Finish expensive course or go on Work Holiday Visa?

MilkTheGroup

Hi I have abit of a dilemma at the moment. I am currently studying an expensive 2 year postgraduate course (I am 6 months into it). The job prospects at the end of it are poor. I knew this before I started the course but hoped that things would improve (which they don't seem to be). I already have a degree and masters in a different area however they havent helped me get any work in that area despite hundreds of job applications. I am 24 and my parents paid for the postgrad (E8,000).

I finished my Masters in the summer of 2010. Its now nearly 2 years later and all I've been able to do in Ireland is two minimum wage soul-destroying office jobs and some time on the dole while looking for graduate work. I am living at home and feel like I will piss away another year of my 20s away if I stay and complete this course. To complicate matters I will not be fully qualified until I finish the course AND work in that area for a full year. In other words, if I cant get work here I wont be able to use the qualification abroad.

I am very grateful to my parents and do not want to disappoint them but I feel like I am completing this course just out of guilt now.

I don't want to have regrets and I want to get some life experience so I think going to Canada on a work holiday visa would give me that. I could get work there and pay my parents back in weekly installments.

I'll only be young once and I really want to make the most of my youth.

SunnyDub1

MilkTheGroup wrote: »

Hi I have a bit of a dilemma at the moment. I am currently studying an expensive 2 year postgraduate course (I am 6 months into it). The job prospects at the end of it are poor. I knew this before I started the course but hoped that things would improve (which they don't seem to be). I already have a degree and masters in a different area however they haven't helped me get any work in that area despite hundreds of job applications. I am 24 and my parents paid for the post grad (E8,000).

I finished my Masters in the summer of 2010. Its now nearly 2 years later and all I've been able to do in Ireland is two minimum wage soul-destroying office jobs and some time on the dole while looking for graduate work. I am living at home and feel like I will piss away another year of my 20s away if I stay and complete this course. To complicate matters I will not be fully qualified until I finish the course AND work in that area for a full year. In other words, if I cant get work here I wont be able to use the qualification abroad.

I am very grateful to my parents and do not want to disappoint them but I feel like I am completing this course just out of guilt now.

I don't want to have regrets and I want to get some life experience so I think going to Canada on a work holiday visa would give me that. I could get work there and pay my parents back in weekly installments.

I'll only be young once and I really want to make the most of my youth.

Hi OP,

First of all I have heard of so many people finishing college and not been able to get work.It's horrible and has a result so much people are moving away,working abroad and living the dream.

Tbh I think you are wasting another 2 years of your life doing another course.
Your already qualified in one area why feel the need to go on and study another area ? Especially if you have no strong interest in it.

It sounds like you are just trying to please your parents.
Your parents might be disappointed but at the end of day its your life - not theirs.

You said it yourself your only young once and want to make the most of your youth so start planning for Canada and make the most of what you have

Good luck

MilkTheGroup

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Hi OP,

It sounds like you are just trying to please your parents.
Your parents might be disappointed but at the end of day its your life - not theirs.

You said it yourself your only young once and want to make the most of your youth so start planning for Canada and make the most of what you have

Good luck

Thanks for that. I'm glad I didn't sound selfish to you. I know some people would get angry at me as many people would like to be on the course I am and don't have parents able or willing to pay for it.

Emme

OP, can you use credits from the first year of the course towards something else? Can you take up where you left off in a few years time if the area involved improves?

Talk to your supervisor or to your faculty to see what your options would be if you left now and wanted to come back later. Can you go offbooks for a year or two?

kingofthenerds

maybe your parents should of given me that 8 grand and i would of put it to good use [i.e. up my nose]



ModNote:
Kingofthenerds

The people who post here do so in good faith and all we ask posters is to reply with our Charter in mind.
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Taltos

skooterblue2

In a time when there is little money going around you are going to annoy a lot of people if you leave a course half finished. Be sensible. If you are studing science or engineering, it will come up again and a piece of paper is a piece of paper. When all things are equal then the qualification thrumps all.

I think your mind is scattered. Would you really like to work in this industry? I was in your position 10 years ago. Dell shut down, Gateway was wiped off the map, Compaq and Intel had a recruitment freezes on. Now I am back finishing the degree I couldn't finish 10 years ago (also I had underlying health reasons).

Think long and hard before quitting. Things wont always be like this and inother parts of the world things will be different. What do you really want to do?

Andy-Pandy

If you dont finish it will you give your parents back the 8k? Because you should, they only would have given it to you in the belief that it was something that you wanted to do. Dont waste the opportunity and finish the course, your only in your 20's you have years to go travelling. But most importantly, dont let your parents down like this.

MilkTheGroup

Emme wrote: »

OP, can you use credits from the first year of the course towards something else? Can you take up where you left off in a few years time if the area involved improves?

Talk to your supervisor or to your faculty to see what your options would be if you left now and wanted to come back later. Can you go offbooks for a year or two?

I spoke to my college and they said I could defer the rest of the course under extenuating circumstances. I'm not sure what would count as 'extenuating' though.

