[Mousey]

I'm trying to get a full time job sorted for when i leave school since i don't think i can be arsed with further education, here's my email i sent to Total PC Gaming which is a new magazine here in the uk

Originally Posted by Employment Email

Hello,

My name is Thomas Lovelady, i'm 15 and i'm from Keighley, West Yorkshire.
I bought a copy of your magazine because i fancied a change from PC Gamer and PC Format and noticed your magazine for a bargain £3.99

I found it very interesting, informative and to the point and enjoyed it very much.
Perhaps May/June Time this year i'll be leaving school and i want to go into full time employment as opposed to further education and i was wondering if there might be a place for me at Total PC Gaming?

I'm very experienced using Adobe Photoshop, some of my works can be found at mouseyman's deviantART gallery , i'm also very experienced with Maxon Cinema4D for creating 3D Models. I've also had some experience using CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator and have some experience with Adobe Flash.

I'm also a big computing enthusiast. I've tackled and solved more problems than i care to count on my current rig ranging from Dead motherboards, faulty memory modules, damaged GPUs and overheating (on more than one occasion!). Taking a computer apart and putting it back together is trivial to me and i also enjoy it very much and have built computers for most of my family as well as the odd bit of work for clients.

Thank you very much
~ Thomas "Mousey" Lovelady

[Dyre Straits]

Cutting short your formal education is NOT SMART.

I do remember reading and responding to your other post about being upset with the demands placed on you by your current teacher/s.

Now, what do you plan to do when your BOSS demands certain performance and quality from you that you're not comfortable with or feel it's 'too much hassle'?

You need the discipline of formal education requirements NOW to learn to deal with the employment disciplines that will follow you the rest of your working life.

Don't cut it short! Period!

[BlueMak]

Stopping your education at 16 is very very stupid unless you are in some third world country and your parents are dead and you need to support your 12 sisters and 17 brothers.
Very very very stupid. You will regret it for the rest of your life.

[temeteus82]

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

You need the discipline of formal education requirements NOW to learn to deal with the employment disciplines that will follow you the rest of your working life.

Don't cut it short! Period!

I agree! Perhaps you Thomas should think joining the British army/navy/airforce for a period. They will teach you many things that can come handy in later time in your life. But the bets thing what you can learn in there is discipline and working with different people.

[Mousey]

Originally Posted by temeteus82

I agree! Perhaps you Thomas should think joining the British army/navy/airforce for a period. They will teach you many things that can come handy in later time in your life. But the bets thing what you can learn in there is discipline and working with different people.

Hah, unlikely Teme.
When you see the kind of people that join the army here you'd understand why

[temeteus82]

Originally Posted by Mousey

Hah, unlikely Teme.
When you see the kind of people that join the army here you'd understand why

People like James Blunt??

[Lelisevis]

Originally Posted by Mousey

Hah, unlikely Teme.
When you see the kind of people that join the army here you'd understand why

Meaning what exactly?

[Dyre Straits]

Mousey/Thomas:

The way you're coming across now, and some of your recent posts, STRONGLY indicate that your maturity level just isn't up to what you think it is.

At 15/16 we all thought we knew enough to launch out from under the wings of authority. But, if you take this leap now, it's way too soon and you'll regret it.

The next three years -- and your actions/decisions -- will define you the rest of your life. Buckle down and get your education out of the way and then you can build on that experience.

Like I said previously, you need this discipline now. It'll be much harsher when your paychecks depend on the responses you give to those who are employing you.

[MIG-31]

Originally Posted by Mousey

Hah, unlikely Teme.
When you see the kind of people that join the army here you'd understand why

For me only someone who has been in the Forces can make a true description to the type of people who enroll..Never done so myself so im not going to comment on that.

But i will say the Brittish forces are very strict to who they take in to serve for them.Even down to small details like Debt Problems can be a problem with the apllication.

So just out of curiosity why do you say that..I know a couple of freinds who has been to Ireland,Afghanistan and Iraq in the last couple of years (And seen Action).These in my opinion are (And certainly become) much more adult minded and responsible than some of the jerks who live in my area.

Take a little note from what dyre is saying above,Take you're education seriously as it will pay off in the long run.

[Al_Vampyre]

Mousey, listen to these guys, people that work for magazines are usually qualified journalists rather then just tech whizz kids. It is possible to break into journalism the way you're trying to...but only just.

