The grumpy thread

[dollywobbler]

I seem to be doing quite nicely on just my GCSEs. My poor sister got a degree in teaching, but has failed at turning this into a job. And I know she's not the only one. Very difficult unless you fancy your chances with an unruly mob of teenagers...I see far too many people with degrees in rubbish jobs, yet the government is keen to get ever-more students into Uni. I sometimes miss the fact that I didn't experience university from a social point of view - the non-degree related skills are very useful IMHO - but I don't regret not having a degree.

[Mr Lobster]

I didn't go to University - didn't feel like something I wanted to do at the time and I can't say I have really regretted it*

 

The government forcing ever more people through Uni seems to be more about keeping unemployment down rather than anything else. If everyone comes out really well qualified then there is the problem of there still being only so many 'good' jobs to go around. Surely the more people who go to university, the more it devalues the actual acheivement of having a degree.

 

*(Well, obviously spending three years drunk, eating kebabs and banging hot student chicks has its appeal but I would imagine that gets a bit boring after a while but then I wouldn't know that would I. What with not having been to University and all.)

[Pillock]

I loved Uni, both for the academic side and it sort of coincided with me finding myself and growing up. I'd go back and live there if I could.However, I've even been told by a recruitment specialist that once they know you've got a degree, they don't care what it's in - a degree is just a sign that you've got an ability to learn.

[Cavcraft]

My oldest brother got (something like) the second best 'A' level results in the history of the school and a 'good' degree result.Since then he's worked as a pushchair sweeper at a zoo (before getting 'promoted' to a sweeper) and just about nothing else. He left school in 1978.I got pretty poor/average CSE (anyone else remember them?!) results, and aside from a couple of fantastic years on the dole I've grafted all my life gradually bettering myself with each career change.I've always maintained as long as you can read and write enough to get you by then that's enough, because your career path can be whatever you want (within reason) if you have the drive to succeed. I've worked with some seriously motivated and clever dyslexic colleagues/bosses who've had to work that bit harder to prove themselves and who've generally been far better man managers than someone fresh out of college/uni.

[dollywobbler]

Good point Mr Cav. Determination and learning how to be good in interviews are two of the most important things you need. They don't really teach you interview skills at school do they? Well, they didn't at mine. Didn't teach me about the dangers of finance either, but then I guess the government is never going to put that on the curriculum...

[scruff]

Yeah well said Ian.No degree here either although I did do 3 years at college on ND Agriculture and agri engineering courses, which was spent mostly playing with big diesels, driving tractors, drinking and shagging

[Guest]

Oh God, higher education. Yeah, I made a bit of a mess of that.Went to a sixth form college miles away in Northwich instead of staying on at my secondary school which I detested. Had a great time there, as there was girls and I could drive. Got really strong AS results but then tailed off a bit in my A2s, but didn't do too badly.Where I fucked up colossally was at University. When I actually applied myself I did very well indeed. In my second year I actually managed to submit an essay and my department launched an investigation into it - because they thought I'd paid a postgrad to write it for me. I hadn't. They tried and tried to keep me interested, but my heart wasn't in it and instead of knuckling down and doing the work, I got morbidly depressed instead. Didn't touch booze, or drugs, or anything interesting like that, I just spent a pile of money I didn't have and lurched from academic crisis to academic crisis. It was a mixture of self doubt, stupidity and laziness and caused a massive rift at home that has never fully healed.However, having now done the other side of the coin - a string of shit jobs and having to put up with managers who couldn't write, spell or navigate their arsehole from their elbow - I completely understand the value of a degree. I've certainly seen complete fuckwits in my current vocation go higher and higher up the echelons because they have a nice piece of paper with their name on it. It doesn't seem to matter that one has a degree in English but doesn't know how use an apostrophe - she's got a cracking pair of tits and a degree, so who cares?I will be doing another degree by the time I'm 30 - I've promised myself that. In the meantime I need to clear the decks of rammle and get a proper job - not a battery hen post in a modern day Dickensian workhouse.I need to stop being a lazy cunt.

[FredTransit]

College? What's that now? I don't think I even picked up my exam certificates. Since leaving school at 15 (technically, I wasn't 16 till the August of the holidays) I have never claimed dole money, never starved and always worked, though haven't worked for somebody else in over 20 years. Bits of paper. PAH!

[dollywobbler]

I think it very much depends on your career. Some companies value a degree, even in something completely irrelevant (like the colleague when i worked in an IT dept who had a degree in environmental something-or-other) but I guess I've generally tried to avoid such places. I've had many, many changes of career and I think to really succeed, you've got to have that approach. I've never been afraid to stop what I'm doing and dive off doing something else and with that approach, I've mostly avoided needing a degree. Experience has always counted much more, as has my determination to do my best in any particular role.

[Mr H Sceptre]

I've got a degree, but all it has lead to is me fannying about with a choddy old car website!

[ashmicro]

Fair play to all who had the patience to go to Uni and get a degree or degrees - personally, at the time I left school, there was nothing I really had a burning desire to study. I just wanted to get out there and make some £££ and buy a Capri.

