hi Coelyn,
the 1st thing that we should look at is - this person's personality, Not paper qualifications. what are his strong points, how abt his weak points? no point looking for jobs which have a 'low entry level' just cos he only got 4 O's. instead look for jobs which will employ his personality and does not require academic qualifications for starters.
2nd is to look at the Financial aims... Long term ie 10yrs down the road, or short term ie next 3yrs; then the Salary ceiling ie max he can earn is 3k, 5k or 10k; then look at the min amount he needs for basic survival.
Longterm plans are paramount to short-term plans... so must always have the longterm plans laid out first. many pple look shorterm and leave the longterm to Expectations... instead of a proper workable plan. Longterm plans will give him the ability to decide to perhaps - suffer with low pay for 2-3yrs first, before eventually seeing his income double or even triple...
Also, he might like to mix around with positive pple. he can attend free seminars often made avail by MLM companies... he doesn't have to join them, but no harm listening in... alot of these companies can help pple improve their vision for the future, if not - their hopes. these seminars can reach in and pull the very hidden strengths of the human spirit.
Improving one's career and future is not simply in academics... and in your fren's case - academics is not a wise choice, since it is not a wise choice - forget the o'levels. so it's better he relook at the world with no paper to his name. see himself as a total newbie and leave aside some of the past.
if he intends to have a much brighter future than now, then go into sales... it can not only match the min salary he looking at, but it will drastically improve his value. interpersonal skills are invaluable... and where he does not have a degree, he will have good interpersonal skills to back him up for life... tat's priceless. of cos, he has to have a 200% attitude to improving himself and a 100% attitude to be the best in whatever he is doing.
if he is really really not motivated to look at that, then he can look at industries which will thrive in his lifetime. i believe Basic services will be In nomatter what, thus Medical, Shipping, Security are the 3 industries i would earmark for pple who want to an above average life without paper... Security does not mean tat security guard at your condo/office building... it means Professional Security services, armed escorts and targetting niche clientele. likewise Shipping does not mean freight-forwarding, but more like specialised skilled jobs. and Medical, well... look at medical as in physical help and assistance, unless he wants to get some proficiencies. (Sales still number 1)
when all else doesn't appeal, he can look at himself and ask wat he is good at. there are many instructors in recreational sports and activities who are doing well above the 1.4k levels... even if he is not an expert, he can consider teaching the younger generation - ie swimming, wakeboarding, rollerblading... i'm sure he has his Interests... he plays the guitar? drums?... u get wat i mean? expand from there. the Power of the internet should not be excluded... u will be surprised that even if u have an unknown hobby - there are others around who might wanna pick up the same hobby. if he's good at certain Lan-games, he can even coach pple for a small fee...
The World is filled with limitless opportunities, in spore we tend to see the opportunities whilst holding to our Olevel, Alevel or Tertiary Certs... tat's why we're pretty lost sometimes. But who actually prevents us from earning the money we want in the fields we want and with the talents we possess? - it's ourselves and what our minds have been programmed to think.
i say this with alot of conviction becos i am one such person... the secret is in believing in oneself. u dun need a to be a doctor to earn a doctor's pay, neither do u need a degree to earn a degree-pay... u just need to believe that u can.
btw, economy no good and unemployment will not affect your fren as much as it will affect the fresh grads... he is not using academics to get a job. so he is already better off becos he isn't holding his cert in his hands. it's how he wants to see it, and whether he believes it...
good luck.
