Royal Marines Commando...?

This morning was watching TV and saw the advert for Royal Marines Commando and it got me thinking... a small part of me had a sudden desire to be part of a team, to have no fear and to be the best you can physically be.

And then the majority of my brain jolted back and reminded me that actually, I didn't want to be part of the military, to be under command in situations that would cause me too much moral dilemma. And then I thought some more...

Why is there part of me desperate to have what is considered a 'career'? Back when I was in school and then sixth form, teachers and staff were often trying to persuade us to do certain things as it would help us in the long run when it came to trying to get a job. And a 'decent job'. But they never seemed to actually discuss jobs or jobhunting in detail: what are 'executives' or 'CEOs' or 'managers' or 'consultants' or all the other names of jobs you see when you search for work? They don't mean much to me, it's what the actual work that's needed that makes the job, right?

My generation seems to have been disillusioned about the whole thing. When I was in school, I achieved a lot and got good results. When it started to get a bit harder at A level, I dropped out and ended up starting Year 12 again elsewhere, this time in a better place and managed to get respectable results. All through this I was constantly told how high my generation would achieve and we could do anything, and if we were to consider university we were almost guaranteed a job afterwards as a degree showed we had applied ourselves and therefore looked better to employers.

Unfortunately mid-way through my degree the Recession hit and suddenly there were fewer jobs and it was harder for anyone to get work. Education was not as important as experience. And having no experience people weren't interested in taking a gamble on a newbie.

All the promises of working hard to get you somewhere impressive seem to have crumbled into dust. So there I was, uni graduate with an effectively useless degree and no profession or job. Since finishing my education I have worked in SIX different jobs, including my current one. I know I'm hardly unique in this situation, but it often feels like I haven't really achieved much of any use. The job I've just got is actually the same one I had when I was a teenager living at home, just in a new place and more hours.

But wait:

It's so hard to get work these days. I'm testament to that. To find a job I like/ can do and to get even considered or a response from a company is a rarity, so to have actually got this job something must have gone right. Maybe not everything is a total waste of time.

So my A levels and degree may not be the reasons I was hired, but do I regret doing them? No. I learned a lot studying, both academic and in the bigger picture of life. In sixth form I learned to look at the world differently and finally got to enjoy the social side of school with friends. At uni I learned some life skills (from being a bit more diplomatic to cooking and washing clothes!) as well as having 2 guilt-free years to investigate and practice a craft I love. No, I'm not doing it much these days, though perhaps this blog might be a step towards it.

And career? Why does it have to be something exclusive to something I have earned so far? I am young, have plenty of life to live and experience. Besides, I don't actually know what I want to do yet. I'll grow up a bit first and find out along the way.