Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Where are you and where are you going?
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Jean
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Location: Switzterland

Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by Jean »

I know they do. I just wan't to hide them to hr long enough so that they give me money :D

I don't think perseverance itself will work. I need to create an act that people understand.

I don't know how hard i considered them. I was under the illusion that they should help generate income in most setting. It was a big disapointment to see that they don't.
I don't really understand what you mean with the second :D

delay
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by delay »

Jean wrote:
Wed Dec 25, 2024 6:51 am
I don't think perseverance itself will work. I need to create an act that people understand.
Consider talking to intermediaries, like staffing or temp agencies. They have a financial intetest in placing you. Once you are in, it's often easier to move on.

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loutfard
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by loutfard »

Jean wrote:
Wed Dec 25, 2024 6:51 am
I need to create an act that people understand.

I don't know how hard i considered them. I was under the illusion that they should help generate income in most setting. It was a big disapointment to see that they don't.
I don't really understand what you mean with the second :D
Efficiently harvesting more money from your superb talents like out-of-the-box thinking does not necessarily have to be as an employee. A different format might even be easier. How deeply have you explored those options?

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Jean
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by Jean »

@delay
A few agency have my dossier. Last time one tried to push me to a company for a position I was well qualified for, he left into depression during the process :D bad luck?

@loutfard
I think about it a lot, but I have a very hard time to imagine a formula.

bos
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by bos »

Walking along the coast of Latvia with you and @guitarplayer, we talked briefly about career options. I might repeat a few things we discussed, but I hope this helps you.
From what I have seen. You are a genius. A creative and unique individual. However, I’ve learned through my own experience as an interviewer in big-corp that these qualities aren’t always valued. Big companies often prioritize conformity and predictable results over individuality and creative problem-solving

That said, the world is so much bigger than big corporations, and the tech industry I’m part of is just one tiny slice of the job market. Many people, myself partly included, often use tech jobs to accumulate and leave when the time is right a.k.a ERE. :D

Some things that stood out to me during the time we spent together. First, your kind. Really remarkable and maybe even rare?
You’re also incredibly strong, both physically and mentally. While physical strength may not be as valued as it was centuries ago, there are still many labor-intensive roles where it can shine.
Beyond that, your patient, and your knowledge of nature is practically endless.

With these qualities we have a few jobs I can think off.

Outdoor Work: Forestry, park ranger roles, or construction work might fit with your strength and love of being outside.

Caregiving : As @guitarplayer mentioned, healthcare roles or support work for people with disabilities could be a perfect fit. These fields kinda value and pay for your patience and caring approach.

Switzerland has a unique mix of extremely high income and low immegration. You speak multiple languages, which you can use to your advantage.

For example, I think you could thrive as **alpine guide or outdoor adventure leader**, working with German, French, or crazy rich Asian tourists to share the beauty of Switzerland’s natural landscapes.

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loutfard
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by loutfard »

I could imagine you naturally growing into a combination of any of the following:
- your current intermittent job
- project based work in construction with you in control, perhaps with external financing from very close trusted people (parents?)
- alpine guide/outdoor adventure leader/(seasonal?) trail maintenance crew
- creativity workshops for tech teams
- ...

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Jean
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Location: Switzterland

Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by Jean »

Tour guide comes up often, both in my fantasies and people suggestion.
One of my former idea was to be a tour guide, as a way to take people who work on complex problem on tours, get them to talk about it, and solve their problems.
I have no idea how to do that though, and the insurance and certification issue is quite a big investment.

Construction work outside of my own property isn't very appealing. My back still hurts from time to time from a roof tiling day. It can be done for a few month, but it isn't a long term plan.
I'm currently trying to work in care, but pay is really poor, because Switzerland do has a lot of immigration.I'll still do it for what I might learn from it.

chenda
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by chenda »

+1 to arboriculturist. One of the few professions left which don't require a degree and gets you out on site. Lots of freelance opportunities. Either as a consultant (non-physical) or a tree surgeon (physical) I think it would appeal to you, especially as you own a forest.

See https://www.trees.org.uk/Careers/Career ... oriculture

Henry
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by Henry »

Jean wrote:
Wed Dec 25, 2024 5:33 am
My girlfriend would like me to make more money.
Who's doesn't.

guitarplayer
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by guitarplayer »

Seeing tahini in a Madrid shop for 2.5 times the price I pay in Glasgow made me think of you.

Let us know how the first night shift went once you’ve got one done!

