# The Apprentice!



## Sugarbum (Apr 1, 2009)

Hooked as usual this season, anyone else?

I am wondering who everyone thinks will win this year??


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## carolyn (Apr 2, 2009)

Love it love it love it too but missed it tonight as I play darts on a wednesday evening so will watch the replay 2moz.
________
Weed vaporizer


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## katie (Apr 2, 2009)

I love apprentice, ive seen both episodes but haven't got completely in to it yet and don't know who any of them are.  No idea who might win yet! 

I'm more addicted to Mistresses, which I missed on TV but caught up with on iplayer in about 2 days! Then I moved on to season 5 & 6 of L word, remembered how good it is and i'm starting from season 1 again.  One day i'll get some work done...


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## Northerner (Apr 2, 2009)

I really can't watch this show - I have tried! I'd fire anyone who applied as they're all the kind of people that I have no time for. Maybe it's because I'm not a competitive person and dislike egocentric, self-satisfied, duplicitous extroverts - although I'm sure everything is edited to show them all in the worst possible light, to make the show interesting.


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## Sugarbum (Apr 2, 2009)

Northerner said:


> I really can't watch this show - I have tried! I'd fire anyone who applied as they're all the kind of people that I have no time for. Maybe it's because I'm not a competitive person and dislike egocentric, self-satisfied, duplicitous extroverts - although I'm sure everything is edited to show them all in the worst possible light, to make the show interesting.



YES! Thats whats makes it soooo fun! They are all a complete bunch of egotistical losers of life! and I love them for it!


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## Northerner (Apr 2, 2009)

Sugarbum said:


> YES! Thats whats makes it soooo fun! They are all a complete bunch of egotistical losers of life! and I love them for it!



I know! But I'd hurt my hands so much from continually punching the screen!


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## Vanessa (Apr 2, 2009)

I'm with Northerner on this one - only it would be my foot that connected with the telly! And then I would need to see the podiatrist ...


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## bev (Apr 2, 2009)

Hideous,  small minded,  self centred, foul mouthed, boring, and would stab you in the back as soon as look at you! Sorry not a fan and never will be. They are all bullies and not the sort of people i would want to share a second of time in their company! Give me real people any time! Bev


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## Northerner (Apr 2, 2009)

bev said:


> Hideous,  small minded,  self centred, foul mouthed, boring, and would stab you in the back as soon as look at you! Sorry not a fan and never will be. They are all bullies and not the sort of people i would want to share a second of time in their company! Give me real people any time! Bev



Now come on, bev, don't hold back - say what you really think of them! 

Seems there's quite a polarised opinion on watching the show, but agreement on what the contestants are like!


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## katie (Apr 2, 2009)

haha Bev that is exactly why it's good!  

There is this guy who is really sexist too this year:







Nice beard!


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## Northerner (Apr 2, 2009)

Nah - this is a beard!


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## bev (Apr 2, 2009)

Northerner and Katie,
I absolutley know that i am just a boring old 'mum' - but it really makes my blood boil watching this sort of car crash tv! My motto in life is always 'be nice to people' and the worst thing i could ever do is to hurt anyones feelings. But it seems thats what these people are all about doesnt it? I know its meant to be fun and i like a laugh like the rest of you - but not at other peoples expense.
My 21 year old daughter watches it and loves it! She is the exact opposite of the characters on this show -so there must be some hidden 'pull' that draws people in!!

Off my soapbox now - old fuddy duddy that i am. Bev


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## Donald (Apr 2, 2009)

seen one programme a while back never watched again


Donald


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## katie (Apr 2, 2009)

bev said:


> My 21 year old daughter watches it and loves it! She is the exact opposite of the characters on this show -so there must be some hidden 'pull' that draws people in!!
> 
> Off my soapbox now - old fuddy duddy that i am. Bev



oh god bev trust me, i am the exact opposite too! shy/introvert, try to be very polite, very sensitive, not very ambitious career wise at all (I wish I was), etc etc but I kind of love to hate them 

Northerner, that scares me!


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## Freddie99 (Apr 2, 2009)

Northerner said:


> Nah - this is a beard!



Northerner,

That is a beard and a half! Quality face fur there! Personally I don't really get hooked onto things like the Apprentice. Keep me on Top Gear! At the moment I've found something on BBC 4 to watch, its title translates to Spirals as the sub titles would have me believe. It's a really good French drama. I love sort of humorous things; Have I Got News For You is a favourite.

Tom H


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## bev (Apr 2, 2009)

Originally Posted by bev   
My 21 year old daughter watches it and loves it! She is the exact opposite of the characters on this show -so there must be some hidden 'pull' that draws people in!!

