It’s still looking like it’s Winter.
But if you look hard enough, Spring is coming….
Other signs of Spring include Tax Demands, eye wateringly humongous Utility Bill increases, Car spectacularly failing its annual Test, Postman wearing shorts and the first adverts for Christmas 2026. If only I could say Warm Weather as well…
Another sign of Spring is the start of revision for the May exams, Hawklad is definitely not enjoying that.
As he’s revising I must admit I do have a nagging thought. Hopefully the exams go his way and open up a path that will suit him. He’s super keen on University but is aware that there are many obstacles facing him on that way forward. My nagging thought goes beyond that point. What happens after University or whatever path he takes.
What jobs might be open to him, what jobs might still exist by then. A recent headline sticks in my mind.
“1.2 million graduate applicants chasing just 17,000 jobs in the UK”
And it’s only going to get worse. A friend’s daughter graduated over a year ago and after hundreds of applications, is still unemployed. AI is taking out more and more jobs that new graduates once started out in. Plus Graduates are saddled with huge student loans and when they do find a job, they then have the unnerving prospect of trying to find somewhere they can afford to rent or buy. Parents try to help out but here’s the trap. To help out financially parents face the prospect of working well beyond retirement age to fund this but by doing that, it means probably even less jobs available for young people.
I can’t help worry about the future for Hawklad. What career paths might be open to him, what might suit him and then just how many or few opportunities will there be for him.
It’s not always a particularly hopeful thought process.
A Dad trying to cope with the loss of his Partner and becoming a single parent. 
I feel for you, Gary, and understand the issues, but worrying won’t change anything. You just have to trust in your boy. He’s trying his best and who can predict the future- or wants to, as the world stands right now? xx
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All I can say is, the postman must be freezing 🥶 You’re right about AI contributing to declining jobs. I was just thinking about that recently. Thanks for the daffodil photo though. It, at least, gives us a feeling of optimism.
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There are still jobs/careers that pay well with good benefits that robots cannot do. As the mother of a plumber and being a wedding seamstress myself, I am proud to be my own boss as well as my son and his business. More and more we are realizing that not all college bound people get the jobs they think they want/deserve and we have to think about other jobs that still need real people with real hands and brains to do the work. so many college graduates end up with loans to pay back totalling over $30,000 + with no prospects of getting their “dream” job. I have plenty of those in my family too…unemployed or working dead end jobs with a degree behind them and still libing at home with mom and dad paying all the bills. There are alternatives to explore instead of going down the college roiute. I hope yoiu can find some pathway for Hawklad. God bless you both, it ain’t easy being a parent!
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I guess that is what AI brought to the world…unemployment. Sad isn’t it?😕
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Utility bills on the increase here in Oz too, Gary – eye wateringly so, as you put it. Postie wearing shorts! Now that would be an interesting sight on a cold day. As for AI and future jobs for future job seekers – there’s a lot of talk about this subject. It’s a hard choice for youngsters in particular these days. We are certainly going through some cataclysmic changes in so many ways. The best we can do is take one step at a time doing whatever we feel is right for us. There doesn’t seem to be a definite future for many. Thankfully, Hawklad has a mature parent who will do the best he can.
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