Certifications and similar qualifiers

[Gerry Hunter]

While I got my inspiration from a job application the basic notion of being certifiable is in no way concerned with the application of those certifications to employment. I'm looking to become a more well rounded and knowledgeable person, not a more qualified prospective employee.

I refuse to set foot in a school for anything I don't have to, at least until they ditch this foolishness that they call modern education and actually start expanding the knowledge and understanding of people through engaging discourse and practical exploration of the actual world. The notion that knowing what day in what given year a named individual fired the shot that started some conflict is knowing history - Bah idiocy, the importance of events is in the political, social, and economic factors pre through post conflict and what it teaches us of the foundation of our existing world, the parallels we now face and the implications for our future. Mindless Recitation is an idiots skill and I will gladly leave them to it.

No what I want is mementos that say I sampled the world and all that it has to offer. I want it to be more than my word that I did it, and I want the ability to be recognised as having earned the knowledge of an assortment of qualifications.

[Wormster]

Ah so what you're looking for is a universal panacea that doesn't exsist!

[Gerry Hunter]

Ah so what you're looking for is a universal panacea that doesn't exist!

You seem to be missing the whole point here wormster. You are really focused on this job and work aspect of things.

A panacea is a remedy. I am not sick, nor do I need to fix anything in my life.

This is an exercise in personal growth. Of character development. Of making memories and life experiences.

In the end nothing will need to be 'repaired', no additional job prospect will suddenly be open, no fame or fortune. Just the stories of gone to learn how to do astrological charts and having proof of being able to do so. Just the ability to help people using first aid techniques I was trained in. Just being able to use sign language, tutor in history, Reading and speaking Mandarin, ect. This sort of thing most definitely does exist, and I am most definitely find as much of it as I can for exploring myself and expanding my horizons.

I don't live to work, and the job market doesn't dictate how I define myself, or dictate the course of my personal growth and expression of my very being.

The difference between this and arm chair know-it-alls is that I will be doing it in the presence of others and have documentation of my understanding the topic well enough to be trusted as being knowledgeable rather than believing something and yet having never tested myself nor sought outside opinion. I've known a few who fell into kookville because they forgot to check in with humanity to see if they had wandered a bit far off.

[Wormster]

You seem to be missing the whole point here wormster. You are really focused on this job and work aspect of things.

Too fricking right mate!! having been unemployed for more 3 months I look at everything in what it can do for ME - money, qualifications, time, food, sleep the list goes on!!

You originally asked about certifications:

I'm rather curious of late about certifications. I've resorted to looking at employment in the US a bit over the last few years, and many of the applications I've filled have a section asking for any certifications or the like. It's completely destinct from educational diplomas.

It has me wondering if there are a whole slew of certificates and qualifications I could get to hang on my walls. Prefferably ones that didn't take years to get or cost hundreds.

I'd fancy being able to hand out cards with my name and many 'Certified ____'s on them.

Can anybody give me any ideas what types of certifications there are to be had (and the process by which to gain them if it's not immediately obvious or easy to find).

So as a collective group we came back with dozens of applicable "real world" certifications. Now maybe I used the wrong terminology in my last reply, but essentially what you now seem to be looking for just isn't feasible in this day and age - the best thing you could put on any business card would be something along the lines of "life experienced - life coach".

ANY certification (unless its a bogus one from the interwebs) IS going to cost BOTH time and money.

As you intend to go down your esoteric road the only thing I can suggest is that you open your heart to your peers and be honest with them and yourself, pass on your knowledge, happy that you feel "certified" doing so!

I shall however continue on my path of amassing trade skill certifications in order to take my life onwards, out of the debt ridden, emotional and physical mess that it is right now and progress with my own agenda!

[Narsil]

Ah so what you're looking for is a universal panacea that doesn't exist!

You seem to be missing the whole point here wormster. You are really focused on this job and work aspect of things.

A panacea is a remedy. I am not sick, nor do I need to fix anything in my life.

