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Is History a worthless degree to have?
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Original post by Tsunami2011
I'm just sayin' You're quite right, it's the Economics/Maths/Finance aspect of UCL and Warwick which place slightly above the rest in the eyes of IB. Warwick for Maths is arguably second to only Cambridge, and quite abit above the likes of Nottingham and Durham for Maths/Economics/Business. But, I would agree with you in general terms.
Surely that's only relevant information if you have actually taken one of those courses?
As I often say on this type of thread - its the prestige and quality of the department that matters, not the university as a whole.
Original post by py0alb
Original post by py0alb
Surely that's only relevant information if you have actually taken one of those courses?
As I often say on this type of thread - its the prestige and quality of the department that matters, not the university as a whole.
As I often say on this type of thread - its the prestige and quality of the department that matters, not the university as a whole.
not for employers
Original post by Jed123
i'm sure some finance jobs are too quantitive for a history degree? but i do agree about law and politics but not about finance.
If you have qualifications like A Level economics or maths then one should be fine. The current Chancellor of the Exchequer studied history.
Original post by py0alb
Surely that's only relevant information if you have actually taken one of those courses?
As I often say on this type of thread - its the prestige and quality of the department that matters, not the university as a whole.
As I often say on this type of thread - its the prestige and quality of the department that matters, not the university as a whole.
Yeah In theory that should be true. But in reality, a UCL History student would have more chance of getting into Front office banking than a Royal Holloway Economics student.. The UCL History would benefit from the 'perceived' strength of the university and the degree isn't wholly relevant, more the general rep of the university. Those courses place UCL/Warwick above their peers in the eyes of the bank and this elevate the students of the whole university and not just those taking the highly coveted subjects!
Original post by Jed123
not for employers
If some employers do judge candidates on such irrelevant criteria, then they deserve to get crappy staff.
Fortunately, most of them aren't so stupid.
Original post by Tsunami2011
Yeah In theory that should be true. But in reality, a UCL History student would have more chance of getting into Front office banking than a Royal Holloway Economics student.. The UCL History would benefit from the 'perceived' strength of the university and the degree isn't wholly relevant, more the general rep of the university. Those courses place UCL/Warwick above their peers in the eyes of the bank and this elevate the students of the whole university and not just those taking the highly coveted subjects!
To be absolutely honest - and I'm genuinely not kidding here - most of the bankers I know got their jobs because they went to private school with the employer's nephew and were able to converse fluently about the nuances of selecting the England rugby team.
Original post by Romanorum-Hellas
If you have qualifications like A Level economics or maths then one should be fine. The current Chancellor of the Exchequer studied history.
and look how well he's doing :|
Original post by py0alb
Oxbridge, yes. Imperial for hard sciences and LSE for social sciences, yes. But UCL and Warwick are not demonstrably any better than somewhere like Durham or a good Russell Group uni like Nottingham.
That's not the point, that list was for the 6 unis that investment banks target most. It's not an opinion of which are best.
Not a gem of brilliance here, but the only thing I ever here people say when you have a history degree is... "So you're going to be a teacher then?"
Original post by Tsunami2011
Don't be fooled. Those people with Arts/Humanties degrees probably went to Oxbridge, or one of the heavily targeted universities..unless it's back office.
Well yes but the question was about History degrees, not universities. The universities I remember them mentioning were Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton though. I spoke to so many people including loads in front office roles and only heard Oxford and Cambridge each mentioned once.
However they told me that while they do tend to recruit mainly from a select few universities, if you have a good application then you're still in with a chance.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by sarah1345
Could I get into management consultancy with a "History with Economics" degree from Manchester? Would I be able to get onto one of the graduate schemes? Say with a 2:1 and all that?
I'm sure you will yes.
Original post by srascal8
On TSR, it seems if you don't have a science or maths degree, you are not gonna et a job?
