Web development and translations, most web stuff though. 20 aug 2009 kl. 22.51 skrev Alan Sondheim:
> > > Yes yes! What sort of business? > > Alan - > > > On Thu, 20 Aug 2009, Yvonne Martinsson wrote: > >> Ahhh! someone who knows what it's like to have a degree that is a bit >> too much, probably. I too have a degree, a PhD, and since I got it >> I've been mostly unemployed, except for a semester teaching English >> grammar which is not my field. Employers tell me that my education is >> a luxury they cannot afford, so here I am trying to build a business >> of my own instead, which isn't easy these days. >> >> So the question is, why get an education? Except for the benefits of >> personal development, how do you survive afterwards? And isn't it >> strange strange that society invests in your long-term education and >> then don't want to profit from it, or it at least take advantage of >> your knowledge? Fortunately, there is the internet so your knowledge >> isn't lost, but maybe everything else as how are you going to pay the >> rent? >> >> Yvonne >> http://freewheelin.nu >> >> >> 18 aug 2009 kl. 18.16 skrev james morris: >> >>> >>> why a degree might be a waste of time and money >>> =============================================== >>> in improving employment prospects >>> ================================= >>> >>> james morris eighteenth of august two thousand and nine >>> ------------ ------------------------------------------ >>> >>> >>> >>> sour grapes >>> =========== >>> >>> i studied fine art at university and graduated at the age >>> of 26. before my degree i never had a permanant job. i had >>> summer work on farms in my immediate vicinity from the age >>> of 13. i got work from recruitment agencies after >>> a-levels. i also studied computers prior to the art >>> degree. >>> >>> since graduating, eight years ago, i have had one >>> permanant job. it was in a factory operating moulding >>> machines. unfortunately, they required me to operate a >>> machine i disliked much much more than the other machines >>> so i refused to operate it. they sacked me for gross >>> misconduct. looking back i was niave to think the fact i >>> could already operate over half the machines, and in >>> practical terms knew the basics of setting them, was >>> enough to protect my job. >>> >>> so i went back to the agencies and now, in these present >>> times of 'financial crisis' i would place myself somewhere >>> below the bottom wrung of the ladder. i don't know where i >>> will be working from day to day. i might get called up >>> anywhere between five in the morning or half ten at night. >>> sometimes i need to start immediately, other times for the >>> following day. if i was paid any less for the work i do, >>> it would by law be illegal. >>> >>> >>> serial killer >>> ============= >>> >>> the other week i worked at three different companies in as >>> many days. then i watched a tv programme about a serial >>> killer. the psychologiest mentioned, when talking about >>> the profiles of serial killers, that they often drift from >>> job to job. so let's be clear here, i'm no serial killer. >>> >>> >>> something else >>> ============== >>> >>> i keep coming across articles in the tabloids about people >>> out of work. sometimes they have been through higher >>> education, or are studying at degree level. the last >>> article i read trumpeted about how many jobs were out >>> there waiting to be filled. they were all in supermarkets >>> or fast food chains. >>> >>> some of the people complained they could not afford to >>> live on the benefits paid to them. admittedly, from the >>> sound of it, they had all done much more than me to find a >>> job. but i'm working and they're not. i went to an agency >>> and they did not. although the work the agency provides me >>> pays only the minimum nation wage, and i'm rarely working >>> more than four days a week, it is still more money than >>> i'd have by claiming benefits. >>> >>> so why don't people who have been out work for months, who >>> complain about struggling on benefits, just go straight to >>> an agency? because they don't want to start work at 6am? >>> because they don't want to do manual labour? because they >>> don't want to work on the factory floor or in a >>> wharehouse? because it's not enough money? or just for >>> fear that they'll end up stuck there? >>> >>> possibly they fear their lack of experience in low paid >>> manual labour/factory/wharehouse work would be a >>> disadvantage? don't be silly, for in this line of work, >>> it's no more a disadvantage than only having the most >>> basic grasp of english. >>> >>> >>> waste of time degrees >>> ===================== >>> >>> one of the people mentioned in the tabloid article was >>> studying 'creative music technology'. how many