This is an exercise in personal growth. Of character development. Of making memories and life experiences.

In the end nothing will need to be 'repaired', no additional job prospect will suddenly be open, no fame or fortune. Just the stories of gone to learn how to do astrological charts and having proof of being able to do so. Just the ability to help people using first aid techniques I was trained in. Just being able to use sign language, tutor in history, Reading and speaking Mandarin, ect. This sort of thing most definitely does exist, and I am most definitely find as much of it as I can for exploring myself and expanding my horizons.

I don't live to work, and the job market doesn't dictate how I define myself, or dictate the course of my personal growth and expression of my very being.

The difference between this and arm chair know-it-alls is that I will be doing it in the presence of others and have documentation of my understanding the topic well enough to be trusted as being knowledgeable rather than believing something and yet having never tested myself nor sought outside opinion. I've known a few who fell into kookville because they forgot to check in with humanity to see if they had wandered a bit far off.

I'm not entirely sure what you're saying here....

Are you interested in gaining new skills and experience or do you want documentary 'proof' of skills and experience that you already have ?

To a large extent it depends on what level of 'proof' you require. Even in industry and employment certificates and qualifications are not the be all and end all, generally they represent a minimum requirement and specific achievements and experience will be the real 'value' of a person's CV. What certification does is show that you have reached a specific and standardised level of attainment in a particular area, this inevitably requires some sort of formalised assessment process and it's ultimately only as good as the credibility of the body which awards it.

For example a degree (from a real university) has value because they are awarded by a system which is closely regulated and standardised and so represents a nationally (and to a large extent internationally) recognised level of achievement in a particular field and most people have a good idea of what that means.

The upshot of this is that there is no simple way to translate self taught knowledge and informal experience into a paper qualification. It may make gaining qualifications easier but there is no way to short circuit the process entirely.

I would suggest that if you want 'proof' of your skills and experience the best approach would be to look at what tangible evidence you already have.

For example, for an artist qualifications mean very little, there simply aren't any qualifications that 'prove' that you are a good artist. The proof is in the actual work that you have made which can be documented in a variety of ways and, by extension, your reputation.

[Gerry Hunter]

I'm not entirely sure what you're saying here....

Are you interested in gaining new skills and experience or do you want documentary 'proof' of skills and experience that you already have ?

To a large extent it depends on what level of 'proof' you require. Even in industry and employment certificates and qualifications are not the be all and end all, generally they represent a minimum requirement and specific achievements and experience will be the real 'value' of a person's CV. What certification does is show that you have reached a specific and standardised level of attainment in a particular area, this inevitably requires some sort of formalised assessment process and it's ultimately only as good as the credibility of the body which awards it.

For example a degree (from a real university) has value because they are awarded by a system which is closely regulated and standardised and so represents a nationally (and to a large extent internationally) recognised level of achievement in a particular field and most people have a good idea of what that means.

The upshot of this is that there is no simple way to translate self taught knowledge and informal experience into a paper qualification. It may make gaining qualifications easier but there is no way to short circuit the process entirely.

I would suggest that if you want 'proof' of your skills and experience the best approach would be to look at what tangible evidence you already have.

For example, for an artist qualifications mean very little, there simply aren't any qualifications that 'prove' that you are a good artist. The proof is in the actual work that you have made which can be documented in a variety of ways and, by extension, your reputation.

No, I can see how my using a future past tense might be a bit confusing. I was just trying to generate a list of skills that could be learned from people or organisations that I will then get a certificate for completing and be able to show proudly. I think it's very Victorian to amass knowledge and skills, and even more in line with DIY culture and steampunk. But once I find those little niches of training and get certificates of completion of courses they can be like the old time stamps on a suitcase or steamer trunk, only for skills instead of distant lands.

completing a calligraphy course might be one. I'd considered life guard but I've not gone swimming since puberty, for reasons I've explained before. first aid. There is an artist guild that juries people in near here. I might see if I can learn signlanguage. Maybe see about getting experience with a handgun. maybe something for pyrotechnics. Maybe a belt in martial art or two. Maybe join a magicians circle. possibly a hypnotism. Learn a language and test as reasonably fluent. Rocketry. Rock climbing, rafting, pilot of small aircraft, join some amateur societies and get a membership card.

