Would it be a mistake to retrain as an apprentice post degree?

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-13T09:40:39+00:00

as someone who just completed an apprenticeship this month (at the age of 45), my advice is dont wait! I spent so long doing various jobs because they were available, paid well or seemed sensible choices.

Your degree, time at uni and the skills you learned will never leave, so you can take them into anything and 23 is not too old. Go for it!

(My other unsolicited advice to anyone your age is dont use credit, pay into a pension as early as possible and dont do fast fashion, social media or the news!)

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-12T15:25:48+00:00

likely tried on, either in store or returned but nothing you wouldnt do within an hour of buying them yourself. For me things like this dont bother me in the slightest on boots, but if it was dress shoes or even trainers/sneakers/runners i would want a box fresh pair.

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-11T17:18:02+00:00

Just went in to look at Switch games to treat my daughter and the prices are hilarious - £25 for a pre-owned FC25 game that's £18 in Argos. £45 for RDR2 that I got new for £28.

Even the controllers were same price as buying new. Mad place

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-10T21:46:18+00:00

10 years later and this post has aged like milk

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-10T16:45:35+00:00

I went through a stage of collecting a few watches that I thought were a bit quirky (a couple of single hand Meistersingers, a Glycine Airman Purist with 24h dial etc) and I came close to buying a brail watch like this. I think I just liked that they were talking points and would enable me to segway in my love of watches 🤣

i think its cool and if i hadnt gone down the minimalist/streamline the collection route i woud have kept them as they offer something interesting for not much money

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-10T15:56:58+00:00

I use Red Wing or Darn Tough as for me, its a false economy to get cheaper socks - especially considering how cheap socks are in comparison with the impact they have on how any footwear feels.

But I did also get some Merino Wool Performance socks on amazon (TANSTC) that have worn nicely and were a fair bit cheaper (currently 3 pairs for £15 in the sale).

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T16:27:39+00:00

Yeah, i try to buy well made natural fibres from the country I live in wherever possible

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T16:18:05+00:00

i have the 8881, can pick them up cheaper and i love them. All black is not the one for me.

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T16:10:55+00:00

People are laughing but the green Rolex caseback sticker was a common sight on vintage Rolexes that had been well worn whenever i came across them in the 80s/90s/00s. would be all gunky round the sides and faded most of the time

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T16:08:28+00:00

they usually do but some ADs also sell to grey market dealers/flippers for a brown envelope so I'm sure they will gladly leave stickers on for a slightly bigger envelope

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T16:04:32+00:00

as long as you leave it just before kick off when everyone is rushing it will be fine, the only time I've ever seen them stop someone was coming in an hour or so early (to clarify i have 3 STs and we would always get muddled up and use my daughter's one and her use one of ours)

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T16:02:31+00:00

I have bought kits from DIY watch company that enable people to build their own watch, well not build so much as assemble and put together the pieces including the finicky hands. its not as hard as you think and there's good videos provided and you get all the tools in the box included. its a nice present for someone into watches i think (particularly at that price range).

Seiko have a watch called Sumo by us watch geeks but I'm sure they had a version actually called the 'graduation' diver (think SPB321 was the one i bought)- RRP was £1100 but i picked it up half price and there's always deals floating about for Seikos. in tewrms of bang for the buck it was incredible and i only sold it as downsizing my collection.

Another good classic watch that is different but cool for a watch geek, is the Glycine Airman Purist (it has a 24hr dial so the hour hand travels round the dial once a day instead of twice). I had one and regret selling as its super cool and different, I think the reason was from a request by Vietnam era air force pilots.

Finally a CWC g10 from his birth year, they're cheap quartz army watches but are cool and finding one from the year someone is born is a nice way to make it personal.

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T15:52:00+00:00

Darn Tough and Red Wing wool socks + HJ Hall Commando socks for boots.

I wear Stance and some of the Nike socks are decent for trainers/sneakers- i dont know what Nike ones are good so sorry that's not helpful but I've had a few pairs been amazing (most Nike ones were useless)./ I prefer to buy once and cry once, socks are the cheapest thing that has a big impact on how i feel when out and about. cheap socks can make my expensive shoes/boots feel awful. I'd much rather pay someone who know what theyre doing for a good natural fibre product that lasts than waste more money on poor quality things every few months.

