Who Gets the Best Jobs?

[turtleglos]

On the basis of that program my dc's may as well give up education,smoke,drink and take drugs after all there isn't any point in them aiming any higher . Although, of course I may well be misleading them by telling them that if they work hard they could actually have a chance of achieving their dreams.
I was right about the controversy they were going for though. Please can somebody change the b.....y format

[Looking for help]

The saddest thing was the group from Newcastle all wanting to do drama...never having been told anything else about careers such as law or medicine or accountancy. My husband went to a comprehensive in Coatbridge , Lanarkshire in the 1970s to early 80s. Not only having to deal with religious bigotry (West of Scotland style, kicking with the wrong foot- you probably hve to be Scottish to understand ), he and several of his classmates attended decent universities, studying Medicine, Law and Accountancy. The careers department at his (probably) failing school(in those days before league tables) made pretty damned sure that those who could achieve were encouraged to do so. Nowadays, it looks as if our children are being deserted by those who could help them.

Now for those daft eejits working for nothing, they deserve a slap ! Sorry but you need a daddy or hubby to help you to do that, and for whose benefit ?

[pheasantchick]

I watched the programme and found it fairly predictable. The company that 'employs' 20 out of its 70 workforce is laughing - all that free labour in recession!

[Waiting_For_Godot]

I was pretty shocked by the working class family who were steering their son in a direction away from university. It wasn't all about the tuition fees as I grew up in an environment where parents actively discouraged university and encouraged children leaving school at 16. There always seems to be a blame culture on the rich for taking the best jobs but there are huge sections of society who have low aspirations. Focusing on them, rather than pointing the finger at another group of people would be more productive.

[guest201]

What annoyed me about the programme was that it only talked about the "best jobs" these jobs have always been taken by a small section of society, and always will. What about all the other good jobs that are around that people from any background can do. Why do we always have to focus on london, anyone would think that it is the only place where a graduate can get a decent job!!!
Not everyone can aspire to the "best jobs" we all know that, but there are an awful lot of people who can aspire to a good job if only the politicians, sociologists and journalists would let them by not being so biased all the time and labelling people so much

[Kesteven]

There was a nice moment when the chip-on-shoulder presenter came up against a professor who refused to be horrified that children of professionals predominated in top jobs and said that this was pretty much what was to be expected given the distribution of ability in society. To deny, as the programme seemed to, that talent and intelligence has an inherited (as well as environmental) basis is to lose all credibility in the argument.

It seemed to me that there are at least four interplaying and determining factors which influence who rises to the top. One is innate ability; another is application/effort; a third is environment/encouragement; and a fourth might be connections/influence. The show singularly failed to examine any real evidence other than for the last of the four.

[sherry_d]

Perhaps they should have shown footballers too and their socio econmic background as they earn much more than those on the programme.

...and as for Cherly Cole being a role model for those kids , huh

I cant help feeling that some kids just want it easy, be a wag, Cherly Cole, or a footballer and earn bucket loads having an easy life. Hard work and tenacity seem to be out of fashion.

[guest201]

Regarding the issue of tuition fees, I consider myself middle class but I cant really afford tuition fees for my two children and I will be encouraging them to take a loan to go to uni, afterall do we not get loans to buy our houses, cars, furniture, etc? For me a university education is as essential as any of the above items so if I cant afford it why not get a loan. That is the difference between the working class and the middle classs for the working class a university education is not seen as essential (like a house, car, tv) so therefore not worth getting a loan for. At the end of the day it is one of the few loans that you wont be refused!!!!!

[Snowdrops]

Do you not think that for some they really just are not aware of the possibilities out there?

Some (such as the youngsters from Newcastle wanting to emulate Cheryl Cole) think that being a footballer/popstar is the only career. In Newcastle they've seen the mining and ship building industries which were the main employers in that area disappear. The only other industry around at the moment would seem to be a call centre. No wonder footballing/popstar appeals so very much to them.

[Looking for help]

I cant help feeling that some kids just want it easy, be a wag, Cherly Cole, or a footballer and earn bucket loads having an easy life. Hard work and tenacity seem to be out of fashion.

Another sweeping statement....the point that those kids were there to show, was that they are given no careers advice whatsoever, and that is what is wrong with the world. The only things they see to look up to are people like Cheryl Cole...they don't know andy other role models. That is the problem with our society today, nobody is looking out for the disadvataged, and programmes like this seem to have thier messages clouded by people worried that the upper classes might be blamed for everything.