Appraisal and bartending might be fun like D. Oakes said. It would depend on the cost. I'm not much up for anything that costs me over two hundred or has renewals every year with associated cost or additional classes I have to pay for each year. I'm not after mastership in anything just the exploration of the world and filling my life with a diversity.

[von Corax]

The American Homebrewers Association offers a Beer Judge Certification Program. Is that esoteric enough for ya?

[rovingjack]

I don't know that she ever said esoteric was the qualifier for these things.

Seems to me the merit badge referance is really the whole point. Sorta like merit badges for grown ups. Take a few classes, learn a skill and have a form of completion to show for it.

But then I seem to be the only person who doesn't think this is about career advancement or being an eccentric kook.

Try looking at grade schools that offer adult education classes at night. they often have several classes per night, and while not really certificates at the end you can have the class final/photos of finished project/ or even just the reciept for the class to show for it.

[D.Oakes]

I don't know that she ever said esoteric was the qualifier for these things.

Seems to me the merit badge referance is really the whole point. Sorta like merit badges for grown ups. Take a few classes, learn a skill and have a form of completion to show for it.

But then I seem to be the only person who doesn't think this is about career advancement or being an eccentric kook.

Try looking at grade schools that offer adult education classes at night. they often have several classes per night, and while not really certificates at the end you can have the class final/photos of finished project/ or even just the reciept for the class to show for it.

I have taught classes like that.  I didn't charge much ($5-$15 per class) because all you were getting was extra knowledge that you may or may not ever use again.  I targeted people who were either starting college, in college and wanting some further information on a topic they skimmed over, planning a vacation to a place where the info was relevant, or were just bored.  (I taught Renaissance Art, Baroque Art, Symbolism, Surrealism, Post-Modernism, Catholic/Orthodox Iconography, and a few courses on Philosophy and History)  Now that said the others who taught at the same place often charged upwards of $200 for a class in let's say sewing patches on jeans to make them look different or using some New Age crap to better your life.  (and we aren't talking Reiki or massage....we're talking scams that people have been sucked into over the years promising a better outlook, etc.)  The final straw was when I was paid late for an art piece I sold there, most likely the money ended up funding some stupid trip to a convention to learn how to heal with crystals....or was it the pyramid scheme.....   

Clarification on the specific pyramid scheme:  You can talk people into paying upwards of $1000 to do exactly what facebook and myspace and this forum already do for free.  "It's networking...."  "Yes if you consider paying $500 to somebody so you can find and meet other people dumb enough to pay $500 so they can find and meet other people dumb enough to pay $500 so they can......"  Anytime some place offers certifications in some abstract idea or "service" run the other direction. 

[frances]

I used to think that having certificates would be the key to all things, so I went out and got a batch of them.

Then I realised that all you really need is well-connected friends.

I never managed to acquire the latter though I still have a handful of the former.

[Kittybriton]

I was just trying to generate a list of skills that could be learned from people or organisations that I will then get a certificate for completing and be able to show proudly. I think it's very Victorian to amass knowledge and skills, and even more in line with DIY culture and steampunk.

The idea of gaining tangible proof for learning is laudable, certainly. But do not make the mistake of acquiring trophies simply for the sake of a trophy wall.

BE a polymath! Scattered amongst the company here assembled there are a few, modest souls whose learning is evident in almost every post they make, though they make no bold claims of erudition. It is to approach their lofty achievements that I aspire.

[Gerry Hunter]

I don't know that she ever said esoteric was the qualifier for these things.

Seems to me the merit badge reference is really the whole point. Sorta like merit badges for grown ups. Take a few classes, learn a skill and have a form of completion to show for it.

But then I seem to be the only person who doesn't think this is about career advancement or being an eccentric kook.

