Most difficult career path?

steddyeddy · 05-06-2019 05:28PM #1

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 · 05-06-2019 05:32PM

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 · 05-06-2019 05:34PM

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 · 05-06-2019 05:36PM

Archeology.

Your career is in ruins before you begin...

steddyeddy · 05-06-2019 05:36PM

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 · 05-06-2019 05:37PM

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 · 05-06-2019 05:37PM

whiskeyman wrote: »

Archeology.

Your career is in ruins before you begin...

Get your coat please......

NSAman · 05-06-2019 05:37PM

Raising Kids.

steddyeddy · 05-06-2019 05:38PM

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 · 05-06-2019 05:39PM

NSAman wrote: »

Raising Kids.

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

Your Face · 05-06-2019 05:39PM

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

NSAman · 05-06-2019 05:41PM

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 · 05-06-2019 05:46PM

tree surgeon - tough & dangerous

vriesmays · 05-06-2019 05:50PM

Scientists are intelligent, successful people are clever.

Mad_maxx · 05-06-2019 05:55PM

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

05-06-2019 05:57PM

Sherpa guide.

LirW · 05-06-2019 06:00PM

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 · 05-06-2019 06:13PM

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

Is paid commensurately tbf but it’s extremely tough.

vriesmays · 05-06-2019 06:25PM

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 · 05-06-2019 06:25PM

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 · 05-06-2019 06:27PM

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 · 05-06-2019 06:29PM

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 · 05-06-2019 06:34PM

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 · 05-06-2019 07:01PM

Being a chef.

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

zuutroy · 05-06-2019 07:06PM

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 · 05-06-2019 07:14PM

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 · 05-06-2019 07:21PM

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 · 05-06-2019 07:23PM

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 · 05-06-2019 07:24PM

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 · 05-06-2019 07:30PM

All Chefs I know work ridiculous hours and are all fat

steddyeddy · 05-06-2019 07:33PM

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.

Most difficult career path?

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