 

I guess it depends what line of work you're in, but I found one of these opens quite a few doors for me:

 

 

Some employers are more impressed by degrees than others. As a general rule of thumb (here in NI at least), the public service like degrees and graduates, whereas the private sector always has an eye on the bottom line, and doesn't care what you have as long as you get the job done and make/save money.

[pbottomley]

I have a degree in "philosophy of Leisure", took me years of studying the bottom of a beer glass to get it

[FredTransit]

Fair play to all who had the patience to go to Uni and get a degree or degrees - personally, at the time I left school, there was nothing I really had a burning desire to study. I just wanted to get out there and make some £££ and buy a Capri.

Too right, me too, only with me it was a van. Anyway, I am sure we have had this whinge before, but CALL CENTRES!!!WHY would anybody want to take up employment that consists of conversing to people who speak only what is their second language? I would not want to constantly speak to people on the phone in Hindi, even if I spoke it well, so why do the misguided companies open call centres for the UK in India? I don't care if it's cheap, it's a crap idea.

[Guest]

Fair play to all who had the patience to go to Uni and get a degree or degrees - personally, at the time I left school, there was nothing I really had a burning desire to study. I just wanted to get out there and make some £££ and buy a Capri.

Too right, me too, only with me it was a van. Anyway, I am sure we have had this whinge before, but CALL CENTRES!!!WHY would anybody want to take up employment that consists of conversing to people who speak only what is their second language? I would not want to constantly speak to people on the phone in Hindi, even if I spoke it well, so why do the misguided companies open call centres for the UK in India? I don't care if it's cheap, it's a crap idea.

Fred, I work for a UK based call centre, but our [English] website and rotas, are done in India.So most of it fucks up on a regular basis and very rarely makes sense. That's why we've incurred a massive service credit, and I get to revel in the irony of this most English of companies a: outsourcing its services and b: addressing its customers like a 14 year old txt typing chavs with brain damage.Also, if you have a problem with said company, you better pray to god that IF you have to phone up (all calls charged at your local call rate & £1.45 a minute) you get through to Manchester, and not Inverness, as they're utterly incompetant. We have to resolve all the calls that have customers screaming down the line because they're too pig shit thick to work anything out, or even attempt to work through a problem.I'm sick of the idiot bastards anyway, and am actively looking for a better job. Working hours? Social life? What are those?

[FredTransit]

I was trying to get to the bottom of why I couldn't log on to forums on me new Ubisurfer (inclusive internet access) yet can get into Gmail, got through to somebody who I swear to god sounded more like they were working from home and they passed me to their dad or older brother in the same room! I could hear kids playing in the same room, maybe a TV as well! Soooo unprofessional.

[CIH]

I've pretty much lurched from shit job to shit job and I'm left wondering where the last ten years have gone. Now I'm at shift fit working with idiot chancers and loosers with fucked machines where even something simple like wheel balancing is a bloody lottery. Shit hours, shit money and a royally fooked social life.I've done the office dredgery and call centre thing too. Hated the bastards.Oh and I hate new Mondeos too. I get clasutraphobic in them.

[Guest]

Now I'm at shift fit working with idiot chancers and loosers with fucked machines where even something simple like wheel balancing is a bloody lottery. .

LOLOLOLOLOLOOOOOLLOLOL.

 

Sorry to be such a royal PITA mate.

 

We'll find out if me wheels are fooked soon enough though, I've located a new set in Halifax so we'll soon find out.....

[CIH]

Seriously mate I'm not buying that. Just doesn't ring true to me.Anyway, back to rants. I fooking hate Eastenders. Far as I can tell it's miserable people, in a miserable place, being miserable. Why the hell would anybody want to see that ?

[Cavcraft]

Astronomy and astrology. Both bore the tits off me immensely, especially which ever one is about star signs and all that bollocks.My missus is bad enough but her mates are even worse: all this 'ooh, you don't want to go out with a Panterian if your an Aquarium on the cusp of the middle moon' load of old shite.Actually what I really don't want is to go out with you twatting on all night about bastarding star signs, thankyou very fucking much Oh, and people phoning 'Steve Wright In The Afternoon' to speak to some fraudster and ask them if it's a good idea to go into business selling Bulgarian flowers in London if they were born in December.Oh, and psychics (sp?): fair play though, winning idea: get a load of confused old bats, the terminally stupid and dimwits like Mrs C into a room, charge them Lord knows how much a head then go through 200 things until something clicks and some turnip believes you.I wouldn't mind going to one of these meetings one night and seeing if they predict a full pint of larger coming towards their head.

[pompei]

Mrs P went to "have her cards read" today - translate as "have your wallet emptied". (Had she paid)She turned up, not much space to park in the street, so parked outside neighbours. Old woman came out and remonstrated, but Mrs P being Mrs P told her she wouldn't move...Anyhow, cards woman and Mrs P conversation-Sorry to hear that you lost your baby ... I haven't lost a babyI'm hearing from your dad's brother ... he's an only childSorry to hear you don't see your dad any more, but your brother's been a great comfort to you ... just come from my dad, and I can't stand my brotherJust concentrate on someone ... I can't, the telly's distracting me ... I can't turn it off or I'll lose all me channels.Oh I'm just not getting through, it must be that old bag opposite!Even Mrs P is sceptical now.