Try looking at grade schools that offer adult education classes at night. they often have several classes per night, and while not really certificates at the end you can have the class final/photos of finished project/ or even just the receipt for the class to show for it.

Thank you at least. That was a good jumping off point. Apparently there are some Universities reasonably close that run classes. The other thing that seems to be a useful idea is membership in 'amateur societies of ___'.

Aside from that I think I'm pretty much done talking about this here. Never expected such a response from people who ooo and ah over dead animal heads all over walls and skins on the floors, or display cases of rayguns. Are you really telling me that learning to be and herbalist, and an aviator, and a target shooter, and an astronomer, and wishing to show that I've devoted some time and reached a certain level of knowledge in these by making a nice display of my skills is too Gaudy?

Thirty some odd replies and all but a few are pessimistic at best and condescending in some cases. Rather disappointing really.

So I shall persue my own personal growth and breadth of experience on my own time and not plague those here with my conceit and self indulgence by prattling on these boards with my nonsense. I shall in the future try my best to restrict myself to talking about pictures of cats or some other such things that require no spirit of the quest or opportunity for adventure. -And yes I'm aware I'm being over dramatic, I've a right to be-

[Narsil]

Surely the proof of acquiring new skills is that you can do new things ? If for example you learn how to paint in watercolours then hanging some of your paintings on your wall is surely much better proof than a printed certificate which says ' Mr X has successfully completed a course in basic watercolour painting'.

The problem here is not that people are being negative, there have been plenty of useful practical suggestions, but that what you want doesn't really exist. You can get certificates for academic qualifications and formal technical training but you've already said that you don't want to pay what these cost.

There are plenty of opportunities to learn practical skills and gain experience without it costing you a lot of money but the simple fact is that if you want a formal certificate which has any real meaning you need to complete some sort of formal assessment.

Lets look at the four examples you give above, aviator, herbalist, target shooter and astronomer :

aviator: learning to fly is not something you can really teach yourself, not in the sense of actually being able to fly a plane. There are two reasons for this. The first is that flying requires quite a lot of practice, as in hours flying a real aircraft, to be able to do safely, you need to have an understanding of the physical characteristics of the aircraft, basic maintenance, regulations and procedures for air traffic, navigation, weather etc.

Secondly to fly an aircraft on your own in any remotely civilised part of the world you will need a pilots license issued by the appropriate authority, this requires formal instruction in both the theory and practice of flying as well as logging a certain number of flight hours under proper supervision.

All this is perfectly possible to do and you will get all kinds of paperwork in the process but it is a very expensive business. What you certainly won't get is any kind of certificate saying 'I can fly a plane a bit..well I've read a few books on flying and I'm pretty sure I could do it'.

Herbalist: There are plenty of books on the subject from which you could probably learn a lot, but a herbalism is a form of medicine and many of the ingredients are potentially very dangerous, especially if you misidentify them. Therefore it is not unreasonable to say that to formally call yourself a herbalist you should be able to demonstrate a similar level of competence  and professionalism to that of a doctor.

Target Shooter: this seems a lot more realistic, although bear in mind that certifications are more likely to be for basic range safety than demonstrating a level of skills as such. On the other hand target shooting is a competitive sport so there is plenty of scope for displaying trophies from competitions or indeed you could simply frame any targets that you are especially proud of.

Astronomer: Again perfectly possible to teach yourself, there are a huge variety of books on all levels of the subject and the equipment is available relatively inexpensively, a decent pair of binoculars should suffice to begin with. Certificates are a bit more problematic unless you go for academic qualifications but something as simple as displaying annotated star charts on your wall should demonstrate your interest in the subject.

The real point that people are trying to make is that focusing too much on certificates may be leading you up a blind alley. Even the most rigorous certifications are only ever a starting point, demonstrating a basic minimum level of competence. Most serious professions require a certain amount of practical experience and demonstration of ability before an individual gets to call themselves a full paid up professional. This is certainly the case with medicine, law, engineering, architecture and research science.

