Under 25s most likely to be impacted economically

[Domh245]

What did you study ? Hopefully you will get something

Mech Eng - I'm sure I'll be able to get something, but looking through all the usual sites there is nothing that would be my first choice! Still, beggars can't be choosers

 

[Nym]

It's even worse when you hadn't got a job lined up, feels like they've all disappeared for now!

There are still companies in the rail industry that are looking for the right people, and they don't tend to work on the normal recruitment cycles.

 

[BJames]

Just to add in terms of impact, Cambridge have just announced their lectures will be online for the entirety of the next academic year: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52732814

There will be no face-to-face lectures at the University of Cambridge over the course of the next academic year due to coronavirus, it has been announced.

However, lectures will be available to students online and "it may be possible to host smaller teaching groups in person" if they meet social distancing requirements, the university said.

University campuses have been closed this term by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Cambridge will review the decision if advice on social distancing changes.

A statement from it read: "The university is constantly adapting to changing advice as it emerges during this pandemic.

"Given that it is likely that social distancing will continue to be required, the university has decided there will be no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year.

"Lectures will continue to be made available online and it may be possible to host smaller teaching groups in person, as long as this conforms to social distancing requirements.

"This decision has been taken now to facilitate planning, but as ever, will be reviewed should there be changes to official advice on coronavirus."

All teaching at the university was moved online in March, while exams are being carried out virtually.

Just thought I would share this for opinions? As a University student from another Russell Group institution, I would be more than disappointed with this happening for us and speaking to my fellow uni friends, we are all in agreement that this does not constitute the same level of quality of education that we would get with in person teaching (and also to echo comments in the other thread, it would help if the distance was reduced to 1 metre to aid flows of people through corridors etc). I have genuine concerns about a couple of people I have spoken to that will be choosing to drop out completely if this happens at my uni and restart from the beginning. They're worried it will devalue their degree and impact them once leaving university in terms of job markets etc.

I understand Cambridge are attempting to provide more clarity but it is my personal opinion that they have jumped the gun a bit. Why announce the whole year? It would surely make much more sense to announce the first term being moved online, as in the University of Manchester's case, in case things take a drastic turn for the better? Even if not a vaccine then a treatment has a high chance of being discovered before September 2021. But I would be interested to hear from anyone what they think about this, if they agree/disagree?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think I'd be looking to defer myself.

 

[Domh245]

There are still companies in the rail industry that are looking for the right people, and they don't tend to work on the normal recruitment cycles.

Reassuring to hear, although I'm pretty much left playing unemployment chicken - do I try and hold out for something interesting and relevant, which given the huge uncertainty is a fairly high risk or do I just grab the first offer that I might get.

Just to add in terms of impact, Cambridge have just announced their lectures will be online for the entirety of the next academic year: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52732814

Just thought I would share this for opinions? As a University student from another Russell Group institution, I would be more than disappointed with this happening for us and speaking to my fellow uni friends, we are all in agreement that this does not constitute the same level of quality of education that we would get with in person teaching (and also to echo comments in the other thread, it would help if the distance was reduced to 1 metre to aid flows of people through corridors etc). I have genuine concerns about a couple of people I have spoken to that will be choosing to drop out completely if this happens at my uni and restart from the beginning. They're worried it will devalue their degree and impact them once leaving university in terms of job markets etc.

I understand Cambridge are attempting to provide more clarity but it is my personal opinion that they have jumped the gun a bit. Why announce the whole year? It would surely make much more sense to announce the first term being moved online, as in the University of Manchester's case, in case things take a drastic turn for the better? Even if not a vaccine then a treatment has a high chance of being discovered before September 2021. But I would be interested to hear from anyone what they think about this, if they agree/disagree?

It does seem a bit premature to announce the full year will be online - I know Cambridge operates on a slightly different academic year to most, but that means they aren't expecting things to be back to normal by this time next year! At the very least I'd hope we'd be back to level 2 by then (low number of cases with contact tracing & minimal S.D.) I fully agree that the online teaching is no substitute for in person, I'm quite lucky in a sense that this hit right at the end of my degree, but I really do feel for those in lower years, particularly where core modules have been disrupted meaning it'll be more difficult to build on later in the degree.

I also can't help but laugh at the comment about hosting "smaller teaching groups in person" - somehow I don't think there'll be too many people living in Cambridge if they can't study there in person, although I guess there's an argument for this approach in the same sense that public transport is "essential journeys only" - if you can reduce the amount of undergraduates and teaching happening on campus, it makes it easier to do social distancing for things like research. It'd be interesting to see if the no in-person lectures applies to labs and practical workshops as well.

 

[ainsworth74]

do I try and hold out for something interesting and relevant, which given the huge uncertainty is a fairly high risk or do I just grab the first offer that I might get

My advice? Take what you can get. You can always quit later when something you're really keen on comes up.

 

[Nym]

Reassuring to hear, although I'm pretty much left playing unemployment chicken - do I try and hold out for something interesting and relevant, which given the huge uncertainty is a fairly high risk or do I just grab the first offer that I might get.

