Stuck in a rut...

[Dog Deever]

Murdering the nanny seems a bit much!

I dunno...

[House of Usher]

I suppose much depends on whether or not she can soft boil an egg properly.



What?

[Peter Wolf]

I've got a degree in Illustration, and I graduated back in 98.

It might be an idea to do something with your artistic talents and degree and go in that direction if its what you have an interest in and presumably enjoy as you have those things and are not using them.I am not in that industry myself so i cant offer any advice whatsoever in that respect but others probably could.Have a think about it because there are plenty of freelance illustrators out there making a living out of it and its still a viable industry in the present economic climate unlike others.

Otherwise make a list of career choices or anything at all that interests you that could point you in the direction of something but it has to be something that you have an interest in otherwise you may end up in another job that you dont enjoy or find interesting.

[Roger Godpleton]

Your mom was my nanny and I sort of murdered her. She only died "la petite morte."

Over and over.

[Dog Deever]

She only died "la petite morte."

Yes... very petite morte!

[SuperSurfer]

I often feel I took my eye off the ball over the years. Got bogged down with crap and now in my mid-fourties I still have a feeling of "soon, I'll properly get into my profession". Problem is, I always had the nagging doubt that my chosen profession, which once was a passion, might not really be the one for me.

One major issue has been that I never learnt to say no to those who would drain my time with all those low paying projects/favours that sucked up all my life force energy. And then the years flew by.

Situation now is that finances are pretty grim indeed, though there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Got to say Chris – I always assumed (never assume) that you were a professional illustrator or were working in design. Your work looks good enough to me. Did you ever sign up with one of the illustration agencies? Ok, they take a mean cut, but that is what it takes to get the work in.

[Dog Deever]

Got to say Chris – I always assumed (never assume) that you were a professional illustrator or were working in design. Your work looks good enough to me.

Agreed.
Can I also add that a degree is just a bit of paper that qualifies you to teach up to a certain level.
Artists (of any sort) just do art and formal qualifications matter not a jot. The only real qualification is whether or not you can do the job.
And you can.
I have a Fine Art degree, and other than helping me get a couple of teaching jobs it's as much use as a chocolate t-pot. I know plenty of folk with 'Art degrees' that would struggle to draw breath. What it did do (because I could only get part time work) was give me a little more free time and energy to try to improve my arty abilities. Hence a renewed involvement in Dogbreath.

[Peter Wolf]

I forgot to say that a friend is a professional illustrator freelance who appears in the Guardian and other publications that i forget the name of so if you wanted advice about the industry or have questions i am pretty sure he would be happy to advise or answer questions you have.

Theres another illustrator who is quite well known who is a friend of a friend who might also help with advice if you wanted it.

They are both going to be involved with a website project i have in the pipeline with a friend who is also in further education and is not enjoying it and is stuck in a rut.He is a lecturer in Psychology but he hates the education system and the apparently dumbed down students and the university enviroment.He is also studying part time for a PHD and he is struggling financially because of debt and his outgoings exceeding his income and is thoroughly pissed off.The website is an attempt to get into working with media as he has done radio work and written a few articles for papers and magazines.

You have to try anything because if you dont try you dont get anywhere.

[Dog Deever]

he hates the education system and the apparently dumbed down students and the university enviroment.

Yup- the system is failing at the lowest level and yet in FE/ HE you are then expected to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. Your boss only cares about 'procedure' and number crunching and their boss only cares about profit.

IMO- the problem is that they no longer teach knowledge, it is merely a series of boxes to tick. Which pretty much is why I said what I said about degrees only being bits of paper. You can get one even though you have shit-all knowledge of your subject. It's the way they are taught and assessed. Which is why you have a stream of folk with an armload of qualifications who struggle to find their arse with both hands. It's been going on so long that we now have a situation where a lot of tutors know bugger all about their subject too, so how the hell are they equipped to teach?

If you actually care about producing students who know their stuff and getting satisfaction from your job, you're on a hiding to nothing.

It's like showing baby monkeys how to climb a tree.
The same tree.
Every day.
For years.

[Peter Wolf]

The problem with the education today is the same problem that fucks up everything else and that problem is politicians etc and bean counters.In my opinion central govt/central planning should be involved as little as possible and it should be handed over to those who actually understand it and work in it rahter than subjecting those who work in it endless crap of whatever description and reducing what should be interesting stimulating subjects and creative thinking into ticking boxes and learning by rote.

Its soul destroying and frustrating and depressing from what i have heard.

Its time for a rethink as it didnt used to be like this but theres not much chance of it happening with these useless cunts in office.

What a waste.

[johnnystress]

My initial response was to post this but I thought I'd wait til someone posted something more useful

Now that that's happened;


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxc5bdQ6bng

[Richmond Clements]

Life is one long stream of shit with highlights that you have to grab and enjoy whenever you can get them. These are the things that keep you going through all the rest of the pish you have to put up with.

^^^^^This

[Beeks]

At least a lot of you guys have a degree...I left school at 17...joined the railway...got made redundant when it went private...and decided to travel the world rather than go to Uni...Enjoyed myself but at 37 it's now something I regret...I am in a decently paid job at the moment that I very much doubt I could replicate financially...it's also a job that I hate

Trouble is I have a 6 month old baby and another on the way so i'm stuck with no light at the end of the tunnel...I'm generally a positive person but it gets me down...funny thing is I still havn't got a clue what I want to do with my life

[Spaceghost]

I feel for you. I'd describe myself as being stuck in a rut too. I'm 40 this year, married, 2 kids, been in the same company for about 7 years. Started off on the phones and worked my way up to systems analyst with pretty much no skills which would be transferable to another job. No degree or any other qualifications either.

I never made a decision about my future, I was too busy having a good time. Now I wish I'd gone to Uni or trained for a profession at least. I don't like my job but can't imagine what else I could do. Seems pretty common amongst people of our age sadly.

[Richmond Clements]

No no no no... it's not a rut, gentlemen, it is life.