How long have you been employed-What degree do you have(if any)

SteelyDanJalapeno

Degree in Electronic Engineering, working in my 1st job with 6 months now, absolutely love it and I'm so grateful to have it.

Had 2 job offers the day after my final exam while getting very average exam results both offers were very good, one of them is my current job.

Believe me there is sh*tloads of jobs in the technology sector.

Pherekydes

Skipped the LC and joined the army at 17. Stayed there for 26 years. I must have 2 degrees now, because the wife gives me the third degree every night.

martingriff

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Since 18, no degree, didn't pay any attention in college nor did I really like the field. I got lucky with a job and worked my way up and now have more than enough experience in my particular field that I don't need a degree.

Having said that the biggest pain in the hole is not potential employment but not being able to move to other countries as easily.

I would not be so sure somethimes if the job advert says degree needed it will not matter how long you have been working. Especially if they use one of those word searchers to screen out CV's

stimpson

I got my first job when I was 9. Worked at a sheet metal factory. In two weeks, I was running the floor. Child labor laws are ruining this country.

martingriff

I have a degree in manufacturing technology and a graduate diploma in computer aided design and computers.

I have been working since summer 06 in the Revenue. (only job going so went for it

Mint Sauce

In my current job 6 months, that was after been made redundant 2 years earlier. For them two years spent the first year searching for work/education, spent the second year doing part time and on full time course.

Other than them two years have spent most of my adult life (16 years) working or in full time education, bar one short period of 6 months after leaving a job that I ended up hating to the extent I was sick with the stress.

Odysseus

Degree and Master's being in my current job since 96.

Ficheall

trodsky wrote: »

So because you have completed a masters this entitles you to a job?

Because you can't get a job the country is f:ucked?

Get real

Well, you didn't quite understand what the OP was saying, so I'm afraid an Irish college would only be able to award you a 2:1 in comprehension.

curlzy

Working in admin, never been unemployed, got my first job at 16 and been working for 14 years. Have a degree in photography, never wanted to be a photographer but love photography, so did the degree just for me : )

RADIUS

Worked 18 - 25 with the odd couple of months here and there between jobs. I never went to uni having walked straight from the leaving cert into the Celtic tiger economy where jobs were in abundance. All fun and games until the economy took a nosedive and I realized that I had no qualifications.

Spent the last 2 years in a vocational college and now looking for a job with IT certs and Fetac.

Still doing IT certs desperately trying to get into a bottom rung of the ladder 1st line helpdesk job but all I can see are senior roles/experienced roles/Multilingual roles advertised.

I'll just keep studying and applying and hopefully one day....

veXual

BSc in Computer Systems Management and BSc in Information Technology Management.

I got my current job in a multi-national I.T. company 3 days after I finished college and have been here 2.5 years. I'm extremely fortunate and grateful for what I have.

Luck was probably the biggest factor tbh.

Ush1

Degree in computer science. Got a full time job two weeks after I graduated and have worked ever since.

Currently not actually in an IT role but making daycent money and getting along with things.

Fizman

Turning 30 in a few months. Got a BSc in Software Development 6 1/2 years ago and have been working in small Irish software company since then.

Have been employed since I was 16, prior to the full time job, I had a part time job for about 5 years through college, and another one or two towards the end of school.

summerskin

Degree in Media and Communications, been working for 16 years in various industries and my degree has been worthless for all of them except my stint as a journalist. Been in my current role for four years, in a field that would never have been my first choice, but one that I seem to have a natural aptitude for.

Never really been on the dole.

ash23

Been employed since I was 16 with a few gaps here and there - time off after having a child, a gap of a few months when I moved but always unemployed by choice luckily enough.

I had nothing but a leaving cert initially, dropped out of college and took some menial retail/waitressing jobs. Somehow managed to get into a financial sector role and min wage and stayed in the industry, getting qualifications and pay increases as I went. In this sector now for the last 7 years and have a diploma and am considering continuing on to a degree via work (who support further education)

I was just pure jammy to fall into the industry that I did which (touch wood) hasn't been affected by the recession.

SeaFields

An MA and an MPhil in the areas of environmental policy and flood management.

Finished college 3 years ago, right when the sh!t hit the fan, and havent got long term employment but did get some short contracts since to bulk up the CV. Have a part time 'menial' job that pays the bills and the barman!

Duggy747

Been working in all sorts of jobs since I was 14 from newsagents, gardener, radio, retail, tiling, to IT techie & trainer. Didn't do great in the LC because I had no interest in it by the end of school, wasn't going repeating anyways that was for sure.

Have a degree in systems & networks and certs in radio & sound engineering, was on the dole for a year and a bit which was horrible because it was the longest I've been out of work but I at least got to build up on loads of IT certs through FAS. I had worked in a good few IT jobs before hand but was always laid off from downturns in business so this was my last crack at it, I was fed up of all the bad luck I was having. If I had too much trouble finding / keeping a job from redundancies I was just going to quit and change career.

During me time on the dole I took on a 9 month unpaid contract (this was before the internship scheme started) with a disability crowd so myself and another guy covered 60+ special needs schools and respite centres around the county. That opened a lot of doors for me and had companies ringing me up out of the blue looking to take me on.

