Jack of all trades master of none

[hightara]

when I first left school......... after A levels..........18

I took up painting and decorating,

after one year

Worked for an estate agent............ selling mortgages and insurance

Two years later....I moved to London and was a civil servant

After that (I loved it) worked through Belfast Law Society, helping people in dire straits, filing in forms and advising people .

Then I had the first of my five kids.

Came back to Ireland.......... Worked in my Dads shop.....Selling sports goods

Then when dad shut up shop......... I worked in my brothers shop......selling fireplaces and flooring

My Aim in life was to be a midwife........

I would love to hear of your jobs etc

[otherego]

after A levels..........18

Goodness me. 18 what? I didn't know that A levels existed then.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> runs >>>>>>>

[hightara]

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@otherego wrote:

after A levels..........18

Goodness me. 18 what? I didn't know that A levels existed then.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> runs >>>>>>>

---

Oh God I am Old............. otherego........... in my day..........we had O Levels...... and  A levels.

none of this.....tier **bleep**

Everyone....... in Northern Ireland,  and Britian sat the same papers.

I was bored and went back to night school......... the exams now are so easy.......... compared to the eighties

[otherego]

We even sat the same papers in the colonies - it all seemed to work fine.

I wish I were an academic, but I'm not - too idle and too easily distracted. I really think it's harder for youngsters now. People like me had a clear framework to work in, and what would now doubtless be considered overly strict discipline - then we just realised that the teachers were actually mostly on our side and that they knew jolly well that lots of us needed a good shove occasionally. Goodness, were we grateful, too.

Frindships formed later with some of those teachers have lasted a lifetime. It wasn't a nasty system.

We were also allowed to fail occasionally. Failure became a useful learning tool - I obviously need to work harder at my geography if I want to pass O level geography, or even, there's no point in going much further with maths. And most of all - good gracious, even when I fail at something, the sun still rises callously and cheerfully and I manage to dust myself off and resolve problems with increased enthusiasm and determination.

It's a normal and useful part of life, especially once we learn to accept and embrace it, and find unexpected strength in recovering and moving past and beyond the difficulties involved. Mostly without any real unhappiness or "trauma," too.

My impression is that youngsters are growing up petrified of failure, which ain't going to serve them well come Life's inevitable disappointments. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I do get the impression that every effort is made to insulate them from failure and its consequences (especially the fact that bouncing back and doing better the second time around is normal human progress.)

I've no idea how hard the modern exams are compared with those I wrote, but I really do suspect that our old-fashioned education belonged to a kinder and more practical world, and I think I had it easier than a lot of modern youngsters.

(And Tara, if you feel old occasionally - I did my Os and As in the seventies - over forty years ago. Yikes. I'm going out for a walk. While I still can...)

[hightara]

what a fantastic reply otherego

I loved reading every word,

I am not an academic

But I have Five kids (youngest 11)....... but the others....... sat their GSCE'S

While I was bored as said ^

I sat some of the GSCE's

I told our boys........... you would  propably  not have passed our PaPers (aka 0 or A levels)

In my time........... everyone....... sat the same paper..........england ireland scotland and wales

you got a grade A B C   (D and U) where not a pass

[023mjc]

My exams were in the sixties - passed one, failed one. I left school about 3 weeks after my 15th birthday.

But it wasn't important for girls in those days. We were not encouraged like our brothers, and told to come down to earth if we got fancy ideas of a career.  Girls only needed to know how to wash nappies and count the change from a bag of spuds.

I remember in particular one "domestic science" lesson.  It was all afternoon, divided into 2 sections. - first we were shown how to lay a tray for tea, then we were taught the correct way to clean our husbands hairbrush and comb

I conformed, got married and had kids as was expected.  But they got their tea slopped into a mug (no doilies in my house) , and if the old man wanted a clean comb he blooming well cleaned it himself.

Women were not only expected to be drudges, but were taught in school how to be good ones. I didn't know one single girl in all my childhood and teens who went to university.

[tidsy666]

023mjc

What a brilliant post........... actually read that out to my boys 

Thumbs up emoticon........... cause I can't find one

[terry6082]

So many: forklift truck driver, cashier, pancake cook, warehouseman, photographer, ice cream seller.....

[dark_castle1]

Left school at 15,

Joined the Merchant Navy and was in that for 12 years before an accident meant I could not pass the medical to go back.

Came ashore and joined the pilot boats and was made redundant after 2 years as the port was closing down.

Went into a car factory for 6 months and could not suffer it any more.

A riggers mate helping in the building of a nuclear power plant and made redundant at end of contract.

Worked with divers blowing up old jetties etc and again made redundant at end of contract although they did want me to go abroad with them but I declined.

Got into the driving game in 1989 and been in that ever since.

[captainbovine]

left school with o's and one a, my mother wanted me to be a secretary, I didn't, so I went into nursing, I loved it.

when I got married I couldn't get to the unit I worked on, so I left and got a job in the post office, which I ended up running. 12yrs I stuck that, can't say I enjoyed it. I then went back to nursing for a while and then got a job as a pa (OK mother you win, the typing and long hand came in handy at last!), with a Japanese sports company, I loved that job.

I got made redundant from that when they relocated down south.

short stint in a post office again, then on to a bakers shop for a quick fill in before we left for Wales.

now I work for Mr T****'s as a .com personal shopper. It's a difficult job, heavy and a bit boring but I'm 61 now so I may as well see it out before retiring.