Most difficult career path?

steddyeddy

I work in science research and I can't think of many things were you can put as much effort into for sometimes very little reward. Whether one makes it in this game depends on hard work, intelligence but a huge amount of luck and contacts. You can spend 8-10 years getting your PhD, 4 for the degree, 1-2 for the masters and 3-5 for the PhD. I'm on an early postdoctoral position but right now it's sink or swim. A colleague of mine is on his fourth postdoc, has 25 years of working at Cambridge's MRC lab under his belt but now he's retraining because they let him go. 25 years at Cambridge and you end up unemployed seems a bit scary to me.

Anyway that's a career path I think can be hard. No doubt there's harder career paths out there where you put in a lot but get very little back. Anyone suggest the most difficult one?

Ubbquittious

Pilot. Mad costly training, followed by paying to work in the form of an "hour building scheme". Endless medicals fail one and you're fcuked. Then when you go looking for a job you are up against all the posh trust funders who "just want to fly" and don't really need the money

peterk_675

Work in the film industry, it's still very old school and "who you know", seems you could do circles all day long and not progress within the industry. Some twine straight outta college, has a daddy in RTE and boom he's in like a hot shot.

Very little certainty!

whiskeyman

Archeology.







Your career is in ruins before you begin...

steddyeddy

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Pilot. Mad costly training, followed by paying to work in the form of an "hour building scheme". Endless medicals fail one and you're fcuked. Then when you go looking for a job you are up against all the posh trust funders who "just want to fly" and don't really need the money

One of my biggest inspirations was a guy I used to work with when I was 16. He was from a dirt poor family and put every penny he had into becoming a pilot. He got loans and scholarships to do it but eventually it paid off. Fair play to him for that.

Sonny noggs

Life on the dole can be equally hard. You have inspectors checking up on you, you have various schemes that are trying to get you qualifications and a job. It is a full time job to stay out of work for those lads. And they barely get a bonus at Christmas.

steddyeddy

whiskeyman wrote: »

Archeology.











Your career is in ruins before you begin...

Get your coat please......

NSAman

Raising Kids.

steddyeddy

Sonny noggs wrote: »

Life on the dole can be equally hard. You have inspectors checking up on you, you have various schemes that are trying to get you qualifications and a job. It is a full time job to stay out of work for those lads. And they barely get a bonus at Christmas.

To be honest that sort of lifestyle would be much harder for me. I'd feel so lost to be honest and would find it hard to keep motivated.

steddyeddy

NSAman wrote: »

Raising Kids.

I'm guessing the no strings attached thing didn't work out NSAman.

Your Face

Suicide bomber - there's not much of a future in it.

NSAman

steddyeddy wrote: »

I'm guessing the no strings attached thing didn't work out NSAman.

No Sugar Allowed.. diabetic... and yes it did work out..;)

fryup

tree surgeon - tough & dangerous

vriesmays

Scientists are intelligent, successful people are clever.

Mad_maxx

peterk_675 wrote: »

Work in the film industry, it's still very old school and "who you know", seems you could do circles all day long and not progress within the industry. Some twine straight outta college, has a daddy in RTE and boom he's in like a hot shot.

Very little certainty!

My sister works in TV and film production, there isn't a bean in it

She doesn't care about money so likes it

Sherpa guide.

LirW

peterk_675 wrote: »

Work in the film industry, it's still very old school and "who you know", seems you could do circles all day long and not progress within the industry. Some twine straight outta college, has a daddy in RTE and boom he's in like a hot shot.

Very little certainty!

I went and graduated from a film school and the day it was over I knew I will never go back. There's no money in it, contacts are key, because you're living in poverty you can't afford a family and unsociable hours make it next to impossible having a half decent social life.
You can be dropped like a hot potato any day and there's no shortage of talented people dying for an opportunity for literal pennies.

Edit: some of my former colleagues worked crazy hard to get into this prestigious film college in Germany in various disciplines. But this is not even 5% of the people I had contact with. The rest moved on doing something entirely different.

Dwarf.Shortage

Am half way through the actuarial exams, very tough path.

