[questiontime2]

I regret doing a software development degree. Might as well just burn the damm thing, a 2:1 with a little experience does not mean squat in Ireland, unless it's from Trinity. I feel like I've just wasted years of my life and nothing to show for it

Time to start a business and patent some process or idea. That or leave the country. I have had very negative experiences with graduate roles, people wasting my time with bull**** psychometric tests and other quackery. Whoever said the IT industry in Ireland is stable for graduates, is simply lying through their teeth.

I can barely afford to pay rent. Self employed people aren't entitled to welfare payments, so I might as well just pack my bags and move to London. Ireland is not a country I want to live in anymore. It's not the country I remember growing up in. Part time jobs at 16 where easier to get than now.

[conor.hogan.2]

Originally Posted by questiontime2

I regret doing a software development degree. Might as well just burn the damm thing, a 2:1 with a little experience does not mean squat in Ireland, unless it's from Trinity. I feel like I've just wasted years of my life and nothing to show for it

Time to start a business and patent some process or idea. That or leave the country. I have had very negative experiences with graduate roles, people wasting my time with bull**** psychometric tests and other quackery. Whoever said the IT industry in Ireland is stable for graduates, is simply lying through their teeth.

I can barely afford to pay rent. Self employed people aren't entitled to welfare payments, so I might as well just pack my bags and move to London. Ireland is not a country I want to live in anymore. It's not the country I remember growing up in. Part time jobs at 16 where easier to get than now.

Keep looking and you will find a job. I only did a Conversion MSc and got work after a while. Avoid recruiters, or at least do not expect much from them. It took well over a month and literally 100's of emails and phones calls and a few interviews.

[MagicRon]

Originally Posted by questiontime2

I regret doing a software development degree. Might as well just burn the damm thing, a 2:1 with a little experience does not mean squat in Ireland, unless it's from Trinity. I feel like I've just wasted years of my life and nothing to show for it

Time to start a business and patent some process or idea. That or leave the country. I have had very negative experiences with graduate roles, people wasting my time with bull**** psychometric tests and other quackery. Whoever said the IT industry in Ireland is stable for graduates, is simply lying through their teeth.

I can barely afford to pay rent. Self employed people aren't entitled to welfare payments, so I might as well just pack my bags and move to London. Ireland is not a country I want to live in anymore. It's not the country I remember growing up in. Part time jobs at 16 where easier to get than now.

1. You don't need a Trinity degree
2. It is very easy to get a job in IT in Ireland. If this isn't your experience then you either don't know your stuff, are terrible at interviews, or simply haven't tried finding a job.

I've seen three people in this thread say that they are working in a company that is looking for graduates. I see a recent post in the sticky looking for graduates. Have you contacted or sent your CV to these people?

[Duggys Housemate]

Irish recruiters are uniformly crap.

[questiontime2]

Originally Posted by Duggys Housemate

Irish recruiters are uniformly crap.

I get the impression that these "recruitment" agencies are employed to play tech buzzword soup while harvesting your details to offload for sale to different types of intelligence agencies or some other shady private entity. I now regard ALL recruiters as fecal laden parasitical scammers. Any time I got an interview, it was through a direct employer.

[Frisbee]

Originally Posted by MagicRon

If the job advert says graduate, it shouldn't say 5+ years.

If it does, then a graduate shouldn't apply nor should someone with 5+ years experience. If there are people applying to these jobs, then they need a schmack.

Are you working now?

I know. If they want someone with 5+ years expereince then fair enough. But to advertise the job as a graduate position and then claim they want 5+ years experience is ridiculous tbh.

I ended up leaving for Australia. I'm working in the Networks and Messaging team for a big law firm on a contract atm. Contract is up Tuesday after next though. It's tough out here to get a job in IT though if you're only on a Working Holdiay Visa. I've had places call me back and say they're happy for me to come in for interview and one was going to let me start without and interview, but once they find out your on a WHV it all goes out the window.

The fact I had zero IT experience limited the amount of jobs I could realistically expect to get too though tbh. A degree on its own isn't worth the paper it's written on. I'm hoping I'll be able to pick up something else easier now that I have an Australian reference and Australian work experience. I'll get a good reference out of this place too as I've worked my ass off, come in early, stayed late and volunteered to work 12 hour shifts today, Saturday and Sunday and the same again next week.