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Jean
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by Jean »

I applied for a internship in my field. They declined with no explanation.
I'm very frustrated. I would like the whole economy to crash and everyone to lose their jobs.

chenda
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by chenda »

I would like to reiterate my previous suggestion.

zbigi
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by zbigi »

Jean wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2025 8:23 am
I applied for a internship in my field. They declined with no explanation.
I'm very frustrated. I would like the whole economy to crash and everyone to lose their jobs.
By "your field" you mean the field you started your PhD studies in? When was the last time you did any work related to that field? If not recently, then that's reason enough for choosing someone else over you.
Engineering jobs are good, sought after jobs. People compete with each other to land such jobs, there's always more candidates than open positions. It's not McDonalds or random nonskilled physical labor, where you just get the job if you apply.

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Jean
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by Jean »

@chenda Being an arborist is dangerous, pourly paid, and require several certification if you want to be insured. And i'm not playing in the air with a chainsaw without any insurance.

@zbigi
This is an internship, not a senior position, I have all the stated requirement for it. If they put an open position, and they don't even bother to justify their refusals to see the applicant, they deserve to be flooded with hundreds of fake applications with varicous buttholes as resume pictures.

chenda
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by chenda »

Jean wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2025 4:35 pm
@chenda Being an arborist is dangerous, pourly paid, and require several certification if you want to be insured. And i'm not playing in the air with a chainsaw without any insurance.
You can do it as a desk job, you don't need to climb trees. Salaries are around £30 - £40 000 a year. Probably more in Switzerland.

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Jean
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by Jean »

Then it's at least 4 year of schooling. That could be nice. But not nice enough to invest 4 years into it, with the risk of not getting a job after working several years to get one.
After my useless degree, I'm very reluctant to invest any significant amount of time for unknown results.
Someone gave me a website which is a kind of Uber for tour guide. But my registration was refused, because a telegram channel isn't a proper website for them apparently.
I'll give you my telegram channel here so that you can see pictures of my hunting trips.
https://t.me/jeanstrautmann

bos
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by bos »

Jean wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2025 4:35 pm
@zbigi
This is an internship, not a senior position, I have all the stated requirement for it. If they put an open position, and they don't even bother to justify their refusals to see the applicant
To reiterate was @zbigi says. Requirements don't mean much in today's age and there will always be more supply then demand. Intern and junior roles aren’t like low-skilled jobs where you create immediate value—they’re long-term investments for companies. It's a gamble, because they need to invest a lot in you.

I think it’s been mentioned here before, but the opportunity for working in your studied field has likely passed. Continue to focus on it will only lead to frustration, so it’s better to let it go and move forward.

zbigi
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by zbigi »

bos wrote:
Tue Jan 07, 2025 1:49 am
I think it’s been mentioned here before, but the opportunity for working in your studied field has likely passed. Continue to focus on it will only lead to frustration, so it’s better to let it go and move forward.
Or, possibly, get another Masters from a good school in this or adjacent field. This will signal to employer that you're serious about wanting to spend your working life pursuing a career in this field. Given your previous work history (which, from employer's point of view, shows you don't regard having a career as something you value, or are for some reason or another unable to get on the career track), you'll still be at a disadvantage vs typical 24 year old university grad, so investing the time in a Masters would be a gamble.

On the other hand, you live in a country with very high salaries, you're very frugal and already own your house. I bet you could support a family (children) doing almost anything, probably even part-time, and don't need to bother with getting on a career track. Getting a "good job" would be more about satisfying ego than a real neccessity.
Last edited by zbigi on Tue Jan 07, 2025 4:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

zbigi
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by zbigi »

Jean wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2025 4:35 pm

@zbigi
This is an internship, not a senior position, I have all the stated requirement for it. If they put an open position, and they don't even bother to justify their refusals to see the applicant, they deserve to be flooded with hundreds of fake applications with varicous buttholes as resume pictures.
I think they don't bother to justify because some non-negligible portion of the candidates might be assholes who could try to sue them for reasons given for dismissal. It's enough that less-than bright HR drone uses some unfortunate wording in the refusal explanation and BAM - lawsuit. Companies are just playing defense, and not giving reasons for refusal. However, if you get in touch with the hiring manager (e.g. reach out to him via LinkedIn), there's a chance you'd explain to you why they chose other candidates over you.

chenda
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Re: Smelly Swiss Dilettante

Post by chenda »

Jean wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2025 5:41 pm
Then it's at least 4 year of schooling.
No you can train vocationally.

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