General Poker Discussion Poker Forums

Have any of you paid for a career advisor at some point and really got something out of it?

I am due to return to University in September at 29 years old as an Undergraduate after bailing as an undergraduate first time round couldn't study business and maths after being pushed into it by parents. I drifted doing office work then finance work for a low-average salary but it wasn't going anywhere and I had to do something so quit that job.

I don't really want to go to Uni at this age and be poor now, I want to have some money to enjoy myself while I'm still young but out of ideas. If I can get a day job though as I'm going to study languages I could do that for an evening class degree anyway. Also languages would be great for travel but doesn't lead to a lot of well paid careers.

I'm stumped for any other ideas for day jobs where I can train up fairly quickly and get a reasonable salary before too long. Is it worth going to a careers advisor paying for their advice or what else can I do? I don't need to end up on a high salary to be fairly comfortable as my Dad will pass on money for me to go into property in a few years, but in the mean time bar work or whatever isn't going to cut it.

I don't think a company is going to want to train someone up only to have them leave after a few years. I also think that the promise of investment after X years is going to be a motivational block for you now. I would just find a lower expectation job that you enjoy for the short-term. A career advisor might actually be able to help you with that.

Yeah true I don't mean a regular job like that, and shouldn't use the word job really. Alternatively something part time I can do while studying fulltime that's better than min wage.

Like going into the fitness industry personal training self employed - that makes it hard to commit to evening classes but could go with fulltime uni as going to lectures is optional . My friend suggested training to be a masseuse, possible with uni as I can train for that part time. I'll have a look at what career advisors are available see what I find.

I am a carreer advisor in the making haha Have done some traineeships too. Almost done with my study (took me 3 years)

if you want to talk, I do it for free.

You can't go into languages at 29 years old, especially if you're not already a native, fluent bi-lingual speaker, absolutely no one with any sense in any HR department will hire you over a younger, more qualified foreign national from a linguistics university. If you're either buying time or you want to pick up useful skillsets that you can actually develop at your age, I'd recommend working in tourism and studying online marketing, web design, computer programming etc.

This is officially my new "kick young people in the ass thread," congrats.

I hate it when people tell somebody they cant. Its nonsense. Yes you can. Maybe your chances aren't the best, stay realistic yadayada.. Realism only leads to a mediocre life of 'what if'

Even if you set a highly unrealistic goal, it might lead you towards that thing you really need to be doing in your life.

And I hate it when people who have no experience in multi-national corporations or human resources departments tell people what "they can do" when they have no idea what the demands or standards for employees are, even if he puts in 4+ years as a fulltime linguistics student, spends a year abroad to study and another year abroad as an intern he's going to be 35 years old starting a career that an 18 year old high school graduate from europe is still better qualified for.

Get your head out of your ass, it's a fucking terrible idea to go into linguistics at 29 years old when your competition started at 4 years old. Unless he's willing to be an English teacher in a developing nation for the rest of his life, or do something really extreme like learn an indemand language and work on a Siberian Oil Rig, a Beijing Hotel or be some Sheik's personal butler it's a dead career path.

If you're going to be a "career advisor," you had better give people advice that isn't complete flowery bullshit. It's almost impossible for him to find a career in linguistics, I just turned down 70+ applications of better qualified perspectives this morning alone and they had other relevant degrees, skill sets and work experience he doesn't. At best he's studying languages at University for his own personal development, and even that's a worse idea than just saving the money and choosing to live in a foreign country for a couple of years.

Realism did just fine by me, idealism only leads to a life of bagging my groceries at the check out line if you want to play that game.

Woah What a nice rant. Don't really feel to read it since its kind of aggressive with lines like 'get your head out of your ass' and being sarcastic about carreer advisor.

Good job I hope you don't talk this way versus employers when you disagree with them.

Go to Uni. Have a great time. Spend loads of time playing poker. Then run your Dads Empire.


Simples.

I don't have a problem with the straight talking... and appreciate the input, so it looks like I could really really use a careers advisor. So how do I go about finding a good commercial careers advice service? Rather than just searching around and picking one I like the look of.

Teaching English /living abroad in Brazil is actually plan A, and travelling around the continent would appeal but I'm aware how little it pays generally. However if I do have the $3200000 in the bank when over there to go into property it could work out ok though. I know that the visa situation and long term stay isn't straightforward in Brazil. Part of the plan was simply to do a relevant degree to go there and teach long term, as a Visa is a problem without a degree. I don't care to stay in England long term.

What about a translation degree course specifically, I assume you include that?

I am starting a TEFL course next week and can discuss that with the tutors there. The admissions tutor already mentioned Then I I'm doing the TEFL for travel if nothing else.

And now you can see why I started to learn poker as well .

I did have the same concerns but left it too late to do my research. Web design is something I'll look at, but don't know that I would have the motivation. I'll see what's involved.

It think it is good to study what you find the most interesting but it's important to know what you want to do with the degree or skill after you're done, especially when you are already older.

Do you want to be an interpreter or do you want to have a different career in which you will work with the new language? I think you can easily learn any trade and learn a new language at the same time. I did an international course and 50% of my classmates spoke 3+ languages fluently. I knew a girl that spoke 10 languages fluently by the time she was 23 and had just graduated from her business degree.

I agree with direstraights that just learning a language isn't going to get you a job easily because the there are so many people who have a foreign background and grow up speaking 2 or more languages.

I went to a careers advisor towards the end of my schooling, had to do a huge questionnaire and the computer spits out some suggestions at the end. The computer output was "too many negative responses" so couldnt find me anything lol

It think it is good to study what you find the most interesting but it's important to know what you want to do with the degree or skill after you're done, especially when you are already older.

Do you want to be an interpreter or do you want to have a different career in which you will work with the new language? I think you can easily learn any trade and learn a new language at the same time. I did an international course and 50% of my classmates spoke 3+ languages fluently. I knew a girl that spoke 10 languages fluently by the time she was 23 and had just graduated from her business degree.

I agree with direstraights that just learning a language isn't going to get you a job easily because the there are so many people who have a foreign background and grow up speaking 2 or more languages.

Yes this was a concern although was hoping (but should have confirmed) that in a translation degree the standard reached is very high, as in higher than a natural bilingual who has not studied language. As in perfect technically and ability for technical translation, articulate interpretation (as well as knowledge of slang). Speaking to understand and be understood is one thing but it's not the same as what I had in my mind. And I was thinking a combination of teaching, translation and interpreting Spanish (Portuguese I may as well not mention for career purposes).

What other trades might I learn this is what I wonder... it would likely be something I'm not interested in at all and have to somehow motivate myself to do. I have identified broad genuine interests for work though and will keep an open mind and look at some career guide books as a start.

I'm looking at doing an evening class degree now 4 years which I can fit beside other work, if I can find other work that pays above around minimum wage, and looking at going down the TEFL career path as an option. Although it's not well paid all the way it would be fine for me with the money coming my way...

Not having a degree is a big obstacle to TEFL work in London although once I start studying other languages that could help me get work. Besides that I'm well spoken so that could help. I will find out next week what the TEFL trainers think abbout all that.

I went to a careers advisor towards the end of my schooling, had to do a huge questionnaire and the computer spits out some suggestions at the end. The computer output was "too many negative responses" so couldnt find me anything lol

That's sounds like my school, college and university reports!

I looked through a list of other degrees and the only possible other one left is criminology, that could perhaps lead somewhere.

I don't know of the career pathways after such a degree though.