Tuesday 8 March 2011

GRADUATE AND GO AWAY!!



There is no doubt about it.One of the largest groups Leaving Dublin are young graduates.
On the eve of our general election last week I met with Michelle Ellis and Claire Mc Dermott.
Michelle(left in our image) is a graduate of commerce and has recently been awarded a masters degree.
Even with this postgrad qualification she remains unemployed and as she put it, in an effort to remain positive about her future,she is leaving for Vancouver Canada.

Claire on the other hand is employed but is working way below her qualification as a customer services representative for a dublin based insurance company.
It was Claire who works nearby in Booterstown who chose the location for the shoot.It is a place she has visited on summer evenings after work before the drive home.
Although tinged with sadness,and no doubt a worry for parents and friends who will also feel the loss,it is heartening to see friends making plans together and clearly supporting each other through tough times.
Michelles Boyfriend accompanied them to the shoot and he told me he is planning to leave after graduation this summer, another highly qualified emigre in waiting!!
One can only despair and realise that this summer we will loose thousands of graduates, even with the focus of our new government on job retention/creation.
A sad state of affairs,but we will come through it and we must this time learn a lesson and not allow ourselves to become deluded if successful in the future.
On the night we were joined by Jack Barton and Catalina Iacob, european corespondent and producer respectfully with CCTV a very big chinese TV channel.
They came to Ireland to make a series of pre-election reports and found that one of the big topics for discussion was emigration so they set about researching the story and were sent my way by Noreen Bowden of globalirish.ie
Noreen also pointed Jack and Catalina towards Colin Hart and his excellent project irelands lost wall
the piece went out on Chinese TV and subsequently was viewed by the largest TV audience in the world!!
On the night the weather was on our side and we tried for a very straight uncomplicated composition including a very old set of granite steps, a simple metaphor for the journey ahead.
As always Artur Sikora was on hand to light up the scene and handled it all solo!!
big thanks again to Jack and especially to Catalina for making the tape so readily available for this post!

Once more I will ask viewers to use the follow button to keep up to date on future posts its on the right top of this post.
And remember comments are appreciated and always replied to
thasnks again
david

5 comments:

  1. SemiSolidRadio8 March 2011 at 13:09

    Hi Dave well done again!! love it all, great report aswell,

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  2. I think we need to remain under no illusion as to the fact that although it is extremely difficult to find work in Ireland at present, it is just as hard abroad. If not more so, because of the competition. When applying for my visa to the United States last December, the first question I was asked was, what percentage of people walking through the doors of the US Embassy do I think are doing the exact same thing as me and hoping to move to New York. I made some naive response to which I was shot down with the formidable answer - 90%!!! Followed abruptly by, "and what makes you think you are going to get a job above any of them?!"

    At the time I put this down to the interviewer being a surly type; probably ex- CIA sentenced to a life of retribution in an Irish office. But little did I know the reality of what he was saying. Although I know that I made the right choice to move away for more reasons than just to flee (which was never my rationale), I do think we are somewhat under the illusion that the grass is greener.

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  3. no doubt Aoife,but to some extent or another our life is an illusion.
    And one presided over by others!
    your affirmative actions help to turn that illusion into a personal reality.
    there is no doubt that whatever way the road turns your life will change as a result of it.
    Its just so much better if the changes in direction are governed by your wishes to do something of worth.
    From what I have heard New York is a pretty serious place and a hard nut to crack.
    You will get there!!
    i am confident!
    big thanks for the meaningful comment
    david

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  4. Looking well girls!!!! Speaking out 4 us all!!! Respect!!

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  5. thanks Jenny and Ian.and its no doubt the girls have a fantastic voyage ahead of them!!

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