What to do - Work Placement

[steelblade 10]

This is going to be long winded, possibly confusing, most definatly boring!

 

I am in a bit of a state over work at the moment.

 

I currently work in an IT environment.

 

I am going to college in September, one day a week, to do a HND in computing.

 

I was going to ask my current employer if I could stay on here and cut down my days from 5-4.

 

However I am SO BORED here it's untrue. I basically have bugger all to do and I don't know if I can handle it for another 3 years (until I complete the HND).

 

One of the reasons I want to stay is that I get on with my employer, there are no problems there and I also earn a fairly decent wage, to say I hardly do anything! i take home £170 a week which I know isn't brill but it's not too bad.

 

Everyone thinks I should stay here and in some ways I agree. I don't want to get out of an IT environment because I feel that whilst I am doing my HND it will be good if I can relate what I learn, to my daily job.

 

Ideally I would like to go with a bigger IT company, who will give me more to do, help and train me, whilst allowing me to go on day release to college and paying me the same or nearly the same as I get now.

 

Am I being totally unrealistic? I don't know how to go about this.

 

Argghhhh any ideas?

 

If the above isn't possible, would I be silly to get a job say in a call centre where I could earn good money, work around college but not be working in IT?

 

I'm buggered, I am soooo confused.

[DaBouncer 13]

I'd stay where you are. You may end up in job where you don't get along with your boss and then where will you be?

You could start your HND and then make this decision later.

[max 13]

£170 !!! in IT??? Get out of there quick. Call centre work is fine and, as you say, you can work it round your HND.

 

Or get a job as a postman, I did it for 7 years to save enough to do a fulltime degree and never looked back.

 

Good luck.

[steelblade 10]

Maxt I take it you work in IT then?

 

I have thought seriously about call centre work but I'm really unsure if it's wise to come out of the IT environment for 3 years whilst I do my HND because as I'm sure you know, things change so quickly and I'm worried that after being out of it for 3 years I wont be sufficiently up to date.

 

i know it pays well doing the post but those 5am starts would kill me!

 

I'm in such a state at the minute I don't know what to do. Thought about going down to the careers place but having been last year I know it's a complete waste of time.

 

I get more advice from you lot than I have ever had from a careers advisor!

[max 13]

Spot on steely one. I'm currently posing as an Oracle DBA for an international IT org. What do you do, in IT terms that is?

[steelblade 10]

My job sounds better than it is, far better in fact.

 

I work for an ISP. I thought my job was to provide technical support for home users aswell as business users. Trouble is, I am receiving no training or anything. A customer will phone with a problem and I'm told to say "Nothing to do with us" where ideally I would like to explain what their problem is and why it is nothing we can help with, do you know what I mean?

 

I feel stupid, customers probably think I'm totally thick.

 

Anyway my job has, against my wishes, become more of a reception job! I make coffees and fetch lunch, have done for the past 5 years!!! and I am always left to answer the phone.

 

I never wanted a role like this, I want to do something more technical, hence my decision to do a HND.

 

My problem has always been that I don't have enough knowledge or experience to get a job with another IT/ISP company, but I am too ambitious to settle for a £12,000 a year office job. No offence to anyone doing that because it's exactly what I'm doing right now

 

That's why I can't bare the thought of doing another 3 years here but I'm so worried about coming out of a job in an IT related field when it's an IT qualification that I'm doing.

 

Do you think a prospective employer would be bothered that I had worked in a call centre say whilst doing my HND?

 

Ideally I would like to work for an IT company while I do my HND, just so I'm in that sort of enviornment where I will get to hear about and see all the changes that are happening in the IT world.

 

I would do anything, admin etc...and then hopefully when I get my HND they might give me a more technical role.

 

I hope I'm making sense!

 

Where I am now is so small and quite depressing really, no workmates to talk to or anything. It's driving me up the wall.

 

I just want some real work to do, I know people probably dream of sitting at a desk surfing the net all do while doing a tiny amount of work but really it is quite soul destroying It's like having a child, you know when you have no adult conversation etc..your mind starts to get lazy.

 

I'll stop now I'm getting upset just typing! lol

[stephstellar 10]

It sounds like you ought to be looking for a different IT-related job - there's no harm in applying for things, and if you tick 'do not take up reference before interview' your current employer need never know til its too late! At the minute it sounds like you'd be just as well working in a call centre in terms of experience - what when a prospective employer wants to hear all about your duties and responsibilities in yr last job??

 

I may be wrong on this, but wouldn't employers think someone who's basically paying to train themselves sounds like a good bet?

[spook 10]

removed by spook

[Cycleracer 10]

Sounds like your in a rutt my friend.

I cant advise you to leave I.T because tahts a choice you must make but i can advise you that if you are not happy then make that move.

Theres nothing worse than being in a job thats so mundane that its making your life a misery.

I.T in most cases is good money but this means nothing if you don,t enjoy it.

If you got a job as a dustman and loved it, its worth more than being in a job that clearly is a good job but your miserable in.

Take a good look at what you want to do and seek it. Money is not everything.

I am currently in a simular position.

I earn 17k thats with shift allowance.

I have worked in Government for 16 years current position 10 years but now i am starting to feel part of the furniture.

My job is also mundane but i have been offered another job still with the same government set up but days regular, much more interesting work and less pay.

The reason for a pay drop is because of the shift allowance loss, but i have thought about it and i will be going as soon as possible.

My current job is not a bad job but its boring and i don,t want to become part of the fixtures, though the new job is far more interesting and i,ll get about a bit and also be in my own bed at night, though most important to me is no more weekend working which is a big factor in me leaving.

Yes i will take a drop of about 4.5k but i have a family and can put in for benefits which i have already looked into and be actually better off than working shifts without benefit entiltlements.

[max 13]

Careful what you say about claiming benefits and earning money. There are some on this forum would accuse you of only living in this country to take advantage of our benefit system.

 

Otherwise, good luck mate and I hope it all works out OK.