NationStates Jolt Archive

Recessions suck. For me, alongside dozens of other people in my classes, a realistic chance is developing that I am set to join the endless lines of the un- or underemployed (or PhD students...).

That particular prospect is now driving me to write an application to the Australian Treasury. It is, in my view, by far the most painfully pointless of all the organisations of the government. If there was no such thing as the Treasurer, it would be the most important one, but the idea of putting an elected politician in charge of economic policy makes a large number of perfectly well-trained people to analyse and recommend policies completely irrelevant. And that's aside from the obvious moral issues I have with the things Treasury does in the first place.

So, the people with jobs, did you ever compromise and take a job you didn't want? Was it your first job? How does one deal with it?

Just out of interest, what in your opinion will the prospects be for econ graduates at around 2011, will it still be shit?

edit: well it's not just out of interest, I'm pretty worried.

I worked for MacDonalds during sixth form - hated every single minute of it.

I like to joke for my next job that I'm selling out to 'the man' and taking a job with the government. But to be honest, I do want the job and it's not going against my principles. If ever it did, I'd like to think I'd resign, realistically I'm more likely to just look for a new job because frankly I don't like the idea of starving to death.

Just out of interest, what in your opinion will the prospects be for econ graduates at around 2011, will it still be shit?

edit: well it's not just out of interest, I'm pretty worried.

I'd say the prospect for graduates full stop are quite poor. But economics is going to be better than Media Studies or History of Art.

Yes, though not as dramatically as in your case.

After volunteering for an NGO I fell out of love with them, and then surprisingly got offered a paid internship. Given how rare these are in the third sector and how threadbare my CV was at the time, I felt obliged to take it, even though I didn't really agree with their aims anymore. The way I justified it to myself was: the only way to get them 'back on track' (my main issue was they had suffered from mission creep from the original premises of the organization) was to work from the inside. Obviously, I didn't single-handedly revolutionise the organization, but I did speak up on a couple of occasions.

The second one was not a moral compromise, but after swearing to myself I was done with chemicals and gas cylinders, I went back and worked in a tech position once I decided I needed some extra money. And thoroughly hated it.(or PhD students...)If Australian PG funding is going the way of the UK/US, I wouldn't bank on it...

Just out of interest, what in your opinion will the prospects be for econ graduates at around 2011, will it still be shit?
At best you'll be competing with the likes of me. ;)

If you work for the government, you can try and affect change from within.
This will allow you to somewhat justify your job.

At best you'll be competing with the likes of me. ;)

Heh.

Also, I still like the idea of working in politics. But you say it's shit and that politicians are stupid, so I don't know what to do. :(

Also the UK Government Economic Service is really competitive, it might even be harder to get into than ib.

Edit: at a good position that is at least

I am confused. I do not seem to have any of these strange 'principle' things of which you speak.

Is there anywhere on the internet I can download some?

Heh.

Also, I still like the idea of working in politics. But you say it's shit and that politicians are stupid, so I don't know what to do. :(

Also the UK Government Economic Service is really competitive, it might even be harder to get into than ib.

Edit: at a good position that is at least

It's best not to work in politics if you have any desire to maintain your principles. Many politicians started with a desire to "change the world"; few retire with that ideal intact.

I am confused. I do not seem to have any of these strange 'principle' things of which you speak.

Is there anywhere on the internet I can download some?

Pirate Bay managed to leak the source code to principles but they got butt fucked by the CIA and had to take it down.

Also the UK Government Economic Service is really competitive, it might even be harder to get into than ib.

Edit: at a good position that is at least
I have a friend who got into GES without, bless her, being the absolute sharpest tool in the box. I guess it'll be more competitive now as more econ grads look to it for stop-gap employment, but still, I'd say it's something to shoot for.

If you're interested in UK public sector work, get some work experience.

Recessions suck. For me, alongside dozens of other people in my classes, a realistic chance is developing that I am set to join the endless lines of the un- or underemployed (or PhD students...).

I'll see you at centrelink line up at the end of the year. :)

Actually I hope I don't because I don't want to deal with those inefficient morons again, at the very least I hope I have some bs job that pays the bills.