Is paid commensurately tbf but it’s extremely tough.

vriesmays

LirW wrote: »

I went and graduated from a film school and the day it was over I knew I will never go back. There's no money in it, contacts are key, because you're living in poverty you can't afford a family and unsociable hours make it next to impossible having a half decent social life.

Biggest scam in Ireland, we have a film industry.

Apiarist

steddyeddy wrote: »

I work in science research and I can't think of many things were you can put as much effort into for sometimes very little reward....

The effort is your reward in science. You may get famous for solving some mystery of the universe, but even if only selected few can appreciate your work, that should be fine. I know of an accomplished female physicist who moves between labs all over the world; she has no permanent home, her daughter is looked after by her grandmother, yet she is happy to move the field forward.

You want money? Ditch the academic path and join the dark side the industry.

Personally, I think working at a conveyor job day in and day out, doing the same thing over and over for a relatively small wage is much worse than being a poor PhD postdoc.

vriesmays

In the newspaper this week was a list of extinct jobs. One example a rat catcher. Anyone doing this job today would make a fortune.

Zorya

I know you're talking about path as in the graft to climb the ladder, but all I can think of ar first responders or online investigators of the dark parts of the web. You get to be really good at your job through graft, acquire tough skills, steely concentration, bravery etc., and still you get to see dead bodies and dreadful trauma many days in one case and raped kids and dreadful trauma many days in the other. Don't know how people do it - and yet without them we'd be lost.

Force Carrier

vriesmays wrote: »

In the newspaper this week was a list of extinct jobs. One example a rat catcher. Anyone doing this job today would make a fortune.

There isn't a sinister old guy in a horse and coach with three or four unfed terriers but there is pest control companies now.

Brendog

Being a chef.

Long hours, low pay, high stress and constant burns and aches.

zuutroy

steddyeddy wrote: »

I work in science research and I can't think of many things were you can put as much effort into for sometimes very little reward. Whether one makes it in this game depends on hard work, intelligence but a huge amount of luck and contacts. You can spend 8-10 years getting your PhD, 4 for the degree, 1-2 for the masters and 3-5 for the PhD. I'm on an early postdoctoral position but right now it's sink or swim. A colleague of mine is on his fourth postdoc, has 25 years of working at Cambridge's MRC lab under his belt but now he's retraining because they let him go. 25 years at Cambridge and you end up unemployed seems a bit scary to me.

Anyway that's a career path I think can be hard. No doubt there's harder career paths out there where you put in a lot but get very little back. Anyone suggest the most difficult one?

I know your pain. Just got a permanent academic position a month after turning 40. 15 years of postdoc and lecturing time with no individual contract longer than 24 months. Wouldn't have made it without an online income to bridge the gaps. Feet up now for 25 years or so! (Only joking, busier than ever)

enricoh

Teacher - if you listen to rte! In reality 38k starting salary.

In reality I'd go with working in a creche, open 7.30-6, often minimum wage, hell to pay if someone's nipper bumps their head with our compo culture!

steddyeddy

Brendog wrote: »

Being a chef.

Long hours, low pay, high stress and constant burns and aches.

Unbelievable stress from what friends say. It's a very tough working environment.

steddyeddy

zuutroy wrote: »

I know your pain. Just got a permanent academic position a month after turning 40. 15 years of postdoc and lecturing time with no individual contract longer than 24 months. Wouldn't have made it without an online income to bridge the gaps. Feet up now for 25 years or so! (Only joking, busier than ever)

Well I'm not there yet but hats off to you. It's extremely hard to get to that level. Do you mind me asking how did you make income online?

enricoh

steddyeddy wrote: »

Unbelievable stress from what friends say. It's a very tough working environment.

I'd say the majority of chefs I've met were alcoholics, hugely stressful apparently

corkboy38

All Chefs I know work ridiculous hours and are all fat

steddyeddy

enricoh wrote: »

I'd say the majority of chefs I've met were alcoholics, hugely stressful apparently

I didn't want to say it originally but I always thought you could judge the stress of a job by the amount of alcoholics in it. Chef certainly ranks high on the list.

BumperD

Jumps Jockey. You are constantly wasting/dieting. Besides, what other job requires an ambulance to follow you around as you you go about your work.

skooterblue2

steddyeddy wrote: »

I didn't want to say it originally but I always thought you could judge the stress of a job by the amount of alcoholics in it. Chef certainly ranks high on the list.

