Your First Job

[lordna]

... probably not a thread for those of you who already had a pre-planned vocation mapped~out in one or other of the graduate professions.

Mine was [unexpectedly] as a lowly insurance clerk (1961-67) at the Perth Head Office of a worldwide organisation formerly known as 'General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corporation Ltd', referred to locally as the 'GA' or 'GAFLAC'. - later, merged with Commercial Union ... in turn, absorbed by Norwich Union and, ultimately, Aviva.

How about yours???

My first job was as an apprentice electrician earning £4 19s 11d a week which i did until deciding to study electrical engineering at a higher level.

But the interesting bit is I gave up that career to go into computers and this eventually led me to work for Commercial Union as a programmer/analyst. I lived through the mergers with GA, then Norwich Union until AVIVA also made me redundant in 20002. Coincidence!

[Arthur Little]

My first job was as an apprentice electrician earning £4 19s 11d a week which i did until deciding to study electrical engineering at a higher level.

But the interesting bit is I gave up that career to go into computers and this eventually led me to work for Commercial Union as a programmer/analyst. I lived through the mergers with GA, then Norwich Union until AVIVA also made me redundant in 2002. Coincidence!

Indeed, a coincidence ... !

During MY time with General Accident, I was one of hundreds at Head Office who sat an "Aptitude Test" to determine whether or not they'd prove to be suitable candidates for training as future Computer Programmers. Alas, I wasn't considered.

Can't remember the exact criteria (as nearly half a century has elapsed since I "tried my hand" ... but I do recall the examiners setting their sights on applicants [ideally] scoring an 'A' pass (of which, I later heard, there were comparatively few) or at least a 'B'. Like the vast majority, I'd been graded 'C' which didn't qualify.

So ... well done on your commendable achievement.