jobs out >>> there are there where such an education would be a real >>> practical advantage? how many students were enrolled on >>> that course? how many universtities provide that same >>> course? how many other similar courses does each >>> university provide? do the maths and then look for the >>> jobs. that is, how many jobs would specifically require a >>> 'creative music technology' graduate? >>> >>> oh yes i know, what you study is irrelevant, it shows >>> employers you have at minimum, a nearly half functioning >>> brain. >>> >>> >>> the education conspiracy >>> ======================== >>> >>> don't fool yourself into believing universities are places >>> of learning. like any institution in these modern times >>> anything that they claim to be is just a front for making >>> money. universities are about making money for the people >>> who own them (whoever they may be), and if that gets in >>> the way of genuine real world education, so be it. >>> >>> well they are a business and not a charity ok. >>> >>> so how can we get more young misguided people onto our >>> books and paying us wads of cash? ah ha, let's give them >>> what they want: fun degrees that pretend to be educational >>> but are really just playing in the sand. go on mr, play >>> with the computer and make some noises. ooh, wee, that's >>> good! excellent! have yourself a first! >>> >>> you want to study art? yes? come right in, you'll get by >>> with a fully disfunctional brain, and to be honest, >>> that'll probably be a distinct advantage. creative >>> writing? yes, come along. fire breathing and juggling, >>> yeah sure we can do that! battlestar galactica studies? >>> coming soon! >>> >>> and of course the fact that universites are really about >>> making money for their owners, et al, really is the >>> propagating factor of these stupid-arsed courses of study. >>> when one university sees another doing these dumbed down >>> courses designed for popular appeal, they fear potential >>> students will smell the sweetness and go over to the >>> competition, so they have to implement these crappy >>> worthless courses also. and as everybody knows, a bit of >>> competition is healthy. >>> >>> >>> >>> right on >>> ======== >>> >>> unfortunately for the poor unsuspecting students barely >>> out of their nappies, how well you do in the employment >>> market (excuse me while i vomit) is more about who you >>> know and how much shit you can talk or how much confidence >>> you exude or how much brown nosing you're capable of. the >>> government may claim to desire to provide better >>> oppurtunites for the working class youth, but unless these >>> youth lack even the slightest hint of self doubt they'll >>> get nowhere. i mean if they're like me and were utterly >>> unconfident and getting a degree was something to get me >>> the hell out of the imprisonment of living with my parents >>> in a 'idylic village' in the middle of nowhere... it won't >>> improve your job prospects, but you probably will find it >>> worthwhile in terms of your personal >>> development/recovery/induction into the social world... >>> >>> >>> >>> end motes >>> ========= >>> >>> i hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as i've enjoyed >>> writing it as fast as i can and without a spell checker. >>> such is the attitude of a factory working open source >>> software developping website designing disillusioned art >>> graduate. >>> >>> don't let your new found identity as a 'human resource' >>> get you down. >>> >>> x x x >>> >>> >>> end notes >>> ========= >>> >>> don't get me wrong, if i was not owing thirteen thousand >>> pounds (and counting) to the student loans company i would >>> not feel the slightest pang of regret for studying fine >>> art at degree level. maybe if i had gone from school >>> straight into employment i might have progressed further >>> along the career ladder and learnt practical skills >>> valuable to the employment market (eurrgh). i probably >>> would still be interested in the things i am interested >>> in. but perhaps the attitudes within the workforce i would >>> have encountered, instead of those at colleges and then >>> university, would have made me an entirely different >>> person. i don't fucking know, it's too late to change it >>> now. there's no turning back. >>> _______________________________________________ >>> NetBehaviour mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> > > > | current internet text file: http://www.alansondheim.org/qf.txt > | Alan Sondheim Mail archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ > | Webpage (directory) at http://www.alansondheim.org > | [email protected], [email protected], tel US 718-813-3285 > ! http://www.facebook.com/alan.sondheim > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
