andrewducker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
andrewducker) wrote2008-01-03 12:50 pm
andrewducker) wrote2008-01-03 12:50 pm
Privilege
There's been a meme going around about privilege, which was vaguely interesting in its own right.
More interesting, though, is the post here that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
heron61 pointed me at, about what kind of privileges make a difference at college/university level, including all sorts of things you might never have thought of.
I, by the way, am terribly privileged. Partially because of money, which was always there for the things that mattered when I was growing up. Which doesn't mean large amounts of expensive foreign holidays (when we went abroad it was usually in a cheap, off-season way - we went to Austria by coach, for instance). But it did mean that when I needed additional tutoring to get through my English GCSE it was possible, and when I needed another year to get my degree it was never going to be an issue. Of course, nepotism helped with cash too - because my father was a doctor when I needed a summer job I was working at the hospital without any problems. And of course, I was working in IT because my father was buying computers before they were either popular or readily affordable for the general populace.
The other, and much more important, part of my privilege was growing up with educated parents who had huge numbers of books, watched documentaries and generally made sure I grew up interested in the world around me.
When I was a teenager I remember one of my brothers telling me that the kids in their class did not believe that we sat around a dinner table each evening, eating together and talking about what we'd been doing that day, or anything else that occurred to us. We could ask my parents questions and generally speaking _they would know_. Most of the other kids were eating while staring at the TV. I can't quantify the difference this made to my life, but all three of us are now well educated and earning a fair bit more than the median UK income, so I'm not about to start complaining.
More interesting, though, is the post here that
heron61 pointed me at, about what kind of privileges make a difference at college/university level, including all sorts of things you might never have thought of.I, by the way, am terribly privileged. Partially because of money, which was always there for the things that mattered when I was growing up. Which doesn't mean large amounts of expensive foreign holidays (when we went abroad it was usually in a cheap, off-season way - we went to Austria by coach, for instance). But it did mean that when I needed additional tutoring to get through my English GCSE it was possible, and when I needed another year to get my degree it was never going to be an issue. Of course, nepotism helped with cash too - because my father was a doctor when I needed a summer job I was working at the hospital without any problems. And of course, I was working in IT because my father was buying computers before they were either popular or readily affordable for the general populace.
The other, and much more important, part of my privilege was growing up with educated parents who had huge numbers of books, watched documentaries and generally made sure I grew up interested in the world around me.
When I was a teenager I remember one of my brothers telling me that the kids in their class did not believe that we sat around a dinner table each evening, eating together and talking about what we'd been doing that day, or anything else that occurred to us. We could ask my parents questions and generally speaking _they would know_. Most of the other kids were eating while staring at the TV. I can't quantify the difference this made to my life, but all three of us are now well educated and earning a fair bit more than the median UK income, so I'm not about to start complaining.
no subject
no subject
Do you like your job? Are there other jobs you'd like more? And if so, what are the routes there?
And other such questions you've no doubt had circling your mind quite enough without prodding from me?
sorry, you get the nightjeebs version.
But realistically I don't think its possible.
Also, for the looking for something else, I don't know what people do. What jobs are out there that i could consider. I can rule out medicine and law (too much study to get there, even if I could) retail is shite, catering is worse, teaching and care work: I hate people, IT: I'm shit with computers, call centre: I don't have good languages, financial institution: too much like sales these days, ..... and so on and so on.
I will get round to finding something else, but I wish I had thought about it more at school, about income and standards and opertunities. Downsizing is a rich person's concern. a less endowed person can't "upsize" their life.
Re: sorry, you get the nightjeebs version.
What job is it you do at the moment? And what kind aptitudes do you have/what do you enjoy?
Re: sorry, you get the nightjeebs version.
realistically I want a window, I want good work life balance, I want to be able to take holiday and sick time. I would prefer not to take a pay cut (under 16k, not hard surely). I like moving around but prefer not to be outside in bad weather. I would not mind studying but don't want to waste time with a pointless qualification.
i am sick fed up of rude people.
Re: sorry, you get the nightjeebs version.