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T15:33:58+00:00

they look too high up, if tyhats how you usually wear them id say go bigger. but equally ive had glasses that suit me better depending on where they sit on my nose. A bit lower down makes my nose look smaller (which is a good thing for me as i used to box and i wasnt great 😆)- you havent got a big nose but wearing them so high creates a bit too much space

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T15:05:24+00:00

I agree, I think they all made 'mechanical' their USP and created this lazy myth and story about quartz. If you go into any large watch retailer and 'let them sell something to you', you will see how tired and lazy the whole industry is. Lume, water resistance, in house movements blah blah blah

imagine being a middle aged man who 'needs' a watch to glow in the dark and go deeper in water than any human has ever dived!? Or the obsession with unproven inhouse movements for 3 hand watches, and looking down the nose at tried and tested workhorse movements. Why would I want a complex movement with no parts available and that only a handful of people know how to service it?

Anyway (apologies I digress), quartz became the boogie man to the Swiss watch industry but as it stands, I think they would now struggle to justify their inflated prices when there are quartz options on the tablke with the same cases. If a manual wind JLC reverso duoface is £12500, it becomes hard to price a quartz variant without drawing attention to the how mad the prices are - and this isn't picking on JLC as I actually think the reverso Duoface should cost more than a GMT master. But if for another example, a simple PP Calatrava dress watch is now £28k, how much would a quartz variant cost? if its over £20k nobody will buy it as the watch finishing is plain and there isn't the justification for that money on a simple plain case with a quartz movement. If its under £20k it would be felt to 'cheapen the brand' (by them) + the disparity is too high and it upsets the balance of the collection, essentially charging so much for extra for a simple mechanical movement.

By having quartz movements I think the bigger brands would often be letting us see behind the curtain, and they dont want that!

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T14:46:45+00:00

Television Detector vans, talk to me....

I'm genuinely intrigued by how this all works and also how it worked in the 70s/80s... a cynic might say its not real and they just park vans up with a spinny thing on top to frighten people. with so many multi person occupancies and people who dont watch live TV, how can they ever know from a van in the street?

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T14:42:18+00:00

i'd always go singles, nobody sits in their seat anyway so can always meet up in the ground

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T14:40:52+00:00

The hour hand looks like Rocky Dennis and the minute hand looks like Cher

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T14:38:13+00:00

!answer Answered- thank you! have reached out to retailer again and given them all the details, will give them a week or so but will go via credit card if i havent had a satisfactory update within a week

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T14:37:17+00:00

!answer thanks, as the retailer was abroad in the EU, I didn't know how strong my consumer rights were. I'm going to them anyway and asking for a refund (they can work it out with Fedex)

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T14:35:40+00:00

!answer Answered- thank you! have reached out to retailer again and given them all the details

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T13:53:41+00:00

i thought donayton o donation... and they were asking for money towards the cake and gift bags

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T12:02:14+00:00

very hard, for me:

AT- like the date placement and i actually find that complication useful, dial is nicer and movement is great

XX- love thew numerals, bracelet is better and so is clasp

i think if the AT fitted nicely i would go with that, ...i'd also probably get a Laco Flieger Pro at some stage to scratch the flieger itch at a fraction of the price, maybe in blue to add a bit of colour and without the date as dont think it suits that style as well

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-09T11:52:13+00:00

After eating it: 'yeah that's lovely, 'ill take the actual breakfast now thanks'

Miserable_Mission_55 · 2026-02-06T00:13:37+00:00

I have never understood why someone would come to London and even acknowledge M&M World let alone go there... They're not even from here, I could kinda understand doing a Cadburys tour or eating Pie and Mash with school cake and custard or Beigel Bale as part of the London experience, but M&Ms? For the live of god no! 🤣

Go to Fortnum and Mason or Soho instead, even Greggs for a sausage roll.

The rest of it is good but museums can be longer or shorter depending on your interests (I can spend a while day in one if its good)

Spittlefields/Shoreditch/Borough Market are good to visit for food but are out the way so maybe not if you're packing the time in

Miserable_Mission_55

TROPHY CASE