I'm 20 and never had a job. What should I do for the summer?

Magenta

Pathetic wrote: »

Do you not think that what you said about how I would "spew if I told you what I earn now" is slightly more snobby than what I said? I couldn't be further from a snob! I said I was still going to look for a job and that I've organised voluntary work...really don't see what's so snobby about that? Also, next year of my degree I've got a 6 month placement to do which I'm sure I can use as experience on a CV and I hope to go on to do a Ph.D so I don't think in 6+ years they'll be asking what I did in the summer of 2010?

No, I don't think what I said was snobby. I think your comment about "it's not like I'll need to have worked in retail to get anywhere in the science world" was snobbish. Even if your statement was true, surely you'd rather get out and earn your own money doing good honest work rather than live off Mammy and Daddy?

Ignore my advice if you want, you'll learn the hard way when you're older.

mariaalice

I am wondering something...all the people who replyed and said they are at college and have never realy had a job

Have none of ye done a J1...as in borrowing the money from your parents or the credit union going to America working as the americans do i.e very very hard, making most of your money on tips, sharing a house with 15 people to save on rent, then haveing a few days holiday, coming home paying back your loan and haveing a bit of money to put yourself through college the next year.

I know students are trying very hard to get a job at the moments and thing are lot different that they were a few years ago.

I was in America in 2007 and i was in a clothes shop and the girl that served me was irish ( on a J1) i got chatting to her and she said she was only working there because of the staff discount which was very good the job paid minuman wage.... i asked her how she was supporting herself and she said her parent paid for the trip :eek::eek:...and at the end the summer she and her friends were going to Hawaii for a 3 week holiday!!! before going back to college, now her story properly isnt typical but still and all it shows how Ireland has changed

Magenta

mariaalice wrote: »

I am wondering something...all the people who replyed and said they are at college and have never realy had a job

Have none of ye done a J1...as in borrowing the money from your parents or the credit union going to America working as the americans do i.e very very hard, making most of your money on tips, sharing a house with 15 people to save on rent, then haveing a few days holiday, coming home paying back your loan and haveing a bit of money to put yourself through college the next year.

I know students are trying very hard to get a job at the moments and thing are lot different that they were a few years ago.

I was in America in 2007 and i was in a clothes shop and the girl that served me was irish ( on a J1) i got chatting to her and she said she was only working there because of the staff discount which was very good the job paid minuman wage.... i asked her how she was supporting herself and she said her parent paid for the trip :eek::eek:...and at the end the summer she and her friends were going to Hawaii for a 3 week holiday!!! before going back to college, now her story properly isnt typical but still and all it shows how Ireland has changed

I did a J1 but I paid for it all myself. I worked at the weekends during college to save up for it, then when I came home I was broke so I got another weekend job to put myself through the next year of college.

IzzyWizzy

mariaalice wrote: »

I am wondering something...all the people who replyed and said they are at college and have never realy had a job

Have none of ye done a J1...as in borrowing the money from your parents or the credit union going to America working as the americans do i.e very very hard, making most of your money on tips, sharing a house with 15 people to save on rent, then haveing a few days holiday, coming home paying back your loan and haveing a bit of money to put yourself through college the next year.

I know students are trying very hard to get a job at the moments and thing are lot different that they were a few years ago.

I was in America in 2007 and i was in a clothes shop and the girl that served me was irish ( on a J1) i got chatting to her and she said she was only working there because of the staff discount which was very good the job paid minuman wage.... i asked her how she was supporting herself and she said her parent paid for the trip :eek::eek:...and at the end the summer she and her friends were going to Hawaii for a 3 week holiday!!! before going back to college, now her story properly isnt typical but still and all it shows how Ireland has changed

The J1 is really expensive. I've always seen it as a privilege as most people seem to get their parents to pay for some of it, and it's more of a holiday than a job, IMO. I did it the summer after I graduated and I spent much more money than I made, getting there and paying for accommodation etc, took me ages to pay my parents back for the flights and visa costs. I don't think it's generally a feasible option for someone trying to earn money. I think working in Europe on something like a campsite or hotel is better, you don't earn much but you don't spend much either, as flights are cheap, and it's good experience. I did this two years in a row, although I didn't count it as a proper 'job' as the salary was so pathetic, I do put it on my CV.

mariaalice

I know a few people who did a J1 and came back with money this was in the eighties and early nineties so maybe its different now...but the thing was they went there to work and would have worked 18 hours a day, held down two jobs for the summer ... mostly because they had no choice as there was college fee then ( anyone remember that )...

