Advice from you academics!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

 

I worked 5 days a week for £130 a day when i was 30, so i could afford to do a day a week at university. I know thats not bad money but its all relative. I am a naturally academic person but decided to get some hard graft under my belt before doing a degree. My brother on the other hand did 2 degrees straight after school and now, at the age of 30, is earning £200 k a year plus bonuses. Anyway, I dont climb or graft anymore and sell my opinion to anyone who wants it for £400 a day.

 

What I am trying to say is 'DO YOUR DEGREE'.

 

I was in exactly the same situation as you, but in reverse. As i've said i'm much more of an academic than a manual labourer, first time i got to the top of a big tree was on my cs38, wind started blowing and all I wanted to do was the worlds greatest Koala impression. Anyway I got on with it and the next week passed cs38 and 39.

 

Do anything you need to, to get what you want. You are very lucky that you actually know what you want to do and are already half way there.

 

I am pretty much strapped up to my eyeballs financialy so day release is a limited option, for now anyways, as for 400 quid a day for your opinion i would be happy with 200 a day, at least I would be moving up!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

All I want is a chance to start from the bottom, aint asking for more money than i am on as a climber, just a chance to start on a new set of runs and make my worth known and valued, i can climb anyladder, but i have to get to the ladder first!

 

Stupid really, there are guys, qualified guys, whos tree survey/reports I have had to correct and go back to them (politley discreetly) to have them ammended due to some in some cases horendous mistakes and liabilities, there is never any arguments when these are pointed out but why can these guys get 35k plus a year while I cant even get a job!

[BTS]

Iam in my last year of fdsc online course and like you could not use excell cad etc but have managed to do it, i havent got the best grades all the time but i have hanged on in there, my grammer is absoulutly crap like my spelling, but iam hoping it will benefit me in future i would say keep struggling away, you will kick yourself in the future if you dont.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Iam in my last year of fdsc online course and like you could not use excell cad etc but have managed to do it, i havent got the best grades all the time but i have hanged on in there, my grammer is absoulutly crap like my spelling, but iam hoping it will benefit me in future i would say keep struggling away, you will kick yourself in the future if you dont.

 

Yes, and your right, thats whats holding me off dropping off!

[Frankie Lawrence]

Pull your self together man:001_tt2:

 

I know how you feel Im struggling with the industry in all I find myself taking 2 step forawrd and 1 back im slowly making progress but others just seem to do it so much quicker and beter than me.

 

An example a lad joined up started doing work experience because he hated uni and wanted to work anywhere and realy enjoyed it, he put the graft in took out more of a loan and paid for his tickets after a month maybe two in the industry and while training for his 30/31 it was about the 3rd time he had touched a saw and he passed it and allcredit to the lad I realy like him and he deserves it but ive been using a sw and felling for 4-5 months before I went for my asesemnet and I failed it.

 

Anyhow stick at it mate im sure theres a few computer nerds here that can help you out if stuck.

 

good luck:thumbup1:

[RobRainford]

Hama im on the onsite course so if you need any help you can just email me or message me on here

 

[email protected] if you want to drop a line

 

i can help with the lab notes and stuff.

 

Im not the most academic myself, im only academic because im still young and have the mindfram for it really. I struggle to get the merits and distinctions as i tend to get distracted! But i just plod along and i am finding it a bit better at making time to work instead of hoping i get time.You will come round to it, from what i can see on here you do know your stuff, the work related stuff should be a breeze for you, there are guys on my course who have sat in an office for the past 20 years and when it comes to work side of things it bewilders them. i would say you have more of an advantage than some people on this course.

[arb culture]

Hama,

 

Stick with it. When I first started my degree I was in a similar position. The first year was awful - I couldn't stand all the silly rules about how to write in a particular way or how to reference properly, it drove me nuts.

 

The way I tackled it was to think of it the same way as any other training, it's just something you have to do to pass the ticket. It's a bit like learning to sharpen a saw - bloomin tedious but worth it, because once you can sharpen a saw you can move on to the fun part of learning to use one.

 

So, once you've got the silly academic rules worked out, the rest is loads easier, and so much more fun.

[Doug Blease]

Hamad,

 

You will learn how to write reports. You will learn the computer skills. These are not pre-requisites of the course. You say you have spent 3k on books, whats stopping you buying a book on word processing, excel, report writing.

 

I am sorry mate but some of your posts do confuse me. You profess to be an intelligent, well read, thinking man who apparently can assess a tree in 30 seconds. Yet you are put off by the idea of dedicating yourself to a commitment to learning.

 

Also, as a current degree student I am constantly insulted by those who believe that young people with a degree dont deserve employment over contractors such as yourself.

I am 29 years old and I study with guys straight out of school. Most of them are capable, intelligent people who deserve all that they work for.

 

I started my degree because as you I felt I was unemployable without one having worked in forestry/arb for around 7 years. In a year from now I will have an education and 10+ years of actual hands on experience. Do I deserve a job?

[jaime bray]

do you have much knowledge of 5837 and planning apps that sort of thing hama

[armchairarborist]

also doing Fdsc at myerscough, nearly packed in as too little time, its not easy finding time but if pushed just do a couple of all-nighters just before assignment hand in date, im not doing it for the bit of paperwork or to be able to announce that i've got this or that certs, im trying to learn to better myself and my business, also to help my clients with their trees etc, learned loads already, could learn all the course material elsewhere by myself but wheres the motivation when you have little spare time?