MilkTheGroup

Andy-Pandy wrote: »

If you dont finish it will you give your parents back the 8k? Because you should, they only would have given it to you in the belief that it was something that you wanted to do. Dont waste the opportunity and finish the course, your only in your 20's you have years to go travelling. But most importantly, dont let your parents down like this.

yes i would pay them back all of it.

skooterblue2

MilkTheGroup wrote: »

yes i would pay them back all of it.

Good luck with that on those minimum wage job.

SunnyDub1

Op,


Forget about paying the money back for a moment....

Your doing the right thing, if your unhappy then you need to change that and that's what your doing.

You do things in life for yourself - not to please other people.

Go to Canada, if you don't like it you can always come back.

You might not get an opportunity like this again - so just go for it...

and seriously money is only money, theres more important things in life - focus on being happy and enjoying life only young once.

SunnyDub1

Andy-Pandy wrote: »

If you dont finish it will you give your parents back the 8k? Because you should, they only would have given it to you in the belief that it was something that you wanted to do. Dont waste the opportunity and finish the course, your only in your 20's you have years to go travelling. But most importantly, dont let your parents down like this.

why should she....
she's not happy where she is at the moment. And doesn't want to complete the course.. Tbh sounds like she was only doing the course in the first place cause her parents wanted her to ....:rolleyes:

Money is only money... rather hear of someone being happy in life at a cost then to see someone miserable just to suit their parents needs and wants

skooterblue2

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

why should she....
she's not happy where she is at the moment. And doesn't want to complete the course.. Tbh sounds like she was only doing the course in the first place cause her parents wanted her to ....:rolleyes:

Money is only money... rather hear of someone being happy in life at a cost then to see someone miserable just to suit their parents needs and wants

Someone who isnt suffering from the recession. there is no sense of responsibly or accountability here. Money doesn't grow on trees any more. Its hard earned. Its taxed and shouldn't be used as plaything. Places at 3rd level, PhD's and other courses are being cut back. Its not fair on people who deserve to go to college and can't.

Emme

MilkTheGroup wrote: »

I spoke to my college and they said I could defer the rest of the course under extenuating circumstances. I'm not sure what would count as 'extenuating' though.

OP: I finished my Masters in the summer of 2010. Its now nearly 2 years later and all I've been able to do in Ireland is two minimum wage soul-destroying office jobs and some time on the dole while looking for graduate work. I am living at home and feel like I will piss away another year of my 20s away if I stay and complete this course. To complicate matters I will not be fully qualified until I finish the course AND work in that area for a full year. In other words, if I cant get work here I wont be able to use the qualification abroad.

Many people in Ireland with PhDs are in the same position, doing soul-destroying office jobs or mindnumbing routine research work. OP, it's likely that if you finish the course and get a job here for a year afterwards you're not going to get paid megabucks. Welcome to the reality of working in Ireland. Your parents are probably hoping this course will give you a chance to get work and stay here but things may not turn out as they expected. Education doesn't always lead to advancement in this country, that's why so many graduates have emigrated over the decades.

It appears to me that even if the OP finishes the course, she may not be able to complete it fully or reap the full benefit of it if she doesn't get work in that area when she qualifies. What is the area of work OP? Could you get relevant experience in Canada that would stand to you if you came back and resumed the course? If so I would approach your supervisor and explain this, saying that you want to be in a position to work in the area when you finish the course and a you feel that a year in Canada would help.

Alternatively you could do the second year of the course now, then go away for a year and try to get a year's relevant experience abroad. With relevant experience you might be in a position to get your year's experience and qualification here. It might be worth discussing this option with your supervisor as well. Tell them that you are so disillusioned and depressed with the job situation here you aren't able to focus on your coursework and you need to work out some alternatives.

Be honest with yourself OP, do you want to work in this area? When I was in my early 30s I did a degree by night for 4 years while working full time and didn't get much at the end of it after my sacrifice. I don't regret the qualification but if your parents are paying for this and you're in your 20s don't give up. Find some way around the disillusionment and try to finish your course. You can travel later.

SunnyDub1

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Someone who isnt suffering from the recession. there is no sense of responsibly or accountability here. Money doesn't grow on trees any more. Its hard earned. Its taxed and shouldn't be used as plaything. Places at 3rd level, PhD's and other courses are being cut back. Its not fair on people who deserve to go to college and can't.

Where not here to talk about other people who deserve to go to college.. op asked for advice I gave it ..

Op stated that she feels guilty about the situation and doesn't want to let her parents down.... she is holding responsibility for her choice... shes even trying to complainant in paying the money back

I'm not a person that comes from money and I would have love for my parents to pay for me to go on and do my masters , I would have been HAPPY to it - but that's me... and This is her - she's not happy doing what shes doing so why should she suffer and feel miserable about it for another 2 years or more....

Has I said there is more important things to life then money...
I'm sure in the future she will return the favorite to her parents for giving her the opportunity and money for college.

sashafierce

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skooterblue2

sashafierce wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

One of those things easier said than done. Its very difficult to enter the education system as a mature student, where you have adult responsibilities BUT to re-enter and the stigmas that go with it. In 5-10 year to go back and face the lecturers you left before and if you are in an industry that moves (IT goes thru a complete change around every 3 years institutions struggle to keep up).

Make a Cat or a Dog of it but do something.