Bosses condemn 'useless' degrees that leave graduates unemployable
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Original post by Joinedup
Urban myth dude 
i'm easily misled by the media!
Original post by trixster
LOL - 24/30 decent Universities according to who? you? 
God forbid those awful CCC standard graduates who must be as thick as pig ****. Typical comment from a do-gooder that has probably never done a hard days work in his/her life.
God forbid those awful CCC standard graduates who must be as thick as pig ****. Typical comment from a do-gooder that has probably never done a hard days work in his/her life.
would it be fair to say that a CCC grade student has less academic aptitude than a AAA student by the standard of the British examination system? from that perspective it would be fair to suggest that a university which has an intake of mainly CCC students would be considered less academically elite than one with AAA students mainly in a comparative sense.
as for thick as Pig S**T hardly! they wouldnt have survived past A level if they were on a level with that particular substance
but on the flip side, being clever doesnt mean you havnt done a hard days work in your life. if you go to oxbridge for example you have to work your ass off to meet your deadlines!
This is just silly. Maybe a minority of graduates apply to job roles with an irrelevant degree title but at the end of the day most degrees fit into an industry. If you want to work in an art gallery, History of Art is pretty perfect, they wouldnt employ a Mathematics graduate would they?
Stupid article is stupid.
Stupid article is stupid.
Original post by trixster
LOL - 24/30 decent Universities according to who? you?
God forbid those awful CCC standard graduates who must be as thick as pig ****. Typical comment from a do-gooder that has probably never done a hard days work in his/her life.
God forbid those awful CCC standard graduates who must be as thick as pig ****. Typical comment from a do-gooder that has probably never done a hard days work in his/her life.
do you realise that you're on an academic forum?
I don't want to offend anybody so I won't say particular degrees, but there are some people who do a degree and then go for an office job completely different to what they studied. There are so many people who by the end of their degree and only at the end think, 'mmm.. what am I going to do now'. These people think they'll have access to a 35k+ job straight after spending 3 years at university doing a course they don't really intend to follow up in the future. They just chose any degree because it seemed like the thing to do after A-levels. There's been less of a focus on going to university to get advanced education on a field you're going to follow in the future, and it's been more about going to do any degree so that employers will be running to employ you...
Again, I'm not going to say particular courses, and yes, this is a generalisation of some degrees, and some of the people who take them, but that's how it is.
Again, I'm not going to say particular courses, and yes, this is a generalisation of some degrees, and some of the people who take them, but that's how it is.
Don't tell me my Peter Pan & Tinkerbell Studies, is useless. I enjoy it and that's all that matters 
Here is another point about so called 'useless degrees in non-serious subjects':
Most people consider a Mathematics degree to be a serious and useful degree but in reality, one can acheive this degree, even obtaining first class honours at a reputable university, by displaying no ability, signs of true scholarship or understanding or interpretation of anything.
I know that on my maths degree course there were people who got firsts who knew nothing about maths and had never been to the library or even sourced material on the internet for themselves just because they were willing to sit bored through lectures for three or four years listlessly copying down a limited amount of information which they were then happy to spend 4 weeks a year learning by heart so that they could reiterate it parrot fashion in an exam.
I think that to get a 2:2 in say, History of Art would require at least a semblance of scholarship and interpretation or would at least require you to do more than 4 weeks 'work' per year.
Most people consider a Mathematics degree to be a serious and useful degree but in reality, one can acheive this degree, even obtaining first class honours at a reputable university, by displaying no ability, signs of true scholarship or understanding or interpretation of anything.
I know that on my maths degree course there were people who got firsts who knew nothing about maths and had never been to the library or even sourced material on the internet for themselves just because they were willing to sit bored through lectures for three or four years listlessly copying down a limited amount of information which they were then happy to spend 4 weeks a year learning by heart so that they could reiterate it parrot fashion in an exam.
I think that to get a 2:2 in say, History of Art would require at least a semblance of scholarship and interpretation or would at least require you to do more than 4 weeks 'work' per year.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by LiveFastDieYoung
would it be fair to say that a CCC grade student has less academic aptitude than a AAA student by the standard of the British examination system? from that perspective it would be fair to suggest that a university which has an intake of mainly CCC students would be considered less academically elite than one with AAA students mainly in a comparative sense.
as for thick as Pig S**T hardly! they wouldnt have survived past A level if they were on a level with that particular substance
but on the flip side, being clever doesnt mean you havnt done a hard days work in your life. if you go to oxbridge for example you have to work your ass off to meet your deadlines!
as for thick as Pig S**T hardly! they wouldnt have survived past A level if they were on a level with that particular substance
but on the flip side, being clever doesnt mean you havnt done a hard days work in your life. if you go to oxbridge for example you have to work your ass off to meet your deadlines!
In many cases yes, but certainly not always. Many people do not apply themselves at GCSE and A-Level for whatever reason but go on to achieve much better at University level. Grades alone at not necessarily an indicator of someones academic aptitude.