What people are trying to get across is that there are much better ways to provide evidence of your skills and experiences than certificates on a wall and indeed placing too much emphasis on getting them may actually hinder your learning process since the academic system is not always the best way to acquire practical skills precisely because it's often about ticking boxes towards a standardised assessment at the end. 

You will almost certainly find that if you just focus on getting good at something then all the evidence and mementos will happen of their own accord.

[Kittybriton]

Dear Gerry (and anyone who feels similarly), I hope my disparaging remark about the ubiquitous trophy wall was not misunderstood.

Are you really telling me that learning to be and herbalist, and an aviator, and a target shooter, and an astronomer, and wishing to show that I've devoted some time and reached a certain level of knowledge in these by making a nice display of my skills is too Gaudy?

I wholeheartedly support the idea of continuing to educate yourself, and I'm sure that you could make an impressive display of certificates and awards.

I just hope sincerely that you don't run into the same kind of trouble I did, with employers continually turning me down on the grounds that I was over-educated for half the jobs I applied for, and not qualified for the rest. (This in spite of having taken a new qualification as a requirement of almost every job I have held!) Nobody can understand the distress of being long-term unemployed until they have experienced the situation (and I had family members who opined on my inability to find work).

Bottom line, I guess; PhD = Post-hole Digger

[D.Oakes]

Dear Gerry (and anyone who feels similarly), I hope my disparaging remark about the ubiquitous trophy wall was not misunderstood.

Are you really telling me that learning to be and herbalist, and an aviator, and a target shooter, and an astronomer, and wishing to show that I've devoted some time and reached a certain level of knowledge in these by making a nice display of my skills is too Gaudy?

I wholeheartedly support the idea of continuing to educate yourself, and I'm sure that you could make an impressive display of certificates and awards.

I just hope sincerely that you don't run into the same kind of trouble I did, with employers continually turning me down on the grounds that I was over-educated for half the jobs I applied for, and not qualified for the rest. (This in spite of having taken a new qualification as a requirement of almost every job I have held!) Nobody can understand the distress of being long-term unemployed until they have experienced the situation (and I had family members who opined on my inability to find work).

Bottom line, I guess; PhD = Post-hole Digger

My fiance dropped out of college, the bulk of her coworkers never went to college and they make more than myself and my coworkers at the museum who are all either in college or finished college.....  I never was able to get a job until one of my friends hired me on with his siding company.  Then when I would be in contact with employers I could say that I had a job and they became more interested allowing me to get the job interviews which allowed me to talk the talk and get the job.  Now I am actually having the problem where I need to turn a job offer down and am not sure how to do so because at the time I got the job offer the hours at my other two jobs sucked and now they are great.  Not to put down anyone with college degrees or certificates, but they mean absolutely nothing unless you can talk or communicate your abilities in some way.  Kittybriton, how many of the jobs that you applied for ever led to a job interview? 

So wait in the UK you can be a "certified" target shooter?  .....alright as somebody who has grown up around guns my entire life and am very skilled at using them and knew from a young age the safety issues....this is a completely alien to me and I will have to say that the bulk of safety rules with guns are common sense...."don't point the business end at people even when the gun is unloaded." 

[MWBailey]

 No amount of leggings will stop a finely tuned and sharpened chain attached to a 10hp gas motor!

 


Or a double-bit axe.

And, face shields will not stop a tree from squashing your head or stop a chain kickback ... hardhats are required though in duties with overhead hazards (we don't think of a hardhat as a hat per se ... more of a helmet).  Check out 'Axmen' ... there's a few crews from this area.

Hat: Something idiots wear instead of a helmet
Helmet: Something for distracted idiots to catch their blood in. (Sign in a local sawmill)

[Birdnest]

 No amount of leggings will stop a finely tuned and sharpened chain attached to a 10hp gas motor!

 


Or a double-bit axe.