IzzyWizzy

mariaalice wrote: »

I know a few people who did a J1 and came back with money this was in the eighties and early nineties so maybe its different now...but the thing was they went there to work and would have worked 18 hours a day, held down two jobs for the summer ... mostly because they had no choice as there was college fee then ( anyone remember that )...

I worked my arse off as well. Finished at 11, started again at 7 the next day. I was living in (a dodgy run down suburb of) NYC but still, it was really an opportunity for me to live in the States for a short time and get a bit of American work experience rather than to earn money. It's really expensive to get there, as you have to take the flights which are organised for you, the visa stuff is quite a few hundred and then you need to pay all your accommodation and food, generally. I'd have saved more money in Dublin, even though I still had to support myself there - that's why I couldn't save for a J1, any money I earned during college through grinds and promotion work went on rent and food.

Seraphina

iagree wrote: »

I've dropped in over 20 CV's to places this summer

is that a mistake? either that or you're delusional. when i was unemployed i applied for 20 a day, and then worked, while i was studying for my masters part-time. i can't believe your attitude, you sound like me when i was 15, before i learned some cop on. sorry to be harsh, but this 'retail won't get me a science job' attitude is incredibly immature. getting a degree involves a lot less discipline and common sense than holding down a job, just because you have one doesn't mean employers will be falling over themselves to hire you when you finish.

Magenta

Seraphina wrote: »

is that a mistake? either that or you're delusional. when i was unemployed i applied for 20 a day, and then worked, while i was studying for my masters part-time. i can't believe your attitude, you sound like me when i was 15, before i learned some cop on. sorry to be harsh, but this 'retail won't get me a science job' attitude is incredibly immature. getting a degree involves a lot less discipline and common sense than holding down a job, just because you have one doesn't mean employers will be falling over themselves to hire you when you finish.

"Big fish in a small pond" comes to mind, they'll learn the hard way when they're older and realise that almost everyone else has degrees too.

vonnie10

I myself have finished up for the summer since the middle of may and have been searching for work since April so i would only have something lined up. I only just got a waitressing job there last week and by sheer luck !! Its certainly not easy as i had applied for every job going so i can understand the OP's predicament. However i do feel that if you really really want a job if you look hard and long enough you will find one but you really can't be picky about it. Since i was 16 i have had the most menial jobs going, i was practically a slave in a hotel for less than minimum, I worked as a nanny for 5 euro an hour when i was 18 because i couldn't find anything else and as a shop assistant (best job i've ever had but only because the rest were so dodgy) I got 580 points in my leaving and i've finished third year of my degree where i currently have 1:1 but nobody cares so i've had to take a waitressing job which i really had to fight for ,for the summer as no one is really hiring but its better than sitting around and it will give me a couple of quid to go out with. All of my class mates struggled to find any work at all , never mind in a related field so it is definitely extremely difficult to find work. One of my class mates refuses to work a menial job but we're not qualified yet and lets be honest everyone has to start at the bottom. Although OP really doesn't give off the vibe that she is being snobby about the type of jobs she is willing to work, it sounds more like she is timid and is lacking in confidence a bit but you can do it, put yourself out there all they can do is say no, this is a challenge not the end of the world, depression is just a belief in limitations, if you work hard enough you can change it, it won't happen overnight and at times you might feel like you are getting no where but persevere and hard work will prevail

Magenta

vonnie10 wrote: »

