Need a change in life..

dvega

Ok i just turned 27 and i hate my job,its a job that you have to be on call 24/7 i got into it straight from school and have been there ever since i just woke up one morning and said to myself i hate this job.So i told the boss(who is my father!)that i dont like doing this job anymore and that i will be leaving.
The only reason i stuck with it the last couple of years is because i had a gf and when we split up i thought i needed a change.

I have decided to go to australia in feb for a few months,relax and clear my head and decide what i will do.I just dont wanna wake up in ten years doing a job that i completely hate,that could ruin a person. I just have a few questions which some people in maybe the same situation as i am could answer:

1. Do people/industrial take on apprentices as old as i am that are willing to
Work and qualify? i.e. Carpenter,fitter,electrician etc.

2. Would i apply or get into collage as a mature student if i decided i would
like to study in a field that i would like?

3. The work i have been doing the last few years has been more practical
except for a few courses here and there which i did resonably good.Would
i find it harder to study since i have been out of school so long?i.e Collage?

4. Is there anyone who has done or doing something like this that could post
in this thread and tell me how they got on?

As i said i dont wanna look back and say what i should have done i wanna look forward and say what i want to do!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions/comments im sure it will benifit my decision in what i want to do.

spurious

1. Do people/industrial take on apprentices as old as i am that are willing to
Work and qualify? i.e. Carpenter,fitter,electrician etc.

Yes they do.

2. Would i apply or get into collage as a mature student if i decided i would
like to study in a field that i would like?

Definitely apply and no reason why you wouldn't get in. Many courses reserve places for mature students.

3. The work i have been doing the last few years has been more practical
except for a few courses here and there which i did resonably good.Would
i find it harder to study since i have been out of school so long?i.e Collage?

Not necessarily. It could be argued you'd be even more motivated to do well than a school leaver.

4. Is there anyone who has done or doing something like this that could post
in this thread and tell me how they got on?

Haven't done it myself, but I know a number of people who are mature students - the world is your oyster really. Best of luck - and enjoy Australia.

LundiMardi

I haven't done it yet, but i'm going to college next year as a mature student. I'll have turned 24 when starting.

One thing i must say, if you're going to be a mature student, then to go to college in 07 you must apply by Feb 1st...

So if you're planning on going away to think over stuff, then you won't be able to go to college till '08, i dunno what you're thinking on it is, but you may think you're a bit too old at that stage.. So i'd recommend looking into various courses you think you'd be interested in now, apply to a few and then when you get back you can decide if you want to do whatever you're offered.

Faith

My mum went back to college when she was 45, got a BA, an MA and a HDip all within about 5 years. Now she's happily employed as a full time teacher in a 3rd level college.

You're never too old to go back!

Mark Byrne

dvega wrote:

Ok i just turned 27 and i hate my job,its a job that you have to be on call 24/7 i got into it straight from school and have been there ever since i just woke up one morning and said to myself i hate this job.So i told the boss(who is my father!)that i dont like doing this job anymore and that i will be leaving.
The only reason i stuck with it the last couple of years is because i had a gf and when we split up i thought i needed a change.

I have decided to go to australia in feb for a few months,relax and clear my head and decide what i will do.I just dont wanna wake up in ten years doing a job that i completely hate,that could ruin a person. I just have a few questions which some people in maybe the same situation as i am could answer:

1. Do people/industrial take on apprentices as old as i am that are willing to
Work and qualify? i.e. Carpenter,fitter,electrician etc.

2. Would i apply or get into collage as a mature student if i decided i would
like to study in a field that i would like?

3. The work i have been doing the last few years has been more practical
except for a few courses here and there which i did resonably good.Would
i find it harder to study since i have been out of school so long?i.e Collage?

4. Is there anyone who has done or doing something like this that could post
in this thread and tell me how they got on?

As i said i dont wanna look back and say what i should have done i wanna look forward and say what i want to do!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions/comments im sure it will benifit my decision in what i want to do.

1. Absolutely not, you're way too old to begin an apprenticeship. There is no construction company in this country who would take you at 27.

2. Absolutey, I've done it myself

3. Not if you're well driven

4. I left school at 16 and went into the motor trade to serve an apprenticeship as a panel beater/spray painter. I went back to shool when I was 27 to do the leaving cert. I sat the leaving cert when I was 28 and secured a university place in DCU. I went on to do a degree in Applied Maths (yes you heard correct). I now work as a software engineer and I love it. It was a hard road financially but boy is it well worth it now. I've never looked back. Sounds to me like you're looking to do something similar. If I can give you a tip, go to the university open days a lot of which are coming up at the moment, this will give you a good insight into the various degree courses and is worth doing.

regards,
Mark.

LundiMardi

Mark Byrne wrote:

1. Absolutely not, you're way too old to begin an apprenticeship. There is no construction company in this country who would take you at 27.

In all fairness, that's bollocks.

Mark Byrne

LundiMardi wrote:

In all fairness, that's bollocks.

