who has a degree or trade or different occupation aswell as farming

case 956

just a topic me and the lads were discussing recently about the down turn in this country who was working off farm or studing and now is farming fulltime or still part time.... I am a qualified diesel mechanic and enjoyed my time off farm but always wanted the land but working off farm was a great experience but wouldn't swap the farm for spanners for any money

darragh_haven

I have a degree and currently work full time and farm part time (very part time). I'm the opposite to you where I couldn't see myself going back farming full time. I like the guaranteed wage every month and if I went back farming full time, I'd have to invest a few hundred thousand that I don't feel comfortable borrowing

bbam

Engineering & Business degrees and small time farming, and some other irons in fires..
I keep telling myself that if fulltime farming was possible that I'd jump at the chance... but thats a bit like telling myself I'll accept the mission when NASA ring for me

Its hard to imagine giving up the regular wage.

porter shark

B Comm here, never used it.
Full time farming with a bit of contracting thrown in. The older I get the more I dream of havin a job wit money every week.
The long spells wit no income and plenty of outgoings can be stressful and banks don't look fondly on them.

Juniorhurler

Teacher and part time farmer. Ironically when all my holidays are in the summer is when I am not that busy. Having said that I am back in the yard by 4.30 every day and can do everything I need within a couple of hours and all day saturday. Calving is my only problem.

Timmaay

Did 3yrs worth of a PhD before deciding I didn't want to be the worlds most horribly overqualified farmer Still though, I don't regret a single day of any of my education.

grazeaway

Work in engineering after 6 years in college. working full time and farming aswell.

visatorro

i often wonder if the life experience of going to college is of more value than the qualification itself. i served my time as a diesel mechanic. still work at that and farm. hard to see myself leaving a wage but i might go full time milking if things dont go through the floor post 2015

Username John

Timmaay wrote: »

Did 3yrs worth of a PhD before deciding I didn't want to be the worlds most horribly overqualified farmer Still though, I don't regret a single day of any of my education.

Phd. - that's a lot of years in college Timmay.... :eek:

Greengrass1

Username John wrote: »

Phd. - that's a lot of years in college Timmay.... :eek:

Spent all the time in coppers id say

maxxuumman

MSc here. Worked for a few years in that field, but pulled out and moved into a field of cows instead. As was said earlier, there was as much learned in the college experience as in the college education. Made friends for life there, friends that wouldn't know one end of a cow from the other.
Definitely miss having money that's "my own". But there's something said for being my own boss.

Farrell

bbam wrote: »

Engineering & Business degrees and small time farming, and some other irons in fires..
I keep telling myself that if fulltime farming was possible that I'd jump at the chance... but thats a bit like telling myself I'll accept the mission when NASA ring for me

Its hard to imagine giving up the regular wage.

Same as that, qualified in engineering, work fulltime in engineering, farm very part-time, enjoy the farming only days.Sadly need all 3 incomes here, pity Ireland is so expensive

Dickie10

in last year of BA might do teaching but getting put off with all the negativity surrounding it, id like to think I could plan lambing around holidays mid term etc

sheebadog

Msc here that I never used. I've done various distance learning courses that I have used.
I have worked at various business's that I started but those were always for sale from the get go.

kevthegaff

sheebadog wrote: »

Msc here that I never used. I've done various distance learning courses that I have used.
I have worked at various business's that I started but those were always for sale from the get go.

yep i have a Msc too, was considering going back working but unlikey now

moy83

Fulltime plasterer / part time farming . Since I was a child all I wanted was to stay on the farm but the father wouldn't let me . Im glad now because as bad as the buildings have been the last few years I've still brought in a few quid every week from plastering .

There is some amount of third level education among the farmers hanging out here ! I had my place in college deferred for a year but never went back the following year either . I kept up with the social side of it though , used to love rag week in NUIG !