Off my soapbox now - old fuddy duddy that i am. Bev  

oh god bev trust me, i am the exact opposite too! shy/introvert, try to be very polite, very sensitive, not very ambitious career wise at all (I wish I was), etc etc but I kind of love to hate them 

Katie, my daughter is also called Katie! But just to be clear - my Katie is extremely ambitious - she finished uni last May and started at her 'dream job' 3 days later! She works in london as a buyer for Monsoon - she always wanted to do it and was deternined that she would! (she had to be interviewed alongside 10 other applicants all with loads of experience and she was newly out of uni - so she did extremely well)So my point is that you can be ambitous etc .. but you dont have to kill people to get to the job you want! Always remember ' be careful who you tread on when your on your way up - as you might very well meet them when your on the way down'!

Bev


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## katie (Apr 2, 2009)

bev said:


> Katie, my daughter is also called Katie! But just to be clear - my Katie is extremely ambitious - she finished uni last May and started at her 'dream job' 3 days later! She works in london as a buyer for Monsoon - she always wanted to do it and was deternined that she would! (she had to be interviewed alongside 10 other applicants all with loads of experience and she was newly out of uni - so she did extremely well)So my point is that you can be ambitous etc .. but you dont have to kill people to get to the job you want! Always remember ' be careful who you tread on when your on your way up - as you might very well meet them when your on the way down'!
> 
> Bev



Oh ok, she isnt the complete oposite like me then  she is just polite and kind!  Well I would love to be confident, outgoing and ambitious, but i'm afraid uni hasn't done that to me so probably won't ever happen


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## bev (Apr 2, 2009)

Katie ( i have a mums hat on here) - confidence comes with age - you will be more confident as you get older! Uni is an odd place to be - it is a sort of 'false' community where you dont feel very important- so my Katie tells me! At your age your like a little rose bud getting ready to flower - you will get there i am sure - you come across as a very 'giving' sort of person and that is a wonderful quality to have Katie! You also have a great sense of humour - that always opens doors for you! Any ideas what it is you want to do yet?  Bev


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## katie (Apr 2, 2009)

bev said:


> Katie ( i have a mums hat on here) - confidence comes with age - you will be more confident as you get older! Uni is an odd place to be - it is a sort of 'false' community where you dont feel very important- so my Katie tells me! At your age your like a little rose bud getting ready to flower - you will get there i am sure - you come across as a very 'giving' sort of person and that is a wonderful quality to have Katie! You also have a great sense of humour - that always opens doors for you! Any ideas what it is you want to do yet?  Bev



Hehe thanks Bev.  I just thought by 23 (God, I keep thinking i'm still 21!!) I would be more confident than this.  I guess i'm getting there very slowly though because i'm a bit better.

I'm not really sure, i'm on this course because I wanted to do a web design type job - so possibly that.  I don't really want to be stuck in an office in front of a computer forever though, so i'm not sure!

I know a guy who owns a pub & club so straight after ive finished my dissertation he is going to teach me to work behind the bar part-time.  I think it will help me gain some confidence, so i'm looking forward to that   I'm not looking forward to getting a 'proper' job just yet though


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## Northerner (Apr 2, 2009)

katie said:


> Hehe thanks Bev.  I just thought by 23 (God, I keep thinking i'm still 21!!) I would be more confident than this.  I guess i'm getting there very slowly though because i'm a bit better.
> 
> I'm not really sure, i'm on this course because I wanted to do a web design type job - so possibly that.  I don't really want to be stuck in an office in front of a computer forever though, so i'm not sure!
> 
> I know a guy who owns a pub & club so straight after ive finished my dissertation he is going to teach me to work behind the bar part-time.  I think it will help me gain some confidence, so i'm looking forward to that   I'm not looking forward to getting a 'proper' job just yet though



Confidence is a strange thing. I can be very confident when I'm sure of my facts - I've sat in boardrooms many times and stood my ground against all levels. When I was at school I would only raise my hand to answer a question if I definitely knew the answer - I was very shy, and terrified of being ridiculed for coming out with something stupid. But some people are confident even when they're not so certain. I think the most successful people are those that have that innate confidence, but can back it up with their actions. They're the kind of people who don't have to 'shout down' others just to get noticed -which (getting back to the thread!) most of the Apprentice contestants are.

I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was 23 - I'm still not entirely sure! Age and experience does teach you the kinds of things you enjoy and that you are good at - if you can find a combination of the two that pays OK, you're laughing! I think we are still taught that, in order for an employer to be interested in you, you have to be ambitious, dynamic and extrovert. But actually, any team needs a mixture of personality types. Again, the Apprentice shows that putting together a bunch of people with basically the same personality types results in terrible conflict and failure (from the bits I've seen!).

Katie, I'd recommend you read a book called 'What Next' by Dr. Barbara Moses. It helps you to discover your personality type, your strengths and weaknesses, and what kinds of work you are ideally suited to. Even at my ripe old age, I was surprised at how much I learned from it, and at 23 you are at the ideal age to be discover all this - a lot of this stuff I wish I'd known 30 years ago, but it still helps.