Education gets a lot better as you get older, less crap to deal with because teachers will start treating you like an adult unless you persist in acting like a child (good teachers anyway).

Get your education first mate, then you do what the hell you like, knowing that if it all goes titsup you still have your qualifications.

[Asmoday]

I agree with all the other posters in this thread, do NOT drop out of school! You will only regret it, sooner then you think too...

[Vikingod]

It's been said a million times lately. It's a freakin' terrible idea to drop out of school at your age, it's really not worth discussing anymore. As far as employment goes, you don't stand a snowballs chance in hell landing a gig at a reputable magazine without some formal, college level, education. You probably couldn't get a job sweeping their floors. And if you did get a job, you'd make half what you would had you finished school.

It's hard when you're 15 and know everything. Hell, I wish I knew now what I knew when I was 15 (think about it). Fact is, you're a kid, a good kid I gather, but still a kid. You could fit what you know about life and the world into and envelope, and still have space for a letter. Realize this now, finish school, grow up, and you might not be spending the rest of your life complaining about your situation.

The best thing about your position is that you have a ton of time to figure out what you want to do, and how to go about doing it. Don't rush. Enjoy your time as a kid, its some of the best you have. You'll miss it when its gone.

[bug77]

I was considering dropping out of the senior year in college and even that would have been stupid.

Basically you have two choices: make it easy for yourself now (drop out) and suffer the consequences (dire, don't kid yourself) for the rest of your life of take a bit of pain (don't drop out) and make it easier for the rest of your life. (Idk about UK, but in other parts of the world - e.g. over here - college degree is a must too.)

[Mousey]

Originally Posted by Asmoday

I agree with all the other posters in this thread, do NOT drop out of school! You will only regret it, sooner then you think too...

who says i'm dropping out? I'm leaving school this year because it's the end of my education not because i'm dropping out
What gave you all that idea?

[MIG-31]

Originally Posted by Mousey

who says i'm dropping out? I'm leaving school this year because it's the end of my education not because i'm dropping out
What gave you all that idea?

I wonder

I'm trying to get a full time job sorted for when i leave school since i don't think i can be arsed with further education,

Unless i've gone blind,that appears to mean the same thing..

But seeing as it is now some time since i was last in school the 5th year (secondary) was the last year..But we had the option to stay on for a further 2 years (Max) at school.

Then came along the options for Further Education etc etc. At collages and so forth..But that was a long time ago now and not having kids of my own it's easy to lose track of those days.

Jeeze that nearly 20 year ago.. how time passes.

[Black_N_Militant]

You used the word "also" three times in that letter. Yeah, I'd stay in school if I were you.

[OmegaRED]

I took further education to mean college/university.

You're probably a bit young for employment at a magazine but it's always worth trying.

[Mousey]

Originally Posted by OmegaRED

I took further education to mean college/university.

You're probably a bit young for employment at a magazine but it's always worth trying.

I'll be 16 come july and i'm just trying to see if i can make things any easier for myself when the time comes to actually get a job.
PC Format weren't accepting any new staff but the guy that replied to my email was nice about it, i might try them again when i'm older

I'm really torn between my options at the minute though because my friends all come from and went to different environments. My most trusted friend Joe for instance failed miserably at school and he's got a job flooring now (decent wages though, always enough for a takeaway when i head up to his place), he says i need to stick at it and get good grades so i do'nt have to scrape a job like he did.
I haven't spoken to his mate Becki, Ben's gone to college i think but i haven't asked him how we did things at school. My mum says she can't deal with any more education-related hell and she says i need to get a job and presumably dad thinks the same.
Hmm, i'll have a talk to the careers people at school when i go back, see what they think

[Sandok]

If you want to make a decent living, you need an education. The more credentials you got, the better and that goes for every job out there.

Honestly, who LIKES going to school and such? I mean, I know I didn't and I still don't "love" going to university but in the long term, you only get one chance. Don't screw it up.

And if you want to be a journalist for a PC Mag, why not try little steps first? DH for example? I dunno there was a post for reviewers a while back. When you apply for a job, you need a Resumé and you've got to be able to put more than "I'm a PC Whizz kid" and "I've just finished basic schooling".

There're two choices in life. The quick exit tough life or slow exit but safe life, your choice.