Is it like that in the real world? Are History degrees as respected as sciences? say if I want to work in the corporate world and hopefully get into a big company, will I have a good chance? I have 4 offers from RG unis to study History btw
thank you, just confused tbh!
Is it like that in the real world? Are History degrees as respected as sciences? say if I want to work in the corporate world and hopefully get into a big company, will I have a good chance? I have 4 offers from RG unis to study History btw
thank you, just confused tbh!
If you wanted to work in finance or insurance then mathematics is the best degree. However, even those graduating with Mathematics degrees are not guaranteed a high flown corporate career. The places available on graduate schemes for blue chip companies are very limited. They take a tiny percentage of the graduate cohort per year.
History is an excellent degree... our last Prime Minister had a History degree and he'd been Chancellor of the Exchequer for years before that so it certainly doesn't preclude a high flying career!
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by catoswyn
If you wanted to work in finance or insurance then mathematics is the best degree. However, even those graduating with Mathematics degrees are not guaranteed a high flown corporate career. The places available on graduate schemes for blue chip companies are very limited. They take a tiny percentage of the graduate cohort per year.
History is an excellent degree... our last Prime Minister had a History degree and he'd been Chancellor of the Exchequer for years before that so it certainly doesn't preclude a high flying career!
History is an excellent degree... our last Prime Minister had a History degree and he'd been Chancellor of the Exchequer for years before that so it certainly doesn't preclude a high flying career!
What do you think is better Maths or history for a corporate job that isn't that related to fininace. A corporate job such as a high end manager of a big company?
Original post by non
What do you think is better Maths or history for a corporate job that isn't that related to fininace. A corporate job such as a high end manager of a big company?
Yeah that's interesting. Is there anything that a BSc graduate isn't limited to? Unlike an arts graduate? And for management consultancy or risk management would you need a maths degree or something, or is any degree with experience good enough?
Original post by biggie
IMO, most degrees are worthless (from an employment perspective) nowadays unless you have work experience to support them. Excluding ones like medicine of course.
On there own without any experience? I'd probably agree. Especially as most graduate jobs are filled by candidates who have undertaken work experience with them previously. It's probably best to think of a field to go into, and get experience by your third year. Then you might be in.
Original post by non
What do you think is better Maths or history for a corporate job that isn't that related to fininace. A corporate job such as a high end manager of a big company?
Guess its your CV and track record at the end of the day... By the time you're at the stage of being appointed high end manager of a big company who gives a damn about your undergraduate studies. No one in truth. You'd probably have a MBA by that time anyway. I think it has been thirty years since anyone asked me what subject I studied at university.
A degree is merely the ticket to the first stage of employment. Of course a degree from a top university in a relevant subject is useful for that first step. However my friend with her degree in English is on the board of her company because she made the right career decisions and got the right experience at the right time.
Of course the traditional subjects such as Mathematics and Economics can give one a good start in business and corporate affairs. However other degrees can be sought after. For instance advertising companies tend to target English and Art graduates. A maths graduate, unless applying for back office positions, would be at a disadvantage.
Initial sales/marketing positions (from which one can often rise quite rapidly in a company) are more usually filled by arts graduates as maths and science grads can have the reputation of lacking people skills. Market research companies target psychology graduates in addition to mathematicians etc etc
Outside of the accepted canon such as investment banking and the like which call for numerate degrees it is perfectly possible to achieve a high end position in your career with virtually any degree.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by sarah1345
Could I get into management consultancy with a "History with Economics" degree from Manchester? Would I be able to get onto one of the graduate schemes? Say with a 2:1 and all that?
Its a perfectly fine degree for management consultancy. In truth the top management consultancy firms tend to recruit via a full testing procedure. So not just your examinations but how well you did on the tests will be the deciding factor. Your degree will just be one of the criteria used to determine whether they allow you to take the test in the first place.
There are various routes into consultancy... look at gaining project management qualifications such as PRINCE. Get a good employment history as many consultancies only recruit people with experience.
Good luck
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