what do you DO [completely OT!!]

Much of this is true, I know some well paid and overqualified people who have the common sense of a moth near a flame. I should have stuck in at college when I started a gaphic design course 10 years ago but at 16 was too immature and really picked the wrong course. I blame my careers advisor, or lack of one, for not even remotely educating me on the kind of courses available. I also think people should stay in school until they're 18, like they do in the US because at 16 I think most are ill placed to make one of the most important decisions of their life.

 

This is very true for a lot of people unfortunately. As a kid nearly all of my family and extended family worked in schools and the rest in 9-5 office jobs, so as ridiculous as it sounds it was really alien to me that people could work as whatever the hell they wanted. You can be anything from a train driver to an astrophysicist and you should always know what you're best at and what you enjoy the most. Sadly I had no ****ing clue whatsoever and just chugged along until suddenly realising there was some pretty big decisions to make haha.

 

I'm studying French, Italian and German at uni. No idea what I'm going to do with my life to be honest, 2nd year at the minute so I'm starting to look at PostGrad courses, or maybe a masters in translation/interpreting.

 

Agree with all that too mate. Went to uni at 17 and last 3 months, was far too immature and chose the wrong course (marketing with sports studies). Im not saying I would be in a better position than I am now if I completed my degree however it would have been nice the get some advice back then to make a better decision. Too late to moan about it now though,27yo once the missus starts teaching in August though I will be on the look out for something new that I would enjoy more. Like Skalpel said, your best doing something you enjoy as you only get one shot at life!!

 

Where did you do your Computer Forensics?

Been working in CF for the last 10 years. Great seeing what people get up to on their computers! Some frikkin weirdos out there mind!

 

I've been an IT Business Analyst for the last 7/8 years and that's taken me around Europe via contracting so it's been great fun.

Before that I spent 2/3 years as a web developer specialising in Flash development and I took that role to get me away from cheffing because I'd fallen out of love with that career after nearly 10 years of hard slog and very little financial reward.

Also used to be a lead singer in a band for 5 years (quit college to pursue the dream!) and we managed to release a few EP's, played over 250 gigs, wrote roughly 100 tracks and played gigs all over Europe. Split up when we realised we were all flat broke and had debts coming out our ears so we needed to pick up steady paying jobs - hence why I got into cheffing.

I've written two books (half way through the 3rd) and have finally managed to get round to finding a literary agent who is now trying to find a publisher whilst I work on edits… Edits are mind numbingly dull and soul destroying.

Also in the process of setting up a new online business (utilising social networks, beer and sports) with the sole intention of taking it global with minimum amounts of effort, raising lots of money and flogging it so I can move to the south of France and destroy the French language from the inside.

 

In my 2nd year of a PhD in organic chemistry.

Best "employment" of my life - payed to be a student and am pretty much my own boss. Could be **** in 18 months when I have to write 400 pages on what I've done for the last four years though!

 

Sleep,drink,shag hopefully.

 

Ad Infinitum.

Not necessarily in that order

 

Sleep,drink, hopefully shag?

 

Better. Need a couple more sleeps in there, and some Eggheads

 

Been a Golf Professional for 40 years which has taken me to many places both playing and coaching.

Played a bit of tournament golf in my twenties and thirties with limited success, basically because I wasn't good enough and to be honest with 4 kids by the time I was 28 I had to mix play with running my business as a club professional.

I'd always had a passion for coaching, packed in working at golf clubs and took myself on a journey of discovery, mixing with the best coaches, bio-mechanics, sports physcologists, nutritionists etc in many different fields of sporting performance. I now coach full time with all levels of golfer from Tour players to complete beginners, focussing predominantly on skill aquisition, instinctive learning and state control to achieve peak performance.

I could go on about all the articles I've written over the years in golf publications, coaching manuals etc but I wont...

 

Drink shag, hopefully sleep.

 

I've written a children's adventure book, partly based on my 13 year old son, who has Aspergers Syndrome. However, I haven't yet done anything about publication.

Is your literary agent any good? Do you know if he deals in the childrens' book market, or indeed the market for books relating to autism?

 

My game needs rescuing! HELP!!

 

The agent I use seems to be good. He's been very diligent with the edits but I think he only specialises in adult fiction.

I had an 'agent' years back (after I'd finshed the first book) who happily took on my book, did bugger all and just went to parties and told me that people were interested, I just had to be patient.

I eventually discovered that no publisher would touch him with a barge pole because he'd ripped off several authors of thier royalties and then sued them when the contracts were broken. Hence it has taken years for me to wait until my contract lapsed with him.

I like this new agent though and I'll have a word with him on your behalf. Perhaps he can recommend someone.

 

Special rates for 606 ers.

Where do you play?

I feel a bit of online business coming on here.


" Now lie down on the couch Alfie and tell me about your golf "....

 

I haven't properly played in 9yrs (played the 2/3 rounds a year at the moment). The house I might by buying is located ,pretty much, on the fourth tee of my local course so I might renew my membership. You will need to be on standby mate for some advice as it has been a while.

 

Yeah I dropped out then started working between jobs before going back to college at 18 to do music tech . Decided to start working as I was fed up of being skint so the music tech thing fizzled out too. I do have a recording studio now though, out of all the people I met on the music tech course I'm the only one who's actually set up a studio and I was the one who dropped out. You can't teach stuff like that, you just have to do it and want to learn by yourself. It's often labour of love but it brings me an extra £300- £400 per month now, on top of my full time estate agents job.

Would love to quit work and do that full time one day but everything costs serious money. I've got about £5,000 worth of gear now and some studios spend that much on one microphone haha!

 

Mill Green in Welwyn Garden City in Herts, a guy called Ian Parker is the pro there but I get the odd lesson from one of his lackeys.