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Why do people get a degree in something with low prospects...

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That is why I love Google constantly learning everyday "underwater basket weaving".

I suppose in life we make choices some do extensive research others go with interest, passion, gut feeling.

It does help to do certain subjects but then again even that is not enough to land a job nowadays. There is a lot more than a degree, in my opinion the value of a degree has declined slightly as it seems everyone has it so experience also plays a important part to securing employment.

But I guess some that do those subjects you describe get jobs as well I met a guy who studied sport at university and now works for ITV so there are other factors to take into consideration.
Reply 21
Original post by ForKicks
You don't pay it, you invest it :wink:


You don't even do that... it's a graduate tax
Reply 22
Original post by jaybutler
Wanting a respected, interesting, well paid job with a lot of scope for future development does not make you money hungry, it simply means you are smart and have your priorities straight in life


I know, I know, I'm like that too, but I just can't stand it when someone says they have to "pay" 9000 a year to go to uni or uses it as an argument
Reply 23
Original post by LETSJaM
Ever heard of transferable skills? :doh: I'm sure you're thinking about most arts subjects (minus law) when you say this. And yes you're right; most people don't go and take up a career in their degree subject, because they use the skills they learnt at uni and applied them to other jobs.

<3 x


Those jobs you could get without a degree and with some common sense

The assistant manager at my retail store where i used to work did a Film and TV degree... then ending up working in retail, something which he could have done without having spent a single second at uni

Hence, the entire approach and attitude towards uni has really gone down. No longer a place where you study something which gives you knowledge and skills which you simply could not acquire otherwise, but a place where anyone can go simply because its the norm, pass time for 3 years, then probably end up in the exact same thing they would have if they had not gone. Not that I really care, its just interesting discussion

Original post by Londonpie72
That is why I love Google constantly learning everyday "underwater basket weaving".

I suppose in life we make choices some do extensive research others go with interest, passion, gut feeling.

It does help to do certain subjects but then again even that is not enough to land a job nowadays. There is a lot more than a degree, in my opinion the value of a degree has declined slightly as it seems everyone has it so experience also plays a important part to securing employment.

But I guess some that do those subjects you describe get jobs as well I met a guy who studied sport at university and now works for ITV so there are other factors to take into consideration.


Exception not the rule, Alan Sugar didnt even finish school and look where he is now, thats not really a realistic approach to the situation
Reply 24
Original post by Captain Hindsight
I agree with you to some extent, with these people who take up the silly degrees (e.g. Communications, Media and Society). I think they do it because they want to do the social side of university rather than the academic side of it. If they were seriously considering their future career prospects, they would pick a more specific degree I think with a plan of where they want to go... I know many arts degrees offer transferrable skills, English in comparison to Communications offers more direction and English graduates know the range of jobs they can enter, whether it be civil service, publishing, marketing etc. Communications is unbelievably vague.

Media on it's own is alright though as that's a bit more specific. Film studies however...


Maybe I wanna do a sociology degree to understand society? Maybe I dont want to know what PI is to 20 decimals, maybe i dont want to know the exact mass of an atom? etc?
Reply 25
Seriously does it even matter? At the end of the day the person doing the degree thinks it meaningful and they are the ones who are going to pay back the loan and not us, so why should we care whether it is pointless or not...Right?
Reply 26
Original post by eff01
Seriously does it even matter? At the end of the day the person doing the degree thinks it meaningful and they are the ones who are going to pay back the loan and not us, so why should we care whether it is pointless or not...Right?


argument threads are better than happy threads
Reply 27
Original post by jaybutler
that's what it actually is for in the here and now


Actually that's a good point, forgot that times change :P

Although I'm not really sure, why would they still have 'mickey mouse' degrees? Could be more money made for the uni? Maybe people still study only for the love of it? Maybe it's just the current job market which makes them out to be 'mickey mouse'degrees?

I think there's no clear purpose for universities, they're just mainly used for job prospects now.

I don't think I could 'study' a subject purely for the love of it actually, I'm not an academic.
Reply 28
Original post by Party By Myself
No one has ever posted this before here... EVER... Seriously no one! This is a completely new, revolutionary topic...


:biggrin:
Reply 29
Original post by Arekkusu
You don't even do that... it's a graduate tax


Ah yes, if you get a student loan out it is essentially like a very friendly tax on your salary.
Original post by Kandish7
Maybe I wanna do a sociology degree to understand society? Maybe I dont want to know what PI is to 20 decimals, maybe i dont want to know the exact mass of an atom? etc?


a Sociology degree is a good degree though
Reply 31
Original post by Captain Hindsight
a Sociology degree is a good degree though


unfortunately, it isnt really
Original post by longman240
I do English Literature with a view to getting into teaching the subject and yet I sometimes feel like I'm doing a completely useless degree, so I can't understand how people can do "Media and Communications" and "Film Studies" without feeling awful.


