Career options elsewhere
Laboratories
Because I was good at chemistry and physics, laboratory work was a possible alternative to computer programming before I embarked on my chosen career. Nevertheless, it's difficult to imagine that I could start such a career now, having not done anything remotely connected to such activities since I left school.
Teaching
I have demonstrated an ability to pass on my knowledge to others, which suggests that some kind of teaching role could be a possibility, but age is against me here. Schoolteachers have to study for a year at college before they even get started, though the government is considering a fast-track teacher training scheme for unemployed high-flyers. In any case, I don't think I'd be suited to teaching people who aren't necessarily interested in learning. I'm told that it's easier to become a college lecturer if one has specialist knowledge. I haven't investigated this, but it is possible that I could teach basic web design using HTML and CSS, or maybe I could teach CV writing. I expect there would still be some training period, though probably shorter than that required for schoolteachers.
Digital forensic analysis
I'd never heard of this until somebody told me about it in June 2008. It sounds like an interesting area and, being a relatively new science, one might think that any employer would have to train the people they want. It sounds promising, but when I looked on the internet and found a page about computer forensics jobs, my worst fears were confirmed. I don't doubt that I could do the job, but I need that degree and some of the right kind of experience before any employer would consider me.
Politics
Despite setting up my blog about The politics of unemployment, I don't see myself as a politician, especially as I've already had my own experience of the News media. In any case, I don't think my political beliefs, as they are now, sit comfortably with any political party.
Working from home
Until I had my home internet connection restored in March 2008, I couldn't even consider this possibility, but I know that opportunities are in any case limited. Some home-working jobs wouldn't suit me for reasons already explained, but there may be others that I can consider, particularly those that involve high computer usage.
I'm also aware that there a lot of con-merchants out there, keen to exploit the job sector, so I'm wary of home-working, especially when I see offers of jobs that require me to buy equipment up front; alarm bells immediately start ringing when I see them. Furthermore, I'm not enthusiastic about the idea of a return to self-employed status, but I'll do it if it's the only way that I can earn a living.
So although I'm not optimistic, at least I'll be able to work from home if the right opportunity becomes available.
Comedian
I remember a discussion where somebody mentioned a book called The Eden diet: a biblical and merciful Christian weight loss program. There was some debate about the book's target market. I suggested that the book was aimed at people who had been eden too much. In response, I was told (by somebody who was then unaware that I am unemployed) that I shouldn't give up the day job. Somehow, I don't think I'd make it as a comedian.
Remember that I can't drive
I've said in Career options in factories and warehouses that I had plenty of driving lessons in the seventies but that I never took a driving test, and that, much more recently, I tried to steer a forklift truck with abysmal results. My inability to drive clearly precludes me from any job that involves driving in the course of duty and also makes it difficult to do night shifts, but it also restricts me in another major way.
During my current period of unemployment, I applied for a job with East Northamptonshire council in Thrapston. Although Thrapston used to boast two railway stations, one closed even before Richard Beeching wielded his axe and he decided that the other should also close. There are still buses, but once East Northamptonshire council realised that I was reliant on these, they refused to interview me. I suggested that I could find accommodation within Thrapston to avoid commuting but they said that if I did that, I'd be stranded (their word) outside working hours. Well, I'm stranded now, because I can't afford to go anywhere until I qualify for my free bus pass, or unless I find a job.
I never looked at the bus timetable at the time, nor did I investigate the ease or difficulty of finding rented accommodation, but I wish that East Northamptonshire council had given me the chance to say whether I could cope or not. Looking now at the bus timetable, I can see why they think the service is too limited, but I would cope with that, assuming I could find accommodation. Still, I won't be applying to East Northamptonshire council again and I think it unlikely that I'd find another potentially suitable employer in Thrapston, so I'll never know, although I may eventually visit Thrapston out of curiosity after I obtain my free bus pass, just to see what I missed. (It won't be a priority, but I hope I'll have a few healthy years in which to pay a visit.)
There are a lot of small towns and villages all over the country that are poorly served by public transport, many of them having worse bus services than Thrapston, or none at all. They may not be important in the overall jobs market individually, but they collectively provide a lot pf potential job opportunities that I can't even consider, or that employers would use as an excuse to rule me out.
Anything else?
Maybe there are other alternatives for a future career that need mentioning. Well, there's plenty of space here. In the meantime, I hope that you realise that switching careers at my age, even to do menial jobs, isn't as simple as it may appear. Beginning a career as a teenager is one thing but switching careers just a few years short of pensionable age is quite another matter. I'll never give up the job quest unless and until I find employment, but I continue looking for a job recognising fully the difficulties involved.
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