Someone already in work is usually more employable to be honest.

Drop me a line if you'd like any more advice.

 

[Yew]

Will the fact that travel, sport or entertainment were suspended for a few months really be a huge deal when we look back in 3, 5 or 10 years time ?

This isn't a few events being cancelled, the fundamental fabric of life has been rendered asunder it's a disproportionate response, with vast direct costs and economic consequences. Fundamentally, those who will bear the brunt of the consequences, are those that will see the least (statistical) benefit from their actions.

 

[yorkie]

This isn't a few events being cancelled, the fundamental fabric of life has been rendered asunder it's a disproportionate response, with vast direct costs and economic consequences. Fundamentally, those who will bear the brunt of the consequences, are those that will see the least (statistical) benefit from their actions.

Indeed ; @6Gman does not appear to be taking this seriously at all.

Or maybe things will be pretty well back to normal in a year's time. A lot of people will have had their plans disrupted. But they can then move on.

This is more about peoples livelihoods than "plans"!

I fell ill a few weeks before I was due to go to University. It put me back a year. Did it really impact adversely on my life? No. (Because that was one year. And I've had 40+ since then.)

I totally agree that being ill for a few weeks would not impact my life adversely. But losing my livelihood would!

Will the fact that travel, sport or entertainment were suspended for a few months really be a huge deal when we look back in 3, 5 or 10 years time ?

This is completely missing the point and demonstates a worrying lack of understanding.

 

[AntoniC]

I work for HMRC (nearly 32 years and counting ..) and have been involved in providing telephone support to both the Job Retention Scheme (JRS) and the Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and listening to both the employers who claimed on the JRS scheme and the self employed who have claimed on the SEISS scheme , Covid 19 has affected the whole economy and something needed to be done to provide support and to keep the country economically active, because when this all ends as a country we will still need the employed and self employed.
As others have said, you may not get the job you want, but if you have a job you are contributing and the country needs you.
Currently the future may not be great but it will get better.

 

[Jozhua]

Yeah, there's a lot of sanctamonisim from people, in fact it can be summed up about like this:

I see that there are people saying that;

"if you reopen any time in the next six
months, if any lockdown measure
whatsoever is relaxed over
the next six months, is because you want
people to die you don't care about human
life you put profits over people",

If you wanted to save every life there's
a really easy way to do that, take away
all these gas-powered four-wheeled
2000-pound things running around
everywhere!

I don't like when I hear people say that,
because I value life I really do, but I don't
think any public policy has ever been set
based on every single life, because if you set that as the metric, there's so many things in the world that you have to get rid of.

When Cuomo says "we'll worry about
this next year", it's like are we gonna
worry about it next year, or am I?

This is from this video:

A lot of people also frame the lockdown as being "inconvenient and difficult" but ultimately, not harmful. However, this is not really the case. Economic damage will surely effect people's health, as will months of being locked away in homes.

I think to a decent extent, significant damage would be blown Lockdown or not, but there should be some acceptance of the sacrifices being made by younger members of society for the benefit of a group which is often happy to call us 'lazy' and 'entitled'...

I personally couldn't vote in Brexit (only by a couple of years!), and will have to deal with the consequences of that, am now stuck inside to save older generations from Coronavirus and will have to deal with the consequences of climate change in my old age. Oh, not to forget consistent NIMBYISM making housing/transportation even more expensive and harder to access.

Look, I won't deny, I'm happy to have access to the technology and medicine, etc available today. And I don't think that there is a Conspiracy to screw the young. I just think there is a lack of awareness of some of the difficult circumstances we are put in. And whilst our world looks more modern and developed than ever before, the glass facades that surround us seem to do a good job of masking the basic needs many are struggling to fulfill, especially in regards to shelter. It can be difficult to fathom, but many people are stuck making the same difficult decisions they were decades ago, just phones and computers are a requesite for survival, rather than a luxury that proves they are not destitute.

This aside, I think universities announcing a move to online teaching now is dumb. Almost seems like administrators looking at ways of saving time, money and effort or perhaps trying to avoid defferals by offering some certainty. Either way, I've not done so well with this half semester of at home learning, and have learnt little to nothing. Which is fine, I get the circumstances, but I don't think students should be forced to stay at home once almost everyone is back to work, especially considering the majority of students are in low risk groups.

Online lectures and in person practical sessions/seminars in smaller groups seems reasonable. Libraries and study facilities should remain open following social distancing guidelines.

 

[43066]

Yeah, there's a lot of sanctamonisim from people, in fact it can be summed up about like this:

This is from this video:

A lot of people also frame the lockdown as being "inconvenient and difficult" but ultimately, not harmful. However, this is not really the case. Economic damage will surely effect people's health, as will months of being locked away in homes.

I think to a decent extent, significant damage would be blown Lockdown or not, but there should be some acceptance of the sacrifices being made by younger members of society for the benefit of a group which is often happy to call us 'lazy' and 'entitled'...