I am confused. I do not seem to have any of these strange 'principle' things of which you speak.

Is there anywhere on the internet I can download some?

Having principles is against my principles. *nod*

I have a friend who got into GES without, bless her, being the absolute sharpest tool in the box. I guess it'll be more competitive now as more econ grads look to it for stop-gap employment, but still, I'd say it's something to shoot for.


Really? To be honest I haven't done much research yet as I'm still only finishing my first year, but it seemed like they take on quite a small amount of people in proportion to the amount of people that applied when I looked some figures a while back.

Really? To be honest I haven't done much research yet as I'm still only finishing my first year, but it seemed like they take on quite a small amount of people in proportion to the amount of people that applied when I looked some figures a while back.That may be true, but I'm always wary of those kind of figures because the GES is the kind of thing a lot of people apply to even if they have no hope (partly because, IIRC, you can apply to it separately from FastTrack, so a lot of non-specialists who put in for FastTrack will do both).

The above shouldn't be taken to mean 'it's easy to get into' - just that it's probably not completely off-limits.

(Says the guy who opened his email this morning to find another two rejections. :/)

It's best not to work in politics if you have any desire to maintain your principles. Many politicians started with a desire to "change the world"; few retire with that ideal intact.

Oh I don't want to be a politician. More civil service.

That may be true, but I'm always wary of those kind of figures because the GES is the kind of thing a lot of people apply to even if they have no hope (partly because, IIRC, you can apply to it separately from FastTrack, so a lot of non-specialists who put in for FastTrack will do both).

The above shouldn't be taken to mean 'it's easy to get into' - just that it's probably not completely off-limits.

(Says the guy who opened his email this morning to find another two rejections. :/)

So how is your friend finding it? Challenging? Or boring as fuck?

So how is your friend finding it? Challenging? Or boring as fuck?She really enjoys it. I don't know what particular aspect she works on, though, so I couldn't really say that much about the nature of the job.

Really? To be honest I haven't done much research yet as I'm still only finishing my first year, but it seemed like they take on quite a small amount of people in proportion to the amount of people that applied when I looked some figures a while back.

You have to remember that there will be thousands of people applying for all of these jobs and that they all will be taking a small number.

A graduate position I applied for will only be taking on 10 people considering that is less than 1% of total people applying for it I don't keep my hopes up.

Anyway the point is that it may not be any harder as others simply because others are the same.

Now granted looking at various applications for some companies and government departments they are very detailed and have a stringent process, simply to weed out a large amount of applicants straight away. (Really why do they need to know my Year12 score?)

It's best not to work in politics if you have any desire to maintain your principles. Many politicians started with a desire to "change the world"; few retire with that ideal intact.

be aware ye who gazes into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.

Really? To be honest I haven't done much research yet as I'm still only finishing my first year, but it seemed like they take on quite a small amount of people in proportion to the amount of people that applied when I looked some figures a while back.

The thing to remember here is that a good proportion of those applying are probably horrendously under-qualified.You'd be amazed, no matter how clear the requirements are, how many people put in applications for jobs they have no hope of getting

I have never compromised my principles by taking a job because it is not against my principles to do what I have to do to pay my bill, eat and put a roof over my head. Principles =/= preferences.

That said, I have never had a job I did not hate with a profound and violent passion. I have never had a job that I did not feel was a grinding waste of my time, carrying me closer and closer to death with nothing to show for it -- no accomplishments, no happiness, and no fat happy bank accounts at the end of the year. I have never gone more than a few months in a job without becoming literally desperate to quit it as soon as I could. I have never in my entire life been able to adapt to the Monday-Friday work schedule, and I have no idea how other people do it without wanting to kill themselves.

I don't feel that way about working for myself on the work that matters to me. That I can do 7 days a week without ever getting tired.

By the way, I'm sitting in an office, working for other people right now, and I have been interrupted five times by the phone just while typing this post in a period of 10 minutes.

Make that 6 phone calls. All but one BS, and the only reason I'm here at all is because it's not even 10AM and I already need a brain rest.

Sigh. Back to the salt mines. Enjoy your job search! *dies inside*