jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

I am due to be made redunant at the end of this year, there is a job within my current company at a different customer site that I am going to be applying for (closer to home, more money, means I can get another scoob sooner )

However, I was told today that a rough figure for my redunancy would be over 6k which I dont think is too bad for the years that I have worked here (6 years)

Now what I am thinking is, instead of taking the other job, what I could do is some kind of course (using redunancy money) to learn something I.T related or a trade (plumber/electrician/tiler/joiner etc) and then I can get a job doing that. The mortgage is in my name, and I have redunancy cover on it so that can be payed for upto a year.

What does the scooby massive reckon?

Good idea?
Chance of a decent(ish) job when trained?

Anyone know of any good courses in the above or any pointers on where to look? I know the iternet throws up a bit, but I dont know if they are any good, so looking for people who have done any courses etc and feedback

Cheers
James

XRS

Go and speak to your local further education college - they probably run courses in all the subjects you're interested in, and what's more they probably won't charge tuition fees either

Bodgit

I would say dont go down the IT route. the market is generally saturated with IT bods.
Having a trade is the best way to go. Also you may find it easier to get work overseas with a trade. It will kee your options open.

warrenm2

trades have been flooded with Polish people dont forget, and house building is slowing down markedly at the moment. "Collection agent" might be a good area to get into at the mo.....!

mannyo

As mentioned earlier, I would forget about I.T. Thats what I am involved in, and most companies are now downsizing flooding the market with highly skilled IT people.

PaulC72

skip IT too many people think they know what they are doing in that field these days, most don't and plenty do

Trade is a very good idea as it will always a fall back point either way, the trades I would go for are:

Bricklayer
Carpenter
Plumber {or mechanical}
Electricial

Not knowing what you do now, you could try contracts, project or even site management, if you know construction

On the mortgage front and I am sure you have already checked but most redundancy packages only kick in after 6 months and then run for 12, but I am not sure if they are relative to any settlement that you may get as I am not a great believer in them myself.

Good luck with whatever you deicde and it is good to see a person wanting to do something with themselves and possibly improve they life

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

I'm pretty much in the same boat (not being made redundant though). I need to pick what to retrain in, and am struggling a little atm. I was thinking about IT as I am already good with computers.

It is a shame to hear that IT is downsizing atm, as it would be something I would enjoy. I was starting to get worried when all those "train in IT" ads started appearing on the TV. Over the last few months there has been an awful lot, and that normally means there is no longer an opportunity in that area imo.

Being a plumber or a sparky will always mean you are in demand, and I think there are plenty of ways you can apply your brain should you decide to. Being a heating engineer and dealing with all the electronic controls (we just installed one) can challenge most plumbers (we called 20, only 1 said he could deal with it).

Problem for me is that I don't have great health, and working outdoors or in cold damp conditions is not good for me. Maybe that rules out plumbing

KiwiGTI

Just where is IT downsizing? Certainly not in the UK.

Petem95

I will also say don't bother with IT! Market is totally flooded and it can be quite tough to get a decent rate even with some experience and certifications. Without the experience it's almost impossible.

We've taken on a few people recently and you can get people with loads of experience and very good skills for far less than you could even a year ago (people with Cisco network skills + MS server, unix etc)