And, face shields will not stop a tree from squashing your head or stop a chain kickback ... hardhats are required though in duties with overhead hazards (we don't think of a hardhat as a hat per se ... more of a helmet).  Check out 'Axmen' ... there's a few crews from this area.

Hat: Something idiots wear instead of a helmet
Helmet: Something for distracted idiots to catch their blood in. (Sign in a local sawmill)

     ...   Experience is the best certification.  Attention is the best safety gear.  'nuf said.

Target Shooter: this seems a lot more realistic, although bear in mind that certifications are more likely to be for basic range safety than demonstrating a level of skills as such. On the other hand target shooting is a competitive sport so there is plenty of scope for displaying trophies from competitions or indeed you could simply frame any targets that you are especially proud of.

The trophies on your mantle will attest to your skill regarding those murderous targets.  BUT ... there are mandatory certifications for CCW and the ownership and use of class III, as well as basic proficiency certificates to get a hunting license.  I'd keep those particular certificates put away - displaying them could give an untended negative impression.

[Kittybriton]

how many of the jobs that you applied for ever led to a job interview?

Almost all of them led to interviews. Many of them also resulted in requests for me to produce work samples.
Two of them resulted in actual jobs.

[citizen_erased]

 Experience is the best certification.  Attention is the best safety gear.  'nuf said.

The problem is gaining experience when all companies only want people with several years of experience.

[Rev. Jade]

I apologize if this has already been said; I skimmed through but didn't see it.
You can become legally ordained online, which allows you to perform weddings and all that kind of good stuff.
I have my "Credentials of Ministry" from the Universal Life Church Monastery framed and hanging on my wall, and I married two of my really good friends.
It was a very cool experience.

You can also take a number of courses (or just the examinations) to be certified in a number of beer and distilling related areas.
Here is a list of examinations offered by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, as well as a list of classes to prepare you for said exams.

[D.Oakes]

I apologize if this has already been said; I skimmed through but didn't see it.
You can become legally ordained online, which allows you to perform weddings and all that kind of good stuff.
I have my "Credentials of Ministry" from the Universal Life Church Monastery framed and hanging on my wall, and I married two of my really good friends.
It was a very cool experience.

You can also take a number of courses (or just the examinations) to be certified in a number of beer and distilling related areas.
Here is a list of examinations[/ul] offered by the [url=http://www.ibd.org.uk/]Institute of Brewing and Distilling, as well as a list of classes to prepare you for said exams.

THANK YOU!!!!  I actually need to do marriage one.  I have two requests to perform wedding ceremonies by friends who can't decide how to have one with several different religious view points involved and figure a religious studies person would be the best to combine them all...so I got thrown under the bus. 

[Narsil]

 No amount of leggings will stop a finely tuned and sharpened chain attached to a 10hp gas motor!

 


Or a double-bit axe.

And, face shields will not stop a tree from squashing your head or stop a chain kickback ... hardhats are required though in duties with overhead hazards (we don't think of a hardhat as a hat per se ... more of a helmet).  Check out 'Axmen' ... there's a few crews from this area.

Hat: Something idiots wear instead of a helmet
Helmet: Something for distracted idiots to catch their blood in. (Sign in a local sawmill)

In terms of safety 'experience' can be a bit of a double edged sword since it can mean you've just got away with doing something stupid for a long time.

if you rely on the 'it's never happened to me' mentality you have to be lucky every time, you only need to be unlucky once...

So called common sense is all very well but its a poor substitute for actually thinking about what you're doing and a lot of accidents happen because of people doing things which they don't realise are dangerous and there is a string underlying reason for this.

Most safety procedures are based on arranging things so that several, separate things need to go wrong for an accident to happen. Ignoring or circumventing any one of those things, by definition, won't have any noticeable effect so there is a temptation to amuse that they are unnecessary. The problem occures when all of the safety procedures are routinely ignored, this is all fine until the one extra (entirely foreseeable) thing does go wrong and then you have a disaster happening and, probably all of the ways of stopping it from getting worse aren't working either an suddenly people are 'deeply regretting operational oversights' and looking very hard for somebody else to blame.