[dollywobbler]

Did someone say Steve Wright? What a twat. Can't believe they pay someone that egotistical and twattish so many pounds to clog up the afternoon radio. He really, really does my head in. To the point that I often plan to be out of the office in the afternoon. He makes me very angry. Radio 2 needs a kick up the arse.

[ashmicro]

Did someone say Steve Wright? What a twat. Can't believe they pay someone that egotistical and twattish so many pounds to clog up the afternoon radio. He really, really does my head in. To the point that I often plan to be out of the office in the afternoon. He makes me very angry. Radio 2 needs a kick up the arse.

Add Radio 5 to that:Inane "jingles", getting ever longer and more frequentBraindead Victoria DerbyshirePhatboy Nolan foaming at the (large) mouthNicky Campbell pretending he's a proper journalistCokehead Bacon rabbiting on about "The Special Half Hour". Special fucking needs morelike.And Dotun Adebayo is a lazy git - he just gets people to phone in rather than doing any research himself..Thankfully, Rhod Sharpe goes some way to redressing the balance

[mouseflakes]

Oh, and psychics...

[Mr Lobster]

Add Radio 5 to that:Braindead Victoria Derbyshire

I tend to listen to R5 / 5Live / whateveritscallednow as it's just about the best of a lot of bad alternatives. Anyway, the aforementioned VD was presenting a phone in over some contestants on Strictly X Dancing or whatever who had made a casual racist remark between them. Now I was only half listening to the callers but the thing that struck me was the absolutely huge, enormous effort VD was making to be the worlds most politically correct person, treading ever so carefully to avoid saying anything that could in any possibly way be considered even slightly offensive to any race / sex / minority to that point that she sounded more stupid than usual and it was actually making my skin crawl as she tip toed around various subjects. I'm not in any way condoning a racist remark - I don't know / care who said what to whom but it was VD picking her way around not saying anything at all really whilst reducing debate to the level of a school playground that was utterly sickening.And anyway, If I'm listening to any form of radio phone in / talk show, I'd really like something a little bit more relevant / interesting / substantial than a discussion revolving around another fucking reality tv show.Right. I'm off to do the W word**yes thats right, work.

[Mr Lobster]

MOAR GRUMPINESS. THE POST OFFICE (yes, again).

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8304537.stm

 

Fuck off. The lot of you. How do you think a series of national strikes will improve your business. It won't. What it will do is drive an awful lot of businesses who have been using you for years into the (open and waiting) arms of a multitude of courier / delivery companies who offer a better service at ever more competitive prices. And that business likely as not won't be coming back when the strikes end. Great, well done and thanks.

 

[FredTransit]

Trouble is, they will always hold the domestic customer to ransom, as Mr & Mrs Smith have no access to courier services. And they know it.....

[seth]

But you do, if there's something you want to get somewhere a courier will take it no hassle. Probably more awkward if you live in the sticks though.They are just speeding their own demise. As Lobster says, businesses need to carry on their, err, business and will find alternatives. So the levels of mail the Post Office deal with will fall faster than it is anyway.

[Rocket88]

Did someone say Steve Wright? What a twat. Can't believe they pay someone that egotistical and twattish so many pounds to clog up the afternoon radio. He really, really does my head in. To the point that I often plan to be out of the office in the afternoon. He makes me very angry. Radio 2 needs a kick up the arse.

Add Radio 5 to that:Inane "jingles", getting ever longer and more frequentBraindead Victoria DerbyshirePhatboy Nolan foaming at the (large) mouthNicky Campbell pretending he's a proper journalistCokehead Bacon rabbiting on about "The Special Half Hour". Special fucking needs morelike.And Dotun Adebayo is a lazy git - he just gets people to phone in rather than doing any research himself..Thankfully, Rhod Sharpe goes some way to redressing the balance

Danny Baker, however, is a broadcasting god..............

[FredTransit]

But you do, if there's something you want to get somewhere a courier will take it no hassle. Probably more awkward if you live in the sticks though.They are just speeding their own demise. As Lobster says, businesses need to carry on their, err, business and will find alternatives. So the levels of mail the Post Office deal with will fall faster than it is anyway.

I know what you are saying, but what I mean is if you want to send a birthday card out of hours, and you have a stamp in the house, you can walk to the post box and it's on it's way. You don't have to wait in for somebody to collect, or go to somewhere and have an account to get it on it's way. That's the attraction of the PO service for the general public. Couriers just don't have that kind of infrastructure to offer the small end of the service.

[Mr Lobster]

I'm certain that the strike action is just going to speed up the Post Offices demise, the strike action will reduce it's strength and then open the door to somebody like DHL to takeover (although cynics might say thats the governments plan). A lot of small (and large) businesses will move their custom elsewhere. We are only a small business but still spend £30k a year with the post office. That amount multiplied by many many times is going to hurt them a lot.I fully suspect that couriers - particularly the bigger companies - will get the infrastructure pretty quickly though. The price of 1st class stamps is due to go up again. The fact that the post office will lose a lot of business will force them to raise prices again in order to try and compensate for that.