Career plan - help

[henryhorn]

Just a little tale regarding Further Education..
One of my kids has always been academic and had top marks.
He did A levels, then a Double Hons Degree in Physics and Computer Sciences.
Decided to be an airline pilot and trained for a further two years at huge expense before discovering there were no jobs available to the inexperienced no matter how well qualified.
He came home and looked for any work, the job centre advised him to delete almost all his qualifications from his CV, pretend he had been travelling and sent him for jobs such as Kitchen Porter.. he found a van driving job so he could pay his way and finally is now working as a pilot, though only after stumping up another fortune to pay for his final qualification and experience. (they used to do similar schemes to WP but now you have to pay yourself).
He is now 25 and has his Uni (small) debt to pay plus this huge one before he can start earning properly.
His twin did a Sound Engineering course, couldn't find a job so went to the local Hotel making pathways. The golf course contractors realised he was brilliant driving heavy machinery so head hunted him to work for them. He learned on the job, worked in many countries and now aged 25 earns the equivalent of £80k a year driving a huge tracked vehicle building golf courses. He lives in hotels financed by his contractors, has a new Audi A5 coupe etc, so is in a much better financial position than his brother. He has no debts, has bought his first place to build a house on, and yet did no degree at all.
There are more than one way to get somewhere as they prove, and I have to say I was livid that to get the van driving job my son had to delete all his qualifications first.
It was very funny when he told his workmates he was going to Luton for an Interview, they assumed driving a van not flying a plane!
I started in the horse industry with some experience having trained for 6 months for my BHSAI and worked in various places, before starting my own Riding School and carrying on until I was financially ok.to be honest the biggest thing holding back BBR is going to be money..
You can make it as the Ollie T's of this world have proved, and if you are that keen, I tend to side with her, pointless doing A's etc if like my son, you have to pretend you don't have them. Incidentally he was a damn good van driver, he even helped the Manager streamline the handling system on their computers but kept his mouth shut how he knew how to do it..
What a **** world that so many people doing University Degrees aren't valued..
I'm on the side of give it a go, she is still young enough to go back into education if she needs to..

 

[jrp204]

I have had a very similar discussion with my daughter who is 15. At the moment we have decided that she will do A' levels and then possibly have a year out to work and compete and then decide if she wants to go for a wp position or if she gets the grades to do vet med and compete as and when she can. Once qualified she will earn enough to support her competing.

 

[bigboyrocky]

I did write a reply earlier but it obviously didnt send!! GRRR.. but i was going to say... how things stand at the moment, im not going to go on and do my A levels. I will make sure i work hard throughout my GCSE's, so that i have SOMETHING to show for my education on my CV. Henryhorn and Millitiger, i am really glad you have given me an insight into yours/relatives lives, and its really made me sure that i should go with my instincts, and not just 'go by the book'. If things completely turn around in the next year or so, then i may reconsider, and doing my A levels may be the best thing to do, but how things i stand at the moment i am really keen to just 'go for it' rather than play the safe option.

Thank you everyone for all your helpful comments, and although some of you may think im dismissing what you have said, im not - hearing both side has made me realise even more that A levels isnt the right choice for me.

Thanks guysss

 

[Gamebird]

i am now 23 with a reasonable job which pays for my mortgage, my new Mini, my 2 horses on full livery- all with only GCSE's!

And I spent 5 years at uni, have been working in a respected professional position for 10 years since, work silly hours yet still have to buy and sell the odd horse and ride out racehorses before work to pay my mortgage, DIY livery on one horse and be able to event. Funny old world, isn't it?

 

[rachel_s]

I have no knowledge of equestrian career paths but I did go back to college and do A-levels, degree and masters, graduating my first degree when I was 28. I'm now 36. I also have a career path which is generally considered to be very good, highly competitive and offers flexibility in the future.
I had slightly weird circumstances (illness) but the concept you only get one chance of an education is frankly *******s.
If you do decide that education is also important, you could study via distance learning for A-levels through to masters.

Personally I would say you can go back and change your mind - you will be broke, but based on your current situation, maybe taking a year out won't actually harm that much.