I have my foot in the door now. All I need to do is make sure I kick the bastard open

[DonkeyStyle \o/]

Originally Posted by stevenmu

But while they're all looking for college degrees, many years of experience, and a huge list of specialist skills/qualifications, they all seem to be offering in and about the average industrial wage.

I spotted a php mysql jquery role for 30k, that's like what, €15 an hour before tax? Why don't I just become a bin man or a security guard?
At least you'd have some craic on the job, maybe some conversation instead of staring into a screen, wondering if it's possible to drop dead from stress.
*rubs temples*

[Gurgle]

Originally Posted by stevenmu

I think it's fair that they expect to be paid more than the average McDonalds burger flipper.

A McDonalds burger flipper does not earn average industrial wage. Try minimum wage, approx €17k.

Originally Posted by DonkeyStyle \o/

Why don't I just become a bin man or a security guard?

As above.

[MagicRon]

Originally Posted by DonkeyStyle \o/

I spotted a php mysql jquery role for 30k... instead of staring into a screen, wondering if it's possible to drop dead from stress.

If working in IT to you is just staring at a screen, you should probably take that bin man job

Some very silly responses in this thread. From people who reckon there are no companies taking grads (after users saying they can't find grads) to people saying they'd be better off collecting bins than working for 30k (because that one job listing reflects the situation of the entire country and because these people would be on 30k for the rest of their lives). Not hating on anyone of you, but it definitely isn't as bad out there as some of you reckon.

Where is that job located? ... what experience are they looking for? ... and how much experience have you? If you have no experience, then 30k is brilliant. If you have loads of experience, look at jobs offering more than 30k. Simple!

You can't just pick out a salary from a job listing and call it normal. Location, experience, etc will impact the salary offered.

[bigbadcon]

Our Junior Dev of 2 years just handed in his notice to go to another role that is offering him close to 20k more!!

Funnily enough our boss is now seeing if he can match the salary.

Problem is that its too late and even if he could match the salary I dont think he would stay and I dont blame him.

He is too good to be handling all of the bull**** that none of the more senior guys want to do and the company is so small that theres no where for him to move up and we cant hire any graduates to fill his role.

Any of the CVs we got for the job were all utter crap.

Looks like Ill be stung covering his support role now..

Hmmm good opportunity to get myself a payrise I think....

[DonkeyStyle \o/]

Originally Posted by MagicRon

If working in IT to you is just staring at a screen, you should probably take that bin man job

Don't mind me, I'm stressed out. The thought of jumping ship and living a more simple life is a recurring fantasy.

[Duggys Housemate]

Originally Posted by DonkeyStyle \o/

Don't mind me, I'm stressed out. The thought of jumping ship and living a more simple life is a recurring fantasy.

The other problem with that salary is it is only €15 a hour if you work 8 hour days, it is €12 if you work 10 hours a day. Working somewhere even at 50K on ten hours a day on average, including some weekends, doesn't even make you that much better off than somebody in an unskilled job who does overtime, and a bit of ( double paid) weekend work.

This is a problem, the software industry used to realise it was competing for talent, for IQ with other jobs.

[dazberry]

Originally Posted by DonkeyStyle \o/

Don't mind me, I'm stressed out. The thought of jumping ship and living a more simple life is a recurring fantasy.

I jumped ship recently, to find myself on the RMS Titanic

D.

[questiontime2]

Originally Posted by conor.hogan.2

Keep looking and you will find a job. I only did a Conversion MSc and got work after a while. Avoid recruiters, or at least do not expect much from them. It took well over a month and literally 100's of emails and phones calls and a few interviews.

Fairy play. You have the right mindset. Keep trying until something comes along. It's worked in the past no problem, but these recruitment agencies appear to be sucking up most of the job adverts now. Just gotta keep tryomg as they say

[conor.hogan.2]

Originally Posted by questiontime2

Fairy play. You have the right mindset. Keep trying until something comes along. It's worked in the past no problem, but these recruitment agencies appear to be sucking up most of the job adverts now. Just gotta keep tryomg as they say

Ignore recruiters if you have no experience, I got no interview through any recruiter but sent more applications to recruiters than directly to companies because as you said most of the jobs are advertised through these agencies.