Leigh 87 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Hi everyone, I think I am at peace with the fact I am not smart enough, or prepared to go through total hell, to get a well paying job. I plan on becoming a mature aged student, and I am going through the process of picking a degree I am capable of, that will yield a career with the enough prospects. I wil start studying next year, and I have been carefully considering my best options, that would make me the most happy. I have gone through a lot of thoughts and ideas; at first I wanted to be a social worker; the degree is easy enough for me to pass without crying every night to do the workload and difficulty level. It is a growing industry and most people easily get jobs as social workers. So, I would be able to pass the degree, probably get a masters in something, and in the meanwhile have a solid job that starts on around 50K and goes higher in time. Then my other option was to go for a highly paid job!, in the field of food science ( as a nutritionist or food scientist, and even that is not that well paid!) Yet I soon realised I am simply not smart enough to pass food science. My main prefered option for a highly paid job. Not without going part time, and crying daily due to the work load that is too hard for me, and I would struggle with, even going PART time. I would do it part time and still cry and go through trauma due to how hard it is even doint it PART. TIME. Please bare with me, I need encouragement and support. And please, no elitist snobs who only respect people with degrees that have heavy math and science in them; you know, social workers HAVE a degree too, and are to be respected for attaining a tertiary education. Please, just listen to my options witout pitying me, because I am actually very happy with myself, and simply want to get a degree, and be a self sufficient adult. I do not CARe if the degree is "looked down upon" Hey, it is better than being a waitress my whole life! I love bar work and working in cafes; I am considering getting a degree that allows me to be a social worker (starting out on 50K a year), and THEN supplementing my income by working at bars some nights. I would earn 80K a year that way, working most nights during the week at a bar, which I enjoy anyway. It does not sound to grim to me; social worker and bar tender on the side? earning 80K with BOTH jobs? All the high paying jobs appear to need a degree that has very difficult math and science. I so wish there was a degree that lead to a well paying job that does not have difficult math. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Leigh 87 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Please do not judge, not all of us are cut out to handle a degree with heavy science and math in it. I will be happy to just make an honest living. I am prepared to get a second job on the side if I am to study to be a social worker. I mean, there are worse things than earning 50K a year as a social worker, and earning an additional 30 K as a waitress or bar tender, which I love doing anyway. I am dissapointed I know I cannot hack food science, but I am not upset about just settling for an easier degree. After all, it is better than no degree, as a sociak worker gets paid more than most non degree jobs. Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I don't think anyone here is trying to shame you into taking degrees with maths and science, Leigh. What I don't understand is how you keep talking about wanting to do menial jobs and seem more focused on that then your degree itself, and how unhappy you are that you don't have any menial jobs... So what's up with that? Surely you must have found ONE cleaner position by now? What about the website I gave you in the other thread? Were they ALL too far away, even though there were positions for literally every suburb in the NSW there? What is your definition of 'too far away'? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Leigh 87 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 I have an interview today for a full time waitressing job, and an interview tomorrow to be a busy mothers personal assistant. I am EXCITED about Uni now! My very good friend is doing social sciences, she is the friend who: - did well in high school, top of her class - yet still failed food science, doing it PART. TIME, studying 24/7, with her math tutor boyfriend on hand. I feel a huge sense of relief now; I am going to opt for a degree I can HANDLE, yet that will still feel like a huge sense of achievement just ti get still. Uni is WAY more of a priority than menial jobs; they are going to be on the side, to earn extra cash. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Leigh 87 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 I have not looked for work on that website yet, as I have job interviews lined up and have to clean my apartment. But when I resume my job searches, I am happy to travel to Sydney. Thanks a lot for that website again, by the way! I will look on that one before I go to seek.com or gumtree... I;ll let u know whe I find work. I really hope I get the assistant job for the busy mum, I like people and think I can make a good impression. Fingers crosses! Link to post Share on other sites
SmileFace Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I just wanted to know but how much social worker do you know with an undergrad degree that actually make 50k ? Is that an Aussie thing? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Leigh 87 Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 I just wanted to know but how much social worker do you know with an undergrad degree that actually make 50k ? Is that an Aussie thing? The very worse jobs start at 30K for the first YEAR, then go to 50 K for the second year and beyond... And you do not always start at 30k, that is the very very very lowest pay you get, as a WORST case scenario.... On average, social workers start off on around 50K. If you love people and the job is rewarding, and you sell yourself well and work hard along with having the passion and drive, like with anything, you can go far. What;s more, many people do a masters in something like criminology; which opens more doors and gets you higgher paid work. ...it is not a highly paid job, but if your determined and after a few years in the industry, you can get 80K as a senior case worker, many people do. Link to post Share on other sites
Abystarswoman Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I wish you luck with your decision. But I fear for your health, because social work is very, VERY difficult, both physically and emotionally. I don't really know that you'll be in any shape to take on a second part-time job elsewhere after you get home from dealing with violent spouses and abused kids and the stench of neglect because the parents aren't doing the job they're supposed to. Yes, you say now that you can handle it, but do it for 5 straight years, day in and day out. Talk to me in 5 years when you've heard yet another angry parent scream at you because you have to make a home visit, or see another child crying because their daddy "touches me in the wrong place". How do I know all this? My mother was a social worker, God bless her, and it aged her 25 years before her time. She stepped up to help others with their problems, but believe me when I tell you that she wasn't able to just slip it off like a dress at the end of the day, because she cared TOO much. That's the pitfall of social work - you care, but sometimes you can care TOO much... and it'll haunt you. (By the way: criminology degrees require math. I know, I'm in the middle of a degree for it right now.) Link to post Share on other sites
FitChick Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 My aunt burned out on social work because she couldn't take the stress. She became a teacher to mature students learning English. How about becoming a massage therapist? You get extra money for giving happy endings. Link to post Share on other sites
veggirl Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Leigh, you really need to not worry about the $$ so much. Yes it's nice to make a lot of money (not that I would know, but I assume! hah) but it's not everything. I would NEVER work a job that required more than 40 hrs/wk (plenty of people making 80k work a lot more than 40 hrs) and I wouldn't be happy staring at #s all day. I'm happy so long as I make enough to support myself and have savings. I do that on 1/2 of 80k!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Leigh 87 Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Social workers get to 50K in the first couple of years, of they want it badly. Senior case managers get 80K. It is NOT a dead end job for everyone; some people enjoy the degree, and most people who WANT the job get a job within the first 6 months of college/uni. I do not HAVE to take work home with me. I can choose to switch off and not stress like a maniac. I do it all the time with bad things I see in the world around me. I am compassionate yes, but not at the cost of my personal health. I could earn a living through social work, and even save for overseas travel. Link to post Share on other sites
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