1. “I saved up to finish my A-levels and got a 1 in English. The fees for university were massive. From a reasonable income, I was able to save a few hundred pounds a year. I got an EAT postgraduate position in Luton and earned about £5,000 per year.”— Jay Gilbert, 45, from Bath, England
2. “We just lost a good job! Currently consulting for a consulting firm, I’ve been studying for a PhD in engineering engineering so I can follow my dream of working in aerospace. This is my last blog post, and I’ll be joining the world of social media marketing soon.”—Ellen Reisman, 35, from LA, California
3. “I’m lucky enough to earn what we need, but have to save for a bigger and better life. My husband is a historian who has a primary and second job to supplement his living. We’re self-employed, so I study law, he studies history.”—Sarah Henshaw, 46, from Liverpool, England
4. “I went through my A&E… I was jobless by June 2011. I’ve been applying for a job ever since.”—Debra Andrews, 58, from Warren, MI
5. “I had more education than most… But my position in the UK never equalled my education. I can’t find the cash for medical procedures in the UK, as they won’t pay for it. So I’ve been given the option to move back to Russia, with hopes of finding a job that will pay for a move back. My only hope now is to use my English skills in some other city, and find a more secure offer.”—Dan Wheatley, 38, from London, England
6. “I’ve known work and jobs are seasonal, but we were waiting for more seasonal work. Due to a government cut in banking jobs, I had to find something different—and I am ending up working as a cleaner in a famous restaurant in America.”—Ellen Bayley, 32, from London, England
7. “The first job I did wasn’t so great. I had a job as a telemarketer, working on the 70th anniversary of WW2, and was commuting to and from my job in London every morning. So I thought I could go to work out of my home and cut my commute.”—Suzy Johnston, 28, from London, England
8. “I got a good job in my field in Qatar, though it didn’t pay enough to make up for my tuition fees. I moved to Doha, where I worked with oil and gas developers in a field supplying construction equipment to construction projects. That made the financial situation easier, but I still didn’t pay the fees. I’ve now moved to Germany where I train new electricians, supporting myself as a single mum.”—Margaret McDonagh, 47, from London, England
9. “I’ve worked in education, childcare, retail, a holiday car hire company—it’s all part of my life right now.”—Rachel Burnam, 39, from London, England
10. “I had three parts of my training in Kingston. I had eight months of full-time training and four months of community placements, all of which were paid. The pay was not in line with qualifications, but in hindsight it would have helped give me a better paying job in my field.”—Ann Montague, 52, from Kingston upon Thames, England
11. “I worked in corporate finance for two years. The pay wasn’t good enough for me, so I went to IT. I spent a lot of my time in the office—I enjoyed it, but my pay wasn’t good enough for me to support myself.”—Claire Bankhead, 24, from Bristol, England
12. “I love what I do, but I love to read. The free books I don’t have to pay for and the free readers I have to pay for are the ones I enjoy the most.”—Jennifer Tindle, 25, from Bristol, England
13. “Having a young child, I worked from home, because I could afford to.”—Hannah Stoddart, 28, from Sevenoaks, Kent, England
14. “My last job paid the same as my carer’s salary—but I’m self-employed, so I got more freedom. This year I want to travel the world, to share my stories.”—Charlotte O’Rourke, 26, from Oxford, England
15. “I’m a graduate and used to work full-time but didn’t get much of a job security or raise my profile. I was sent on jury service—it