Also bear in mind that something which is 99% safe will cause an accident one every hundred times you do it....

[Captain Braid]

I was actually not really concerned with the job applicability of the certifications so much as getting certificates as sort of merit badges.

It looks like the very first and easiest one to get would be, first aid. I'm just curious what ones people can come up with and I'll start looking up requirements and such.

I want them to be something that I earn, not just something I bought as a novelty, but I'm not going to be using them regularly for the most part. Something to show for all the time I've spent learning to take advantage of neuroplasticity and intellectual growth.

OK I'm going to stick my five pennyworth in here.
I select candidates and conduct Job interviews based on many criteria, specifically the ones which are essential to the job's requirement.
One thing that stands out is the professional "Qualification Collector" and in the last 10 years I've seen applications from dozens of them. Unless the Certificates are relevant to a specific field or beneficial to your employability then gathering lots of them will actually be doing yourself a dis-service.

Recently I've seen an application for basic level IT job from someone who has, City & Guilds Qualifications in Cake Icing, Visual Techniques, Embriodery, French, Spanish, Creative Writing plus a number of others, All of which were used as "evidence" of the ability to learn, but all were taken to supliment her external interests and nothing to do with her work.

Four or five "work beneficial" qualifications earned on your own initiative will stand you in better stead than a hundred "scattergun" course diplomas.

[Jedediah Solomon]

No amount of leggings will stop a finely tuned and sharpened chain attached to a 10hp gas motor!

 


Or a double-bit axe.

And, face shields will not stop a tree from squashing your head or stop a chain kickback ... hardhats are required though in duties with overhead hazards (we don't think of a hardhat as a hat per se ... more of a helmet).  Check out 'Axmen' ... there's a few crews from this area.

Hat: Something idiots wear instead of a helmet
Helmet: Something for distracted idiots to catch their blood in. (Sign in a local sawmill)

In terms of safety 'experience' can be a bit of a double edged sword since it can mean you've just got away with doing something stupid for a long time.

if you rely on the 'it's never happened to me' mentality you have to be lucky every time, you only need to be unlucky once...

So called common sense is all very well but its a poor substitute for actually thinking about what you're doing and a lot of accidents happen because of people doing things which they don't realize are dangerous and there is a string underlying reason for this.

Quite right.  It has been noted that accidents involving Air powered Nail-Guns (for example) are most often caused by professionals, not because they use them day in and day out,nor because there are more of them being used by professionals than there are by Mr. Joe Handyman. The majority of Air-gun mishaps are due to safety devices being bypassed or held open to make the work go faster, or by complacency on the part of the operator. He is so familiar with his tools, he takes it in stride. Same goes of course with Band-saws, Table saws (just say saws in general) welding or cutting equipment, etc.  Novices still fear the equipment and handle it with respect. Once the fear is gone it is easy to become complacent "Oh, Don't worry ...I've done it this way a millio----OWWW"

[Dr. Munro]

I have a degree in International Relations from a respected university in the UK.  It helped me to get my first job working for a Member of Parliament.  When we lost the seat at the General Election though I was out of work for 9 months.  Nobody would take me on for the jobs I was applying for because they thought I was over-qualified for a role.  Most of them didn't even know what International Relations was.  I tried my hardest to find work and in the end I managed to grab myself a job as an Optical Assistant at an opticians.  It was only after I had been in the job for about a month or two that I found out that I nearly hadn't been offered it because they had thought I was over-qualified.  I've now been in the job for about one and a half years and I absolutely love it!  Now I'm taking further training to become a Hearing Aid Audiologist but at least this time I already have the job and it's in a subject that I can actually use.

Just goes to show though - just because someone has qualifications doesn't mean they'll be offered any job they go for and that just because they have those qualifications doesn't mean they won't be good at a job and won't stick around.  I think, to be honest, the current squeeze on jobs is going to mean that my story becomes more and more common amongst young people.