Is the NVQ worth it?

[gwyl]

Ever wondered why the pay you get is so bad?
In a race to the bottom I'm sure archaeology will win
Archaeology is not an occupation its a hobby.

Stephen
It is an unfortunate truism of much professional life that you have to put in a bit extra in order to go farther; I know i have, and I suspect that most, of if not all, of the people with any responsibility on the board put in extra hours to get that skill well and truly sorted in their heads, the paper written, the job finished today rather than running into tomorrow or next week.
I think you'll find the same practices in any part of the construction industry, where people at and above a certain level are expected to do extra hours. To gain skills does mean investing some of one's own time as much as that of one's employer.

Blaming my pay on my 'hobby' smacks to me of blaming the economy on 'the last lot' (still! oh come on), the weather, and as pointed out yesterday elsewhere, no doubt the lack of light during the winter darkeness meant that shoppers couldn't see the price tag...

Pay is an issue related more to a state in which largely unfettered capitalism is seen as an unambiguous good and any attempt to improve wages and conditions is seen as rampant socialism; where taxation is only for the little people; and privatisation will sort out the ills of the world. It's nothing to do with my job, which is admittedly my hobby, per se but rather the state in which I live, and which I have campaigned against for such abuses of workers. Seeing as I have lived in other countries where taxation is higher but income and outgoings are in real and/or relative terms better adjusted in my favour as a worker, as a parent, and as a human being, I think that I am pretty clear in my head of the benefits of other ways of doing.