Some people are lucky, in that they are very good and very interested in a fairly narrow field - I have a friend who was always into biology and now runs a hospital laboratory. Then there are people like me - I'm interested in an awful lot of things, but don't have that 'single-minded' devotion to one area. I did languages at Uni, then got into computing because that's where the jobs were. My ideal job would probably be to run a bookshop or work in a library, but I enjoy learning new things and helping people with my knowledge of things, like in designing systems, or problem solving etc.

Sorry, I'm rambling on now - better stop!


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## Vanessa (Apr 2, 2009)

Katie, remember uni is a very strange world and doesn't necessarily bring out an individual's strengths.  I tend to think that we are all so exposed to the "reality" culture that suits the louder personalities that we forget the universe has many more introverted types too.  No business would succeed without a balance of skills and abilities - and that includes people's personalities too.  Thinking about it - this is probably why things like "The Apprentice" irritate me intensely - I've worked with and in many teams as well as managing people at a senior level and know that the best people recognise each others' differences, learn to work with them and use their strengths

At 23 I thought I had a clue about what I wanted to do - followed one path and found I didn't like it at all and then moved on.  Life throws all sorts of challenges at us - some turn out to be great fun, others I've wanted to get away from - rapidly!


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## bev (Apr 2, 2009)

I also wanted to add that i used to be very shy (still am a bit) - but i have to say that since Alex's diagnosis i have found a 'voice' ! This amazes me as i was so timid - but now i dont mind talking to anyone who will listen if i think it will help Alex! So i think confidence is deep in all of us - it just takes something 'challenging' sometimes to bring it out! You will get there Katie! Bev


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## katie (Apr 2, 2009)

Wow guys, I go away for a few hours (shopping, not studying obviously!) and when I come back I have three life coaches giving me advice  awesome, usually you have to pay!

Northerner... I know what you mean when you say confidence is a strange thing.  I'm really shy with people at first, for example when I start a new job - everyone thinks im really shy and they try to get me to talk hehe but once I get to know them I become really confident with them and one of the more chatty people so when i say "i'm shy" they can't seem to remember me ever being like that lol.  With some people im very shy, with some people im a bit shy and with others i'm fine.  It can be crippling to be honest.  I love socialising but it takes me ages to get to know people before I can be myself.

I also know what you mean by being interested in things but not set upon one particular path.  I would have loved to do something like religious studies or psychology but there is nothing I want to do as a career in those subjects, so I chose something I liked doing at the time.  Thanks for the suggestion, I will take a look at that book 

Vanessa, I think if they put lots of "introverted" people in the Big Brother house, it would be more interesting, they say watch out for the quiet ones lol.

Bev, I think having children must automatically boost confidence and make people more outgoing, because suddenly it doesn't matter how you feel - you have to speak out for your children.  Hopefully that wont be me for a while though 

I think little things recently have made me a bit more confident, like my 3yr relationship ending.  I can't just call my ex anymore when something goes wrong and I can't rely on him to be there. It also makes me want to make friends with new people so I have to just go for it and talk more, because we share mutual friends and I can't really handle seeing him too much now.

Anyway enough of my life...  And that's more than ive written for my dissertation today, tut.


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## Northerner (Apr 2, 2009)

katie said:


> ...Northerner... I know what you mean when you say confidence is a strange thing.  I'm really shy with people at first, for example when I start a new job - everyone thinks im really shy and they try to get me to talk hehe but once I get to know them I become really confident with them and one of the more chatty people so when i say "i'm shy" they can't seem to remember me ever being like that lol.  With some people im very shy, with some people im a bit shy and with others i'm fine.  It can be crippling to be honest.  I love socialising but it takes me ages to get to know people before I can be myself....



Katie, you have just described me perfectly! I always try to 'suss' people out and take time getting to know them, but I have found that it leads to deeper and better friendships. I can chat all day with people I feel comfortable with!


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## katie (Apr 2, 2009)

Northerner said:


> Katie, you have just described me perfectly! I always try to 'suss' people out and take time getting to know them, but I have found that it leads to deeper and better friendships. I can chat all day with people I feel comfortable with!



Yep totally! I have a few very close friends who i could tell anything.  and the people i don't know so well i just see when "out on the town", which is fun.  Maybe im a bit too deep, but i love having close friends.  People who have loooads of friends dont seem to have any real friends, which I think must be a bit lonely sometimes.

Maybe Bev was on to something with her comment. Maybe you are the male version of me or something??

Haha, im a bit tipsy because ive had two glasses of wine on an empty stomach


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## Vanessa (Apr 3, 2009)

You see Katie you are not alone - like you I prefer to suss people and situations out first before developing closer friendships rather than acquaintances.  Over the years though I have learned that there are some occasions where I had to "act" the extrovert - eg hosting work functions, local fundraising events for charities and can do that for a short time before needing to recharge the batteries in peace and quiet.  Helped to learn that many people like talking about themselves so once the ice is broken the more extroverted types will relieve the pressure and then the job is to manage the situation so the very loud extroverts don't take over

Hope you enjoyed your wine


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