Brown Podzol

I have a business degree, used it off farm briefly. I suppose I use it doing the business of farming but I did a diploma course in social and rural studies through Macra years ago and found that that stood to me a lot more over the years.

KCTK

Business degree, chartered accountant, chartered tax advisor, worked for nearly 10 years for some big companies, gave it all up to set up dairying, crazy now to think of the money I left but way happier being my own boss and covered in sh!t (would be even more happy however if I could make as much from farming!!)

Zr105

Have an mech engineering degree done but haven't worked at it yet, (will probably have to go off at it for a while at some point) back home farming since college, spend summers either at our own bit of contracting or off driving for others, as well as working on another farm locally.
Hoping to get green cert done this year.

Always busy, but cant say the pockets are ever to full but I'm happy out and thats more important to me than money really

Genghis Cant

MSc too. Education is no load to carry.

bduffy

BSc & PhD and was lecturing fulltime by day in Dublin and lambing by night in Kildare on home place. Summer break was great but went into industrial research about 10 years ago and farming lost out. Also have the 180hr Ag Cert but it's not of much use these days.......

Cultie

Degree in agriculture, small wet farm so did a dip ed and now a full time teacher. Works quite well with the farming with summer off. Keep 40 suckler cows.

Would love to farm full time.

Damo810

Cultie wrote: »

Degree in agriculture, small wet farm so did a dip ed and now a full time teacher. Works quite well with the farming with summer off. Keep 40 suckler cows.

Would love to farm full time.

If your degree is agriculture are you only qualified to teach ag science after the Hdip? Or can you go and train in another subject? Reason I ask is i plan to get a degree in Ag, and wondering if it was an options.

Juniorhurler

Contact the teaching council. They are the ultimate quango and it may be difficult to get a straight answer on anything but make sure they rwcognise the course that you are thinking about before going and doing it.

joe man utd

Degree in civil engineering here.. Never got much work at it.. Work part time driving machines and with the father at home.. Would love to be in the building side of it but impossible to get work here and i dont have the travelling bug as i have too many comittments..

tomnicebutdim

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Teacher and part time farmer. Ironically when all my holidays are in the summer is when I am not that busy. Having said that I am back in the yard by 4.30 every day and can do everything I need within a couple of hours and all day saturday. Calving is my only problem.

Get calving cams on your phone and have a neighbour farmer you can call on to assist calving if required.

KatyMac

Diploma in Applied Chemistry here - worked in quality control for years. also, a Cert in Business Studies. Now part time farmer/part time secretary.

Muckit

B. Tech (ed) Degree.

Formal education is great and all for educating oneself in a chosen field at that very point in time, but the knowledge and information one accrues needs to be constantly developed and added to or you'll find yourself an outdated dinosaur and your precious diploma or degree isn't worth a feck!!

In saying that, my degree got me my job. That job pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head. Farming is my hobby. In farming terms IMO my day job is probably worth the equivalent of farming +200 acres of good land without me actually having to invest any capital.

I tip my hat to self employed business people, full time farmers included. It takes real guts to invest big bucks in the hope that it will bring home the bacon.

For me personally farming will only ever be a hobby. That's why l am so glad that it's a small concern. I don't feel l need to be farming big acres to be classed as a good farmer. I find farming compliments the day job and the rest of my life. It's good 'therapy'.

munkus

MSc in IT and farming part time. Don't know what I'd do without the auld lad as he's working full time at home while I'm away for most of the week.

My kids will all be sent off to college and to work away from the farm for a few years. Can't beat the experience of getting away.

Muckit

Excuse my ignorance. ... but is msc a masters in science?

Googled but couldn't find the answer unless ye have all been off serving your time on cruise ships!!

893bet

Degree, masters and recently PhD. Not really used any of them a great deal as have been in formal education my whole life. I am looking for employment now and will look to keep 20-40 head cattle when take over the reins at home.

Cow bulling this morning and broke away while trying to get her into the crush and I again questioned the sanity of it all.