Bollocks is it. Ok then smart arse, tell me of a construction company who offers apprenticeships to 27 year olds. I know a lot of people in this industry so I was speaking from a factual context.

kryan1

Currently in college my self, 28year old student. I was working in a job that i felt was going no where and i justed needed a new career. So i went back to college, but here is a some notes u mite like to take.
If u already went to college and have lets say a cert/diploma that u recieve a grant for, and u decide to go back and do a similar, u will NOT be elligable for a grant if the course u are going for will give u similar qualifactions. Also u need to be on the dole for either 6months r a year a a half (not sure which it is as i have been told both were the time lines) before u can quilify for education assistance.
When i first when back started to regret it, but i am half way there so i think i will hang on for the piece of paper. Bummer with out the money doh.....
Hope this helps and best of luck with what ever u decide to do.

LundiMardi

Tell me of a company who doesn't take on people over a certain age?

Do you know every single company in Ireland offering apprenticeships from a ''factual context'' point of view? I think not, hence, you're not stating facts. Maybe you are from a few companies you've have dealings with, but that's about it. Because there are plenty of people who start apprenticeships at an older age, even older than the OP.

Mark Byrne

LundiMardi wrote:

Tell me of a company who doesn't take on people over a certain age?

Do you know every single company in Ireland offering apprenticeships from a ''factual context'' point of view? I think not, hence, you're not stating facts. Maybe you are from a few companies you've have dealings with, but that's about it. Because there are plenty of people who start apprenticeships at an older age, even older than the OP.

You've completely missed the point here. I'm not for a second suggesting that companies don't take on people over a certain age, but for apprenticeships they do, fact. Correct, I don't know every construction company in Ireland. You said I'm talking bollocks, is this a hunch? or do you know of someone who was given a first year apprenticeship at 27? I really really would like to know and the company who offered the position. So help out the OP and back up your statement please.

dudara

Gentlemen, this is not a thread about apprenticeships, so if you want to debate that, please take it to the Work/Jobs forum. The OP is looking for some guidance, so please keep the posts helpful and stop cluttering the thread.

Please don't continue, or I will ban you from the forum for a short period.

dudara

Alter-Ego

Going back to college as a mature student is definetly a good idea. If you're genuinely interested in the course you wanna do then you should have no problem getting in. AFAIK, chances are you'll also qualify for a grant, rent allowance etc..

Mark Byrne

dudara wrote:

Gentlemen, this is not a thread about apprenticeships, so if you want to debate that, please take it to the Work/Jobs forum. The OP is looking for some guidance, so please keep the posts helpful and stop cluttering the thread.

Please don't continue, or I will ban you from the forum for a short period.

dudara

Apologies dudara, but if you read my first contribution I feel that I gave some excellent advice from someone who started a new path at the age of 28 only to be slagged off by LundiMardi who clearly can't back up the statement and also clearly has nothing to offer to the OP. I would like a response from LundiMardi as I know what I'm talking about, but if you would like me to leave it alone, then no problem I will. Is this unreasonable?

regards,
Mark.

dudara

Please leave it alone. If you wish to seek a reposnse from Lundi Mardi, please take it up via PM, or start a new thread in a more appropriate forum.

dudara

Rabies

dvega wrote:

Ok i just turned 27 and i hate my job,its a job that you have to be on call 24/7 i got into it straight from school and have been there ever since i just woke up one morning and said to myself i hate this job.So i told the boss(who is my father!)that i dont like doing this job anymore and that i will be leaving.

Everything you said was exactly the same with me. I'm 26 and left for New Zealand at the start of November. I gave my parents 4 weeks notice that I was leaving the country on a working visa. Came as a bit of a shock. Friends knew for weeks before my family.

I needed a change. I was working for my father in a good paying job with loads of perks, but I didn't like it. I was working min 60-70hr weeks every week. Often worked 3-4 weeks with no day off. My girlfriend at the time suffered because of it and we split up.

Made me think about where I was going with my life, didn't want to spend the rest of my life just working. When I told my friends what my plans were, they were all very supportive and had expected me to leave last year.

Go for it and have fun.

Black Swan

dvega wrote:

4. Is there anyone who has done or doing something like this that could post
in this thread and tell me how they got on?

As i said i dont wanna look back and say what i should have done i wanna look forward and say what i want to do!

Well, I am a lot younger than you, but I went overseas to pursue my dream. But I didn't just buy a ticket and jump on a plane for somewhere like Oz. I worked through an agent and had a job before I left. Suggest you work through an Oz employment agency and try to land a job? Or apply and get accepted to university before leaving?

the_syco

dvega wrote:

1. Do people/industrial take on apprentices as old as i am that are willing to
Work and qualify? i.e. Carpenter,fitter,electrician etc.

3. The work i have been doing the last few years has been more practical
except for a few courses here and there which i did resonably good.Would
i find it harder to study since i have been out of school so long?i.e Collage?

For the 1st bit, get a safe pass (check with FAS.ie about this). When I was looking for an apprenticeship, I found out that most (if not all) employers won't give you a 2nd glance if you don't have a safe pass, unless you're 18, fresh out of your LC. If you look back, you'll find a thread which I started about starting on a trade when you're old, and a few response were from those in the 25 to 32 age bracket. If you're wondering why I'm not doing one now, it was because I was at a crossroads (was stuck in a dead-end job for a year, and wanted out) of either a trade, or do tech support, and a tech support role appeared, so I took it. No point waiting for a dream job that may never come: take the 1st chance you get, and hold tight.

For the 2nd bit, it may bode well for you if the "practical work" has relevence to do with the trade you intend to do. One of the things that went against me, was that I had done woodwork in the JC and LC, thus most electrical companies turned me down, as they prefered someone who knew did electronics in their JC or LC.