I personally couldn't vote in Brexit (only by a couple of years!), and will have to deal with the consequences of that, am now stuck inside to save older generations from Coronavirus and will have to deal with the consequences of climate change in my old age. Oh, not to forget consistent NIMBYISM making housing/transportation even more expensive and harder to access.

Look, I won't deny, I'm happy to have access to the technology and medicine, etc available today. And I don't think that there is a Conspiracy to screw the young. I just think there is a lack of awareness of some of the difficult circumstances we are put in. And whilst our world looks more modern and developed than ever before, the glass facades that surround us seem to do a good job of masking the basic needs many are struggling to fulfill, especially in regards to shelter. It can be difficult to fathom, but many people are stuck making the same difficult decisions they were decades ago, just phones and computers are a requesite for survival, rather than a luxury that proves they are not destitute.

This aside, I think universities announcing a move to online teaching now is dumb. Almost seems like administrators looking at ways of saving time, money and effort or perhaps trying to avoid defferals by offering some certainty. Either way, I've not done so well with this half semester of at home learning, and have learnt little to nothing. Which is fine, I get the circumstances, but I don't think students should be forced to stay at home once almost everyone is back to work, especially considering the majority of students are in low risk groups.

Online lectures and in person practical sessions/seminars in smaller groups seems reasonable. Libraries and study facilities should remain open following social distancing guidelines.

This is a very good, mature, post.

As someone of university age you are *very* unlucky that this pandemic has hit when it has done. Both in terms of missing out on the university experience - online lectures really don’t cut the mustard - and, sadly, in terms of job opportunities upon graduating.

As a wider point, there has been an increasing inter-generational resentment for several years - whether it’s resentment at baby boomers rattling around in expensive properties, Brexit, climate change etc. The current crisis is making this worse - although it’s worth noting that those shouting the loudest in favour of continued lockdown are often people in their 30s and 40s.

You’re quite right to say there isn’t a “conspiracy against the young” - but it’s also true that your generation shouldn’t be written off as snowflakes.

My parents are baby boomers, but living through the 1970s and 1980s was difficult for many. Their parents had WW2 and post war austerity, their parents had WW1, Spanish flu (which made Covid look like a dose of the sniffles), the Great Depression etc.

A lot of it is simply down to pot luck as to when you were born.

 

[Horizon22]

I think this is to be expected, but will unfortunately increase the generation divide that was already getting quite large. Some millenials were only just on an upward trajectory after the recession and might be batted right back again. Not exactly what many expected life approaching 30 to be, especially based on their parents' experiences.

 

[Jozhua]

This is a very good, mature, post.

As someone of university age you are *very* unlucky that this pandemic has hit when it has done. Both in terms of missing out on the university experience - online lectures really don’t cut the mustard - and, sadly, in terms of job opportunities upon graduating.

As a wider point, there has been an increasing inter-generational resentment for several years - whether it’s resentment at baby boomers rattling around in expensive properties, Brexit, climate change etc. The current crisis is making this worse - although it’s worth noting that those shouting the loudest in favour of continued lockdown are often people in their 30s and 40s.

You’re quite right to say there isn’t a “conspiracy against the young” - but it’s also true that your generation shouldn’t be written off as snowflakes.

My parents are baby boomers, but living through the 1970s and 1980s was difficult for many. Their parents had WW2 and post war austerity, their parents had WW1, Spanish flu (which made Covid look like a dose of the sniffles), the Great Depression etc.

A lot of it is simply down to pot luck as to when you were born.

Unfortunately it appears so, I want to have a slither of hope that cost of living and housing will reduce to make up for less jobs/economic opportunity, but I doubt it. In fact, my food shopping has become noticeably more expensive as supermarkets reduce offers to discourage panic buying.

My dad has been hit quite hard by the lockdown too financially and happens to be in a band of self employed not covered whatsoever. Funnily enough, my last student loan payment was still reduced to not even cover my rent on the basis of his 'income'...

I think this is to be expected, but will unfortunately increase the generation divide that was already getting quite large. Some millenials were only just on an upward trajectory after the recession and might be batted right back again. Not exactly what many expected life approaching 30 to be, especially based on their parents' experiences.

Yeah, the last recession was a belter too, because of the bank bailout drying up any government money that could have been used to kick-start the economy again with a cash injection.

Hopefully this time, the government will at the very least hold off cutting spending to pay this back until the economy somewhat recovers, but the Tories will probably take any excuse to cut, even at the expense of economic recovery.

 

[Bletchleyite]

My dad has been hit quite hard by the lockdown too financially and happens to be in a band of self employed not covered whatsoever. Funnily enough, my last student loan payment was still reduced to not even cover my rent on the basis of his 'income'...

I do, and always did, have an issue with means-testing of student loans in that way. Students should be able to live independently, and as such either everyone should get the same loan (a sort of repayable UBI, I suppose) or if a parental contribution is assessed that should be mandatory and collected through the taxation system.

I knew a few people whose parents wouldn't give them anything towards university and they didn't get a full grant/loan (I'm that old) because of their income. That was really, really unfair.