 

[millitiger]

And I spent 5 years at uni, have been working in a respected professional position for 10 years since, work silly hours yet still have to buy and sell the odd horse and ride out racehorses before work to pay my mortgage, DIY livery on one horse and be able to event. Funny old world, isn't it?

i bought and sold for a while to get the deposit for my flat!
would never have been able to save up the 10% just putting aside a bit each month- obviously buying in 2007 my flat is now worth less than i paid for it but weirdly i still feel happy to be on the ladder...

 

[racingdemon]

when i was 16, i could have very hapily written that post, i was desperate to go and ride full time, one of my good freinds was taking her 2 eventers to be a WP and it sounded amazing, (when i was 16)

my parents has other ideas, & i did my A levels, well.... i went to school for 2 more years, failed most a levels as i was always off riding or doing everything else 17yos do!!

a degree in Equine science later, (& the student debt it comes with) i got a job, and again had the choice, i was offered a great job in racing, working mornings, so i could ride my horses in the afternoon, again, sensible head made me stick with my (very sought after) but not riding everyday, proper but horsey job, i then did a masters in business management to get something 'proper' on my cv

7 years later, i'm a company director, work part time to fit around my 2 children, and have enough money to event, hunt, ski and shop for designer handbags,

i'd have given my eye teeth to event full time, & having just got back into it, spend parts of the time wishing i'd ignored all the sensible advice i had at 16/18/21 and thought sod it, and just tried it, just to know if i'd have been able to do it for a living,

but instead i have lovely children, a fab husband, a very nice horse, nice lorry, nice house, nice car, and hopefully i can now take some time for myself, to see how far i can get, safe in the knowledge i've done everything else i want to do, and at 28 i've got plenty of time to try my hand at being an event rider,

the only thing i don't have is time!!

all in all..... if you want to do it enough, you'll find a way, having qualifications is great for something to fall back on, but if it all goes wrong & you aren't the next best thing, there is such as thing as being a mature student, should the need arise!

 

[TarrSteps]

You've had lots of good advice - on both sides of the argument - on this thread, and in the end everyone makes their own decisions.

One thing I would say, though, is make sure you make your decisions with accurate information. I know in my case working professionally in the industry meant I, lacking family support or other means of income, did not have the funds to continue to run my own horse. Yes, I've been very lucky to have owners' horses to compete on (even though competing is a relatively small part of my business by choice) and I am happy with the way working with horses has worked out for me.

I think though, if you look at the industry realistically, you'll find most people who do well competitively in a "big name" way have support from other quarters, even if it's just being able to keep horses at home rent free or similar. If that's your situation, super, if not, just be realistic about what you can expect.

Do not expect, in the first years, maybe not ever, to make more than enough to support your horse habit and have a very basic life. Don't expect to make enough to support other members of your family or pay off debts. Certainly not if you expect to keep competing.

I'm sure you know, but if you are going to continue in this business, you will need money. It's just expensive. If you don't have your own you will have to be able to convince other people to give you theirs, in which case you will have to have something to sell. Even the really fantastic talents I know (and I can count them on one hand, out of the hundreds of good horsemen I've met) have to work very hard and, I hate to say, if you're that talented it's already obvious and people already know. The rest of us have to get by on knowledge, hard work, other skills (communication, business ability, knowledgeable management, teaching, client relations, etc.) and sheer dogged determination.

Show yourself willing. Offer to help, soak up any information you can, go to clinics, prove that you will work hard, listen, and then work harder to improve. Smile when people tell you things you don't want to hear. Be honest with people and let them know they can be honest with you. Spend what money you do have wisely, investing in your education, as you would in other industries. Treat it like a business and prove to people why you are worth their effort and expense. Remember that it is your choice to be in a very hard, competitive business and you will be competing against people with much greater resources. This is, in many ways, a very feudal business, and people appreciate young people who pay their dues. But they also have to pay the bills and you have to prove why you're valuable enough to spend the time and money on. I was very, very lucky to get "free" help and support from good people along the way but I can tell you, it was only "free" in the technical sense of the word.

Good luck with whatever path you choose, but go into horses with your eyes wide open. I think it was John Gielgud who had a great quote about acting, "The only reason to be an actor is because you can't not be one." That definitely goes for riding.