Having read recent threads on here I have been amazed at some of the helpful responses and the kind nature of STW. I visit the four daily as there is always something interesting to read even though I have hardly ridden my bike in the last twelve months.

Last september I decided to quit my job and enrol at a local furniture making school with the hope of being in a position of to take up a junior/trainee/entry level position on completion. However I really struggled with the course and definitely put too much pressure on myself which basically meant I felt crappy the whole time during the course and struggled to get to grips with it. I finished in July and having taken a temporary position to replenish the bank account and think things through I still want to pursue the furniture making path, I am starting to look up local companies and will send off some speculative letters asking whether they have any openings for a mature (30 years old) trainee, my main concern is a complete lack of confidence in my woodworking skills and selling yourself when struggling for confidence is never easy, least of all when attempting something new.

Having been made redundant last year (something that prompted me to kick on and do something I wanted to do) I am aware of transferable skills like teamwork, reliability, organisation etc but unsure how best to sell myself and demonstrate that I am worth taking a gamble on.

I have considered taking more courses (at a different college/school) to see whether this increases my confidence.

My temporary job is expected to end come the end of September or early October and I really need to start looking for available opportunities.

Any advice would be welcome, thank you.

As it is dry and I have a day off from work I think a quick ride of my local area is in order to get some fresh air and take my mind off things.

Practice?

I know you will be limited due to not having a full work shop. But practice could help your self confidence.

As for selling your self I too am useless!

Well, I’m not sure where you are but I teach on a Furniture making course in Warwickshire (Leamington Spa)
It wasn’t us was it? 😀

In terms of confidence, you could always try to keep it up by doing an evening class perhaps, or even consider studying to a higher level.
What was the course you did? Was it a qualification course or leisure?

We do a two year daytime City & Guilds up to level 3 but have very busy evening classes running all week too.

As a furniture maker myself, what I would say is that any employer that knows what level you trained to isn’t going to expect you to be able to do everything right off the bat. They will always start you on things so that you can get to grips with what they do and how they do it.

I’ve had quite a few making jobs over the years and never once have I been expected to do complicated things right away. If you’re at a certain level, then tell them that.

I had to make a hand-dovetailed drawer once with bookmatched veneered base for a job trial but that was because the job specified that level of expertise. Other times I’ve been asked to do very simple things until my experience level built up and always been shadowed by other long serving staff.

Don’t worry 🙂

It’s very easy to lose confidence if you’re not doing something all the time but you have to realise it’s normal and that it will come to you with time.

If there is any specific help I can give you then let me know.

Kayak23 – No the course wasn’t with you, although I was looking at the evening classes at Leamington Spa earlier today (I live in Worcestershire so not too far away). The course I did wasn’t qualification based but full time five days a week 0900 – 1700 with the idea of building a small portfolio of work.

On reflection I rushed on to the course and with hindsight the offerings at Leamington Spa look more suited to me as five days a week was extremely intensive and with the added pressure of having to live without a regular wage for eleven months.

The evening classes sound like a good way to boost confidence and also keep my eye in as I don’t want to see the skill level I do have dissolve through lack of bench time.

As a side note – Jan Waterston looks like a real talent!

Well our level two students study 2 days a week. Plenty fit it in around work. Do give us a call if it’s something you fancy. Alternatively if you do fancy evenings then that’s something we can offer too.

Have you any space to do anything at home to keep your eye in? Doing anything related might keep your confidence up and you can do a fair bit with fairly simple equipment.

Yeah Jan is an incredibly talented bloke and was a real joy to have with us. He’s gone on to do some great work at Oxford college(Rycotewood).

I had great fun making the squid bench with him which we installed at Coombe park near Coventry nearly 3 years ago now.

[video]http://vimeo.com/69080549[/video]

[video]http://vimeo.com/173493893[/video]

I am definitely interested. looks like I have missed the cut this year for the L2 but also money would be a bit tight having been self funding my previous course and living expenses, so resupply the bank account is in order. Will see whether I can get on an evening course to keep things ticking over.

Working from home is a struggle at present, as I have no suitable work area although I aim to knock a work bench up shortly and hope to get something sorted in the near future.

Thank you for the reassurance and pointing me in a direction.

Sean Feeney (our Friday tutor) used to use Jan as a motivational tool for our most talented student.

I am definitely interested. looks like I have missed the cut this year for the L2

I don’t think so. Students are starting tomorrow but we always have people still joining up afterwards.

Sean Feeney is a good friend of the course here.

Sean is great, although he makes everything look so easy! I was hoping to catch up with him at CCD but he wasn’t there when I visited.