As for a hard days work, I was referring to the real world, not the academic world. So many graduates leave University without ever having worked and expect some fantastic job to handed to them on a plate.
Original post by LiveFastDieYoung
would it be fair to say that a CCC grade student has less academic aptitude than a AAA student by the standard of the British examination system? from that perspective it would be fair to suggest that a university which has an intake of mainly CCC students would be considered less academically elite than one with AAA students mainly in a comparative sense.
as for thick as Pig S**T hardly! they wouldnt have survived past A level if they were on a level with that particular substance
but on the flip side, being clever doesnt mean you havnt done a hard days work in your life. if you go to oxbridge for example you have to work your ass off to meet your deadlines!
as for thick as Pig S**T hardly! they wouldnt have survived past A level if they were on a level with that particular substance
but on the flip side, being clever doesnt mean you havnt done a hard days work in your life. if you go to oxbridge for example you have to work your ass off to meet your deadlines!
Even less or non academic people do a hard days work. Put it this way, I'd be happier programming in an office all day on my ass than out on a construction site lifting, unloading and doing the job on site in all types of weather etc.
But I agree with what you've said.
Original post by michaelhaych
do you realise that you're on an academic forum?
Really? last time I checked it was student forum.
Original post by Tefhel
Well they have a point. Considering that there are about 109 universities in the UK, and only about 25/30 are 'decent' unis there must be an awful lot of CCC standard graduates who in all honesty probably can't do mental arithmetic or write a decent essay.
I think you've under estimated this a bit. You say that only the top 30 unis are decent and the rest are at the CCC level. Well I can tell you (and you can look this up on a league table) that many of the middle ranking unis such as Keele, Hull, Trent, Oxford Brookes, Goldsmiths etc have average entry tarrifs of BBB which I would say is actually quite decent.
It's only when you get down to the low ranking uni's that the average entry tariffs are at CCC or less.
I'm all for people doing mickey mouse subjects, as it means more job opportunities for people doing proper subjects 
Sounds like your typical over-exaggerated news that you get during the results period. 
Which is why I will ignore any A-level news during that period.
Which is why I will ignore any A-level news during that period.
Okay... So I'd still rather pursue my academic interests than a life inside McDonalds or Tesco's. Although I suppose, every little helps.
edit; Oh, and if a small business denies somebody who achieves a first class degree - I don't think they can be criticising anybody.
edit; Oh, and if a small business denies somebody who achieves a first class degree - I don't think they can be criticising anybody.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Jake22
Its just another lazy rehash of a rehash of a 'slow news day' article presumably penned by a journalist on the toilet in a pub after realising that they had 15 minutes to fill 300 words worth of column space.
They are claiming that candidates for jobs are lacking basic skills yet the article blames this on 'useless degrees in non-serious subjects'.
Cited as traits lacking are basic numeracy and literacy, the ability to focus and interpersonal skills. How does that have anything to do with even a 'useful degree in a serious subject?' If anything, this is more a failing of primary and secondary education and definately not tertiary.
Also, I cannot stand the arrogance of the Chamber of Commerce (which is essentially just an old boys club) and similar organisation in tacitly suggesting that the predominant goal of tertiary education is to train people for employment with their members' organisations.
In reality, very few people learn any job skills (even soft skills) as part of their degree course. In a lot of so called 'graduate schemes', a degree is nothing but a first-filter system for stream lining the application process. It just tells the employer that the candidate is middle-class and studious enough to be a part of their organisation.
They are claiming that candidates for jobs are lacking basic skills yet the article blames this on 'useless degrees in non-serious subjects'.
Cited as traits lacking are basic numeracy and literacy, the ability to focus and interpersonal skills. How does that have anything to do with even a 'useful degree in a serious subject?' If anything, this is more a failing of primary and secondary education and definately not tertiary.
Also, I cannot stand the arrogance of the Chamber of Commerce (which is essentially just an old boys club) and similar organisation in tacitly suggesting that the predominant goal of tertiary education is to train people for employment with their members' organisations.
In reality, very few people learn any job skills (even soft skills) as part of their degree course. In a lot of so called 'graduate schemes', a degree is nothing but a first-filter system for stream lining the application process. It just tells the employer that the candidate is middle-class and studious enough to be a part of their organisation.
Why are they being let in if they can't do basic maths/English?
I would love to study underwater basket weaving
I don't particularly have much trust for random 'reports' that produce dubious conclusions, nor would I trust the 'British Chamber of Commerce' considering the train wreck that is the US Chamber of Commerce, nor would I trust the Daily Mail by any journalistic standard.
All round fail.
All round fail.
Original post by Aarroonnn
I couldn't care less what some uneducated, useless daily fail journalist thinks of my degree. Most of them struggle to string an intellectual sentence together, let alone a whole article.
Did you even read it?
'The devastating report, from the British Chambers of Commerce'
Its not a journalist stating it.
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