If you want to judge it that way the Priesthood. Its like all weddings and funerals, a pint and a whiskey in front of you, you could get quite fond of it. and then you are dealing with people in distress. My friend is AA long term and there is surprisingly loads of priests there.

Dwarf.Shortage

skooterblue2 wrote: »

If you want to judge it that way the Priesthood. Its like all weddings Funerals and then you are dealing with people in distress. My friend is AA long term and there is surprisingly loads of priests there.

And no riding which is a dreadful thing to do to someone.

pc7

Your Face wrote: »

Suicide bomber - there's not much of a future in it.

At least you go out with a bang.....



I’ll get my coat

skooterblue2

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

And no riding which is a dreadful thing to do to someone.

Loads of complications other than that. One brother gets the farm and the other get sent off to the seminary. That is what we did with my Uncle. If you did a study into Higher Functioning Autism you would be surprised what you would find.

Dammo

BumperD wrote: »

Jumps Jockey. You are constantly wasting/dieting. Besides, what other job requires an ambulance to follow you around as you you go about your work.

Solicitor




Sorry, wrong way round

Samuel T. Cogley

Barrister. Basically see what was written about pilots and remove the medicals. Basically paying to do the job until you get established and many never do.

zuutroy

steddyeddy wrote: »

Well I'm not there yet but hats off to you. It's extremely hard to get to that level. Do you mind me asking how did you make income online?

Affiliate marketing. That ship has sailed unfortunately. All the easy money is gone!

Brendog

steddyeddy wrote: »

Unbelievable stress from what friends say. It's a very tough working environment.

I work as a chef and can confirm this. No social life at all unless you make friends within the job.

skooterblue2

Higher Functioning Autists:
You have few interests
You have intense interests no body understands
You have few friends if any
Constantly depressed
Prone to suicide
Difficulty getting employment (3%)
Cant get a ride
Sensitivities to Light sound crowds textures smells ...etc

Snow Garden

Actuary. Long years of tough exams and work.

Samuel T. Cogley

Basically OP I think you're finding out you're not that special I'm afraid! :pac:

skooterblue2

Brendog wrote: »

I work as a chef and can confirm this. No social life at all unless you make friends within the job.

I both studied and worked as a chef and they arent the best quality friends. They are fickle and shallow. Most are gone at 30.

Blaizes

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Barrister. Basically see what was written about pilots and remove the medicals. Basically paying to do the job until you get established and many never do.

Knew a few barristers who quit, they couldn’t get the break they needed so had to find other jobs.

skooterblue2

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Barrister. Basically see what was written about pilots and remove the medicals. Basically paying to do the job until you get established and many never do.

1 in 40 who qualify make it? Those are tough statistics

Samuel T. Cogley

skooterblue2 wrote: »

1 in 40 who qualify make it? Those are tough statistics

Not sure it's quite that bad. In fairness the BL degree is good in other fields.

Murtinho_

Barrister/Solicitor. Nightmare.

skooterblue2

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Not sure it's quite that bad. In fairness the BL degree is good in other fields.

I know you can use a degree in law for other things like the guards, HR, Planning etc etc But any guy I knew who had a degree in law and wasnt using his qualifications was always a pot stirrer and deep in the Union causing problems where there were none and picking through contracts. There are some seriously maladjusted (insert appropriate term) out there with with law degrees.

Samuel T. Cogley

skooterblue2 wrote: »

I know you can use a degree in law for other things like the guards, HR, Planning etc etc But any guy I knew who had a degree in law and wasnt using his qualifications was always a pot stirrer and deep in the Union causing problems where there were none and picking through contracts. There are some seriously maladjusted (insert appropriate term) out there with with law degrees.

It's an easy degree to get in fairness.

skooterblue2

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

It's an easy degree to get in fairness.

???? I had a look at reading law and it was near impossible to decipher. How ever I did read a solicitors letter sent to a hungarian lady and she couldnt understand because it was written too prosaically for her to read but I understood it to say "piss off, I will deal with you when I feel like it !".