An English degree is a very academic and challenging degree. Sure, people may joke and say you have a blank timetable but that doesn't mean it's not a good degree. Geography people say is about colouring in but people know it's not really. English is good dw.
Original post by Kandish7
Maybe I dont want to know what PI is to 20 decimals, maybe i dont want to know the exact mass of an atom? etc?


I think you have badly misunderstood the content of maths and science degrees there.

People that have never done any maths / science always think it's about doing sums and adding things together -.-

It wouldn't have academic prestige if it was

It would take you, if you were clever about 8 years to understand the details of even a wikipedia page on topics like quantum field theory and the concepts involved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_field_theory

somehow I don't think the concepts of film studies are quite in the same league...
Reply 34
Original post by jaybutler
Those jobs you could get without a degree and with some common sense


Not entirely. Degrees that can be sneered at (e.g. History, Philosophy, Politics in this case) give you a higher level of analytical thinking in a particular style. And it is these skills from university that can then be transferred over. Also employers want to see you've done something. Not having a degree can be a huge hindrance even for a job that has no particular degree aligned to it.

<3 x
Original post by jaybutler
Those jobs you could get without a degree and with some common sense

The assistant manager at my retail store where i used to work did a Film and TV degree... then ending up working in retail, something which he could have done without having spent a single second at uni

Hence, the entire approach and attitude towards uni has really gone down. No longer a place where you study something which gives you knowledge and skills which you simply could not acquire otherwise, but a place where anyone can go simply because its the norm, pass time for 3 years, then probably end up in the exact same thing they would have if they had not gone. Not that I really care, its just interesting discussion



Exception not the rule, Alan Sugar didnt even finish school and look where he is now, thats not really a realistic approach to the situation


With regards to your previous manager, what about those retail management Graduate schemes?

One argument is one can start as a sales assistant and work your way up to manager but I have heard the salary can be different for those with Degrees and those without.
I don't think attitudes have changed a lot in the better universities. There are now just a lot of places in the UK called 'university' that really should be called polytechnics...

I mean if you can't even get something like AAB at a level you clearly don't like studying so why do more -.-

They wanna be cool and go to 'uni' like the people who did some work/were clever.... and thats where all these new places with stupid courses and maths degrees that need a C in A level maths cash in
Original post by jaybutler
unfortunately, it isnt really


From my A-levels studied Maths, Business, Sociology and IT.

Really enjoyed Sociology, my original plan was to study Accounting and Finance at uni but at A-levels enjoyed Sociology but from research and speaking to family etc I was advised to stick with Accounting & Finance.

But now applying to graduate schemes other than the exemptions from professional qualification exams such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA etc, most of the graduate schemes require degree from any discipline.

In summary I have a feeling that if you chose a subject you enjoy, have a passion for maybe it will be slightly easier to get top marks.
Reply 38
Original post by LETSJaM
Not entirely. Degrees that can be sneered at (e.g. History, Philosophy, Politics in this case) give you a higher level of analytical thinking in a particular style. And it is these skills from university that can then be transferred over. Also employers want to see you've done something. Not having a degree can be a huge hindrance even for a job that has no particular degree aligned to it.

<3 x


Statistics on what kind of jobs people get with such degrees proves otherwise, so many can't even get jobs, others work in supermarkets, bars, retail, anything they can get. Although, if you do those degrees at a top university, its a different case entirely. History degree from Oxbridge for eg. opens up a huge amount of doors

Original post by Londonpie72
With regards to your previous manager, what about those retail management Graduate schemes?

One argument is one can start as a sales assistant and work your way up to manager but I have heard the salary can be different for those with Degrees and those without.


Im not sure but I dont think so

Met plenty of people in jobs like that who didnt go to uni, I'm just saying its not worth 3 years of studying unless it has a very clear, defined and (although money isnt everything by any means) financially secure future

your school education provides enough in that regard, imo
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by jaybutler
And then complain when they can't find work?

You're spending thousands a year (9000 from here on out), dont choose something just because you "think its fun". If you like underwater basket weaving, then do underwater basket weaving in your spare time, don't get a degree in it and then wonder why no employer needs an underwater basket weaver.

Gonna get negged to hell for this, but its completely true - most people who do a non specific degree will eventually end up working in something completely different to that degree anyway, so why not study something with a lot more direction/focus which will set you up financially and then follow your other passions in your own time?

People no longer seem to go to uni to set up a future for themselves, they just do it because everyone's doing it and its expected


1) Many people go to university to study for the love of a subject. That is still a valid reason.

2) Many people go to university having no idea what exactly they want to do with their lives. If you don't know what you're going to do, picking a vocational course which is likely to pigeon-hole you to a certain career you may not want a few years down the line is not the greatest of ideas.

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