This might seem a bit pointless, but I reached a personal milestone yesterday. I'm now 24 and I begin my PhD in October, and yesterday I finished working at a cafe I have worked in for the past couple of years. The reason why it was important to me was the fact that it might be the last low-paid, low-skill job I ever have to do (touch wood). I come from quite a poor background and thus have had to have a job since I was about 10. I started washing dishes for the chip shop downstairs and earned £1.20 an hour. Then at 12 I got a paper round which earned me about £15 a week (money went so much further 12 years ago), followed by a job again washing dishes in a hotel where my aunt worked. After that at 16 I got a job in a chicken factory (incidentally, this turned me vegetarian), followed by University where I worked in a stockroom for Next, followed by working as a refuse loader (binman) for my local council for a summer. Then I got a job in a snooker club, got attacked by a ned and decided to pack that in, which was followed by again washing dishes in a restaurant, although I got trained as an assistant chef eventually. Then I worked for Historic Scotland as a Steward which involved giving guided tours etc, but I still worked some evenings in the restaurant. Finally I ended up in this cafe even though I worked there before, left, and then came back again.

And so, I am taking tutorials whilst I do my PhD, on top of my scholarship, which is far better money than all of these jobs. For me, I feel so relieved to have hopefully put all this behind me. Some may find all this a bit uneventful but for me it represents the light at the end of the tunnel and it feels damn good.

Wow, you've done a lot of jobs! well done for reaching this point :-)

Killahtron, Congratulations! It is a good feeling isn't it! I also worked alot of jobs, although not as many as this, you beat me hands down, but I've worked in a good number of nursing homes and hotels from scrubbing dishes to cleaning rooms up to restaurant supervisor. But I remember leaving my job at hotel to start my PhD and the feeling I had!

I do remember my sup saying - are you a good waitress? to which I said, yes acually! And he said (and I should have known then what a tool he would turn out to be) - Good, just in case this doesn't work out for you and you mess up the PhD! Anyway, I'm pleased to say, i'm almost finished and although over the 4 years sometimes I've wondered what was so bad about waitressing, I know I would never want to go back to it full time.
I can't say i'm not working in a low paid job, but it is skilled so it could be worse! I work at my local science centre engaging adults and children with science, and I love it!

I really hope this is it for you and you can put those years behind you!

Enjoy the good feelings!
AL

For me, the money isn't that important either. It's the chance to finally engage in something I enjoy 100% of the time that is the most liberating thing about it.

Yep, i'm just the same! which unfortunately some people in your life may not understand - mainly my sup, which seems to have caused a rift between us this year (on his part anyway!).
Luckily, I know that it doesn't really matter to me, I mean, a little more money would be great, but only so I could earn more than I did on my phd bursary and can save more steadily for my future. But generally, I just love the job, and the reward I feel with each project I do is what I have craved for for years!

So just you enjoy that feeling of knowing you are putting your talents and abilities to good use! (up)

Well, I'm just away to start my PhD and I get the impression that I will get on well with my supervisor. He told me to work hard, but enjoy yourself as well and don't run yourself into the ground. He also said that I surely can't be doing what I'm doing for the money because if that was my goal I would have gotten a job in banking or something.

I'm very happy for you Killahtron :-) I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to being in your position. I'm 27 and I am now on job number 17. There have been some truly sh*tty ones in there! My current job is alright, but plenty of other people could just as easily do it, a point which frustrates me more than the poor pay. This is indeed a big milestone, and I think it takes a lot of long years struggling through horrible, mundane, poorly paid, low skill jobs to understand and fully appreciate just how important this is for you.

Congratulations! (tree)