After having a particular crappy week my friend Tim Chechlinski has just made me cry with laughter after submitting this piece of work for a module that to be honest nobody wants to do: My first job was as a cashier at WHSmith in 1996. Although my jobs since have counted in years rather than weeks, I have only improved relatively since, as far as job progression goes. I decided to go to university, not to improve my chances of employability. I am not so naïve that a mature student is going to walk into a dream job based on their degree after years of particularly average jobs. Imagine my delight when I saw the module Understanding Employability. Although my career moments have not exactly been glittering, I was put out to say the least to see that someone with eighteen years work experience should have to be educated in what employability is. Naturally as a mature student, I did what I could to object, however failed. I gave in and attended regardless. I kept my mind as open as possible. If theres one thing I know about myself I have an endless ability to slate something before I have tried it. It was possibly worse than I had anticipated. Not only utterly tedious, but deeply patronising - I would say to all age groups. We were told that self-confidence helps you get a job. This was not only patronising, but this basic piece of box ticking information was broken down into a mind numbingly dull flow diagram. What I found most offensive, was not the fact that I was personally bored and patronised, but the very concept that were being told self-confidence is a necessity for employability. Akin perhaps to suggesting to a wheelchair user that getting up and walking is just mind over matter. Confidence can be learned and overcome and age for the most part brings confidence that is often lacking in youth. But what a way to make the unconfident, worse in their condition, by pointing it out as a failure. I am not sure if this course is going to get livelier. Careers advice is surely useful and I will be interested to hear from those who have a sociology degree and what they have gone on to do. While I have no expectation of getting a better job, once university ends, if that is a happy side effect I will not rule it out and help in this way is useful. The anticipated seminar topic list does not however fill me with a great deal of hope that this will happen for the most part. Employability is not something we stop and think about. It is a necessity to pay our ways through life. Breaking it down into concepts is for me: utterly pointless. It is also a basic life skill. Where is the lesson on wiring a plug, filling in a tax form or sewing a tear? Why has employability been given a pedestal over relationships or personal health? Like employability they are all part chance, part choice. For a University so steeped in a history of Marxism, it is astonishing that they have stooped to this low capitalist denominator that employability is all.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:09:55 +0000
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