O/t besides me

[Grumpy King of the West]

I'm somewhere in between. I did ok at school and college. Nothing amazing and certainly by the age of 17 Id had enough of education and was never going to Uni.

I stumbled into a job just by applying for anything and everything.

That job was in the pensions industry which at the time was viewed as incredibly tedious and boring. Fast forward 32 years and I'm retired at age 50 and working furiously to bring my golf handicap down. 😃😀😁

[Scum-Triumphant]

Spent most of my childhood in care and moved from school to school so never settled. I stopped going at all from about 15 and have never been unemployed

Completed an English Lit degree in 2001 and PGCE - I know run an education budget that is in 7 figures. It's loads of responsibility and I struggle to take things seriously 100% of the time but I seem to be decent at it.

I am also currently training as a Samaritans Volunteer ( There's more to it than I thought)

Jobs include:

FLT Driver
Hotel Porter
Powder Coater
Chemical Plant Engineer
Surface Grinder
Primary School teacher
College Tutor
Behavior specialist
Barman

I'm considering a change of career as a Social Worker. I really want to do it but feel I have left it a bit late.

[Lolmorgan]

I think times have changed since we left school Crash.I always did enough to get bye at school.Plenty of work to be had in the late 60s.But what we did have was good parents who taught you manners,respect & to work hard, no days off for headaches or toothache & can’t be arsed to get out of bed.No interviews or fancy CVS.I own everything I have, no debt.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

Spent most of my childhood in care and moved from school to school so never settled. I stopped going at all from about 15 and have never been unemployed

Completed an English Lit degree in 2001 and PGCE - I know run an education budget that is in 7 figures. It's loads of responsibility and I struggle to take things seriously 100% of the time but I seem to be decent at it.

I am also currently training as a Samaritans Volunteer ( There's more to it than I thought)

Jobs include:

FLT Driver
Hotel Porter
Powder Coater
Chemical Plant Engineer
Surface Grinder
Primary School teacher
College Tutor
Behavior specialist
Barman

I'm considering a change of career as a Social Worker. I really want to do it but feel I have left it a bit late.

Never too late, have a go.

If you get to be a social worker you could also be a football manager in your spare time.

[Grumpy King of the West]

Spent most of my childhood in care and moved from school to school so never settled. I stopped going at all from about 15 and have never been unemployed

Completed an English Lit degree in 2001 and PGCE - I know run an education budget that is in 7 figures. It's loads of responsibility and I struggle to take things seriously 100% of the time but I seem to be decent at it.

I am also currently training as a Samaritans Volunteer ( There's more to it than I thought)

Jobs include:

FLT Driver
Hotel Porter
Powder Coater
Chemical Plant Engineer
Surface Grinder
Primary School teacher
College Tutor
Behavior specialist
Barman

I'm considering a change of career as a Social Worker. I really want to do it but feel I have left it a bit late.

Good stuff re the Samaritan work scum. Respect pal 👍

[Scum-Triumphant]

Good stuff re the Samaritan work scum. Respect pal 👍

Thank you.

It is something I looked into while we were locked down and I spent loads of time at home and I missed supporting people. Did my second Zoom training session out of five last night then it is 5 weeks being trained by a mentor.

It is really interesting the way we are trained to avoid give specific advice and signposting and to ask open questions to move the conversation along. The majority of calls are from prisoners.

[Scum-Triumphant]

Never too late, have a go.

If you get to be a social worker you could also be a football manager in your spare time.

I know you are right. Just finding the right bit of motivation at the minute. Lockdown would've been ideal. It is too easy to find excuses not to do stuff.

[Grumpy King of the West]

Thank you.

It is something I looked into while we were locked down and I spent loads of time at home and I missed supporting people. Did my second Zoom training session out of five last night then it is 5 weeks being trained by a mentor.

It is really interesting the way we are trained to avoid give specific advice and signposting and to ask open questions to move the conversation along. The majority of calls are from prisoners.

Prisoners? Crikey. A while back I was stuck in traffic on the motorway bridge over the M18 at Bramley and I happened to glance over at the railing. And there was a small sign which just read "We're here. The Samaritans. And the phone number". Proper choked me.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

I know you are right. Just finding the right bit of motivation at the minute. Lockdown would've been ideal. It is too easy to find excuses not to do stuff.

The longest journey starts with the first step

Go for it

[zouch]

I left school with one O' level in woodwork and then had most of my career in education culminating, in a 6-year stint on the board of OFQUAL.

After overseeing the qualification reforms, my parting shot was that all of the reforms we have been painlessly overseeing would have made me, and kids like me a failure.

Qualifications are a leg up but won't beat drive, commitment, and hard work. Drive, commitment, and hard work will get you far but won't beat circulating in the right social networks.

kudos to all those who are training to be a Samaritan.