I myself have finished up for the summer since the middle of may and have been searching for work since April so i would only have something lined up. I only just got a waitressing job there last week and by sheer luck !! Its certainly not easy as i had applied for every job going so i can understand the OP's predicament. However i do feel that if you really really want a job if you look hard and long enough you will find one but you really can't be picky about it. Since i was 16 i have had the most menial jobs going, i was practically a slave in a hotel for less than minimum, I worked as a nanny for 5 euro an hour when i was 18 because i couldn't find anything else and as a shop assistant (best job i've ever had but only because the rest were so dodgy) I got 580 points in my leaving and i've finished third year of my degree where i currently have 1:1 but nobody cares so i've had to take a waitressing job which i had to fight for ,for the summer as no one is really hiring but its better than sitting around and it will give me a couple of quid to go out with. All of my class mates struggled to find any work at all , never mind in a related field so it is definitely extremely difficult to find work. One of my class mates refuses to work a menial job but we're not qualified yet and lets be honest everyone has to start at the bottom. Although OP really doesn't give off the vibe that she is being snobby about the type of jobs she is willing to work, it sounds more like she is timid and is lacking in confidence a bit but you can do it put yourself out there all they can do is say no, this is a challenge not the end of the world, depression is just a belief in limitations, if you work hard enough you can change it, it won't happen overnight and at times you might feel like you are getting no where but persevere hard work is the only surefire way to success

Great post! Plus, the experience of dealing with other staff and managers when you are in the less formal environment of retail/services is great for when you are graduated and have a job in a more formal business environment.
There's only about 7 different types of managers and I had had them all by the time I was 19!

steelcityblues

To the OP: just get whatever you can at this stage of your life. At your age, I was probably a bit too selective in what I considered to be 'decent' jobs, and am probably paying for it these days.

LegacyUser

I don't mean to seem snobbish, maybe it's not coming across properly on the internet. If I got a job tomorrow, any job, I would take it so it's not like I'm snobby! I'm also not stupid, I know that when I graduate it'll be hard to get anywhere with no experience, especially as everyone else also have degrees and work experience. How is someone of my age supposed to even get an interview without any experience? I can't get any experience if someone won't give me a chance! Saying that I should have had a job since I was 16 or whatever really isn't helping...I know I should have had one in hindsight! Thanks for all the replies

piby

mariaalice wrote: »

I was in America in 2007 and i was in a clothes shop and the girl that served me was irish ( on a J1) i got chatting to her and she said she was only working there because of the staff discount which was very good the job paid minuman wage.... i asked her how she was supporting herself and she said her parent paid for the trip :eek::eek:...and at the end the summer she and her friends were going to Hawaii for a 3 week holiday!!! before going back to college, now her story properly isnt typical but still and all it shows how Ireland has changed

Same year I went, you weren't in San Diego by any chance?!! Anyway from what I saw over there that was the norm rather than the exception. In fact it was the norm even amongst most of my own mates! Parents paying for everything and then even wiring over lump sums during the summer because their kids had spent all their money on Abercrombie etc. A J1 is good fun but I found it to be a large whole in my pocket rather than a way of making money. I reckon including flights, visas, rent for 3 months and eveything else it cost me €3,500-€4,000 against roughtly €1,500 I made at most!! So that's a shortfall of at least €2,000 although that includes the $800 deposit we never got back (The landlord was conveniently away when we were leaving and we were never able to track him down again :mad:). Luckily I had money going over as I has a job but you can see not the easiest way to make some dough . . .

ash23 wrote: »

OP, I did a science degree (didn't finish it) and all of my class worked in retail, pubs etc while in college.

Many went on to furthur their education.

That's pretty much the same as my class. A lot of them now doing PhDs and other postgraduate courses in top colleges but they put the long hours in the typical student jobs working call centres, pubs, shops, event staff. Basically anything they could get their hands on. If anything I think anything it's just part of the student experience to work for minimum wage and I've always found that they're good banter if nothing else because the other people working there tend to be students as well. I knew people in college who were just handed a blank cheque so to speak by their parents and I have a little less respect for those people because of it even though some of them are my best mates :rolleyes:

OP I understand jobs are hard to come by at the moment. Many of my mates are looking for part-time jobs and even with considerable experience they're having a hard time. But I don't think it's pathetic or even unusual not to have had a job at 20. I was lucky I got a decent gig at 18 and have held onto ever since otherwise I might be in the same boat. But try by a bit more optimistic and energetic. You may not have much to put on your CV but try use what you do have. So you're studying science? Emphasise the pratcial components of it i.e. that it's not just sitting in lectures or reading books. Demonstrate that you have to plan experiments (organisation and time management) and record details (data processing, analysing and problem solving). You don't need to go overboard but really try sell the skills you do have!