Back in the role of IT techie now, working solo again which I love because I've no annoying workmates to deal with (or vice versa :pac:). Pay isn't mighty but I love this kind of work so as long as I'm chirpy I'll be grand.

Death and Taxes

Working most of my life, short periods of unemployment, periods of working abroad.
Have a B.A. In Sociology and Social Policy, gained as a mature student.
Myself and the AH started our own business when she lost her job for the third time in two years at the start of the recession.

jinxremoving

I have a degree and a masters. I have a job in civil service but I hate it with a passion. I was unemployed for a while in between jobs and tbh my mental health was better when I was unemployed. Not what I want to do with my life at all.

muppetkiller

Degree in Applied Physics and Computing. Graduated in 1999 and have been working in software development since then. Never out of work since I was 15.

martingriff

jinxremoving wrote: »

I have a degree and a masters. I have a job in civil service but I hate it with a passion. I was unemployed for a while in between jobs and tbh my mental health was better when I was unemployed. Not what I want to do with my life at all.

What area

danniemcq

3 and a half years working as a data analyst working with databases and excel for one of the largest insurance companies in the world.

College dropout, done a few FAS courses and got microsoft masters as part of the last one i did, got accepted for one job in here (that got scrapped) and a few months later i got a call asking to come in as they seen on my CV that i was quite good at databases.

So no degrees from fancy college or even finishing college is required as long as you can prove in some way you are perfectly suited for the job.

Gurgle

M.Eng in Electronic Systems, employed since 4 days after my final B.Eng exam in 1998 (did M.Eng part time) except for taking a year out to attempt to start up a business.

racso1975

Have 2 diplomas and a cert now doing a higher diploma in business management. worked for last 20 years bar last 5 months.

What really piss' me off is education inflation. In my sector it started off a needing a cert to apply for a job seen recently ad's that have masters as minimum qualification which is a load of w@#k.

Find it mad that a company just wants to employ somebody with theoretical knowledge but no idea how to implement it.

Tefral

Havent been out of work since the age of 17.. Worked in a frozen food company, a shop then went to work in Dell, then as a Security Guard, then as a Quantity Surveyor.

My Degree is in Quantity Surveying, worked dried up so moved to London last year, now moving back home to Limerick as a QS next week.. Come full circle really.

27 now, so ten years full employment. Did my degree whilst working 48 hours a week as a security guard.

beeroclock

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

I am well educated and have never been unemployed, thank God. I deliberately chose an area with plenty of long term opportunity though (and thankfully that is how it turned out).

Same here

Gurgle

racso1975 wrote: »

What really piss' me off is education inflation. In my sector it started off a needing a cert to apply for a job seen recently ad's that have masters as minimum qualification which is a load of w@#k.

Unfortunately, the inflation has taken places in the 3rd level institutions not in the workforce.

15 years ago a certificate in engineering was a good solid professional qualification, nowadays a labrador could graduate with a degree.

People get a masters now for the same level of education as you did for your cert.

UCDVet

racso1975 wrote: »

Have 2 diplomas and a cert now doing a higher diploma in business management. worked for last 20 years bar last 5 months.

What really piss' me off is education inflation. In my sector it started off a needing a cert to apply for a job seen recently ad's that have masters as minimum qualification which is a load of w@#k.

Find it mad that a company just wants to employ somebody with theoretical knowledge but no idea how to implement it.

A large part of the education inflation is made possible by people getting additional degrees whist on the dole They end up being the competition for those were too busy working full-time to get additional degrees.

Tefral

UCDVet wrote: »

A large part of the education inflation is made possible by people getting additional degrees whist on the dole They end up being the competition for those were too busy working full-time to get additional degrees.

I would have said you can do part time education around work.. I did a full time degree whilst working a full work week, however its not possible for everyone. I mean if I was a lone parent or whatever it wouldnt be feasible.

I will say though you can make it work and you should always try upskill yourself and stay ahead of the curve. This year I did a certificate in Project Management with the APM (I did some as part of my Degree) because its the way my industry is leaning. I dont for one second believe just because you have your degree or whatever that you should rest on your laurels.

One last point I have to make is that I firmly believe experience trumps paperwork (degrees, masters etc) every time. If you see your employers looking to hire Master Degree students then you should ask your employer to put you on a course to get to that level.

I think also that there is so many people out there for some industrys they use the education level as a form weeding out getting loads and loads of applications. Over in the UK here in my industry anyway I am in with guys from India and whatever with more letters after their name than I have ever seen, as the world gets smaller your competing with not just your countryfolk for work but the whole world, you need to be at the top of your game.

Ray Palmer

College cert a few fetac awards now but not that relevant. Working 17 years about 18 months unemployed in total. Unemployment was partial choice at times and sickness.
Degree will get you in the door some places and as said ability to go to other countries.
You may get a lower salary without degree but not that often.
Depends on field in IT experience matches you to a degree in about 2 years if you are capable.
Some people in companies will insist on a degree but usually these types are not actual good at their jobs and often over ruled.
Knowledge is key in IT and degrees become worth less over time. Many graduates over estimate their knowledge when entering the work force. Egos normally have to be managed quite harshly for a few years at the start.