep clean the bases, pull all the furniture out, sweep and mop it, all whilst serving customers. I only get paid until 8.30pm so unless you want to pay me for the extra half hour I'll be here if you sit there, you can go and sit out in reception.
9. People who smoke in our tiny outside courtyard. There's no ventilation apart from back into the building, and it's still on hospital grounds so there are No Smoking signs everywhere. Also, common sense/decency. This is a children's hospital; there are sick children and very heavily pregnant women everywhere. This is also a food preparation area. There is a designated smoking area two minutes away; come on people! Also, I am not a jobsworth or a bully for telling you to stop smoking, I'm being a decent human being!
10. People who expect waitress service. We're a coffee bar attached to a newsagent that sells coffee and cakes in takeaway cups. If I'm on my own, you might have to wait a minute or two whilst I make your coffee, but if you go and sit down and expect me to bring it to you, that means that next customer will have to wait even longer, and so on. I'm sure you can stand next to the counter for a couple of minutes; again, whilst I work in retail, I am NOT your skivvy.
I'm sure there are more, but these are the top 10 for now! Let me know if you can think of any!
1) I've been busy. Working full time and working weird hours does silly things to all of my free time!
2) I've lost all motivation and haven't really had anything interesting to say. Nothing I felt I could portray on here anyway!
Now however, I've realised I really miss blogging! Not just for other people to read (though it's a nice bonus if they do), but it's nice to have something to refer back to now and then. I don't keep a diary, and don't use Facebook as much anymore, so it's nice to have a record of what was going on in my life at the time!
Since June I've been working at a coffee shop in a hospital (not going to say where or I'd risk losing my job!) and I hate it. I don't mind the job as such, but I'm expected to do a lot more than I actually get paid for and volunteer to do more on top of that. Again, I don't mind that so much; that's always been the case everywhere I've worked. I'm an awful mixture of being incredibly reliable, desperate for money and I have a bad case of not being able to say no to anything. An employer's dream, but my nightmare.
I've got a bit better recently though, and I wouldn't mind that if the work environment was nice, but it's really not. It's just like being back at secondary school; everybody there is two faced, bitchy and really immature. They slag everybody off behind their backs but are as nice as pie to their face, and EVERYBODY knows everyone else's business. Now I couldn't hack that in high school, never mind amongst grown adults, and it just makes it a really uncomfortable place to work; I don't feel like I can be friends with anyone, and to say I spend over 40 hours/week there I think that's a really sad state of affairs.
It does however, provide me with some entertaining stories which I'll share at a later date. For now though, I'll leave you with my top ten hates about working in retail (and yes, they all involve customers!)
1. People talking on their phones when they come to me at the till. Yes, I am still a human being, and no you can't communicate with sign language or just ignore me whilst you continue talking to your friend. Please finish your conversation, and THEN I will serve you. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to not serve them, so I just kill them with kindness. I ask them as many questions as I can, upselling and talking really loudly so that they can't ignore me, whilst giving them a very pointed look. Whilst this doesn't stop them talking on the phone, they do look awkward and it gives me great satisfaction.
2. If I put my hand out for your money, please put it into my hand and not onto the counter so that I have to scrabble around trying to prise it up for 5 minutes. I don't have a disease and I do wash my hands frequently. IT'S OK TO TOUCH ME and your sale will go much quicker!
3. I do not set the prices for the products. Yes we're expensive, but we're a hospital and companies tend to overcharge a captive audience I'm afraid. Please don't take it out on me as I definitely don't get any of their profits!
4. The inability of people to clear up after themselves. This is a bit hit and miss where I work; we do get a lot of people on crutches who I totally forgive. The majority are perfectly able-bodied however, but will still leave stuff on the table for me to go and collect and put in the bin which is two feet away from where they were sat. I know this doesn't sound much, but it's the principle of the thing. I am employed to make you coffee, not be your skivvy.
5. People who don't read signs. We have signs that tell people what all of our cakes, pastries and pasties are right next to each product, but I will still get people shouting at me whilst I'm trying to make drinks, to ask me what the pasties are. LEARN TO READ! Said people also can't read opening hours or the menu board. Which brings me onto...
6. When I ask you "What size is that; small, medium or large?" please don't answer regular. What the hell is regular?? I've given you THREE options, choose ONE of them!
Me - "Small, medium or large?"
Idiot - "Just your regular one please."
Me - "Is that small or medium?"
Idiot - "Oh I don't know, just regular."
Me - "Medium size then?"
Idiot - "Oh no, haven't you got anything smaller?"
Me - "......"
7. If the shutters are down 3/4 the way, half the lights are off and the yellow tape is across the entrance and you have to get on your hands and knees to get in, we are most definitely closed. Even if you say "Can't I just get such and such?" we are most definitely closed. I'm not going to say "Oh well done, you saw through our charade of being closed and crawled through the shutters to get to us, of course I'll serve you for your chewing gum and chocolate bar. First though, you have to scale the drainpipe, shimmy across the roof and base jump off the other side. Then you'll be worthy of my service." Idiots. And no, you cannot use the cash machine, we are closed. All my takings are spread out across the counter, I cannot let anybody in, please take no for an answer.
I am aware that this problem would be solved by closing the shutters all the way but we can't - you can only open and close them from outside the shop. Madness.
8. If I apologise and tell you that the seating area is closed, then the seating area is closed because I've got to do some extra cleaning in it, not because I'm being annoying on purpose. Yes, we close at 8pm, and yes that is 40 minutes away, but I don't care if you'll be gone by then. I need to scrape all the chewing gum off the bottom, deep clean the bases, pull all the furniture out, sweep and mop it, all whilst serving customers. I only get paid until 8.30pm so unless you want to pay me for the extra half hour I'll be here if you sit there, you can go and sit out in reception.
9. People who smoke in our tiny outside courtyard. There's no ventilation apart from back into the building, and it's still on hospital grounds so there are No Smoking signs everywhere. Also, common sense/decency. This is a children's hospital; there are sick children and very heavily pregnant women everywhere. This is also a food preparation area. There is a designated smoking area two minutes away; come on people! Also, I am not a jobsworth or a bully for telling you to stop smoking, I'm being a decent human being!
10. People who expect waitress service. We're a coffee bar attached to a newsagent that sells coffee and cakes in takeaway cups. If I'm on my own, you might have to wait a minute or two whilst I make your coffee, but if you go and sit down and expect me to bring it to you, that means that next customer will have to wait even longer, and so on. I'm sure you can stand next to the counter for a couple of minutes; again, whilst I work in retail, I am NOT your skivvy.
I'm sure there are more, but these are the top 10 for now! Let me know if you can think of any!
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