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British entrepreneur Simon Dolan says, "Degrees are worthless"

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It is dependent entirely on the degree of choosing. Like Medicine, Law etc requires a degree for you to get far.

Not sure about other degrees though, to a lesser, lesser extent - Psychology at Undergraduate level.... you'll most likely want to do Postgraduate to get a lot of benefits from that.

It is true that thousands of people that start businesses end up failing; both online and offline - I think 98% of people fail to make proper money via their online businesses or something to that effect. Depends entirely on the individual though.

A degree isn't necessary to succeed in life though; not everyone is an academic and likewise, not everyone is Bill Gates..

Regardless, those with the strongest resolve are the ones that succeed - simple.

Reply 61

ExeterHistStudent

This is all quite horrific.

The issue should not be whether or not a university makes you more employable.

It's nice to think that there's more to life than 'being useful in an office environment'.

Go to university to educate yourself and contribute to knowledge, not to play into the desires of a world obsessed with making money.

Reply 62

ExeterHistStudent

Original post by munn

a few of the points he makes in that are valid, but the idea that degrees are worthless is the wrong one.

what needs to change is the attitude that a degree is a gateway to higher wages, better employability and all that jazz, and focus on the fact that a degree is a tool to help you develop the SKILLS to get those higher paid wages and employability.
after all, my physical degree in maths is no more valuable than an honorary degree bestowed upon someone else.
The skills I learned in managing deadlines, analysing and solving problems, working in teams etc is what makes me employable. That can be replicated with work experience, but finding a job that focuses on strengthening these talents at age 16-18 can be quite the difficult task, which is why university is an excellent option.
Of course when you take a course which involves very little of this, then you're going to struggle to find a job without showing employers in some way how you have these skills.

I say that as a general rule for graduates of unnamed degrees trying to find work in an unrelated field of course. Obviously doctors, lawyers, dentists, veterinarians etc all the way to psychologists, economists, mathematicians, physicists etc need their degree as the knowledge gained is pertinent to the jobs they do, but for the vast majority of graduates, going into the field that their degree "naturally" leads on to is not the target at the start of their courses.

You are rather dull. The obsession with 'employability skills' is a most unfortunate feature of modern universities. It rather stifles the desire to learn for the sake of it.

Reply 63

fat_hobbit

Even for basic minimum wage jobs, you need a degree these days.
So, his POV is wrong.

Reply 64

The_Internet

Original post by zubz91

in this whole thread, no one has mentioned an engineering degree as being useful. Why is that? :confused:

No one has mentioned dentistry, no one has mentioned nursing, no one has mentioned computer science, no one has mentioned physics, no one has mentioned maths, no one has mentioned economics etc...

Engineering isn't this special thing where it HAS to be mentioned

Reply 65

zubz91

Original post by de_monies

Well yes because al the degrees youve mentioned are more common than engineering and less paid jobs? do you agree ?

Reply 66

Keckers

Original post by zubz91

Is it overlooked only by TSR or the whole world lol?

More so in the real world than on TSR

Reply 67

zubz91

Original post by Keckers

More so in the real world than on TSR

so your telling me obtaining an engineering degree is same as getting a business or accounting degree?

Reply 68

Keckers

Original post by de_monies

Engineering isn't this special thing where it HAS to be mentioned

Engineers built the world around you.

Reply 69

dgeorge

Graduates earn more than non-graduates. That's something borne out in probably every profession.

Of course there will always be exceptions, many exceptions, many people who DIDN'T go to university and still did well, but you are much more likely to earn a higher salary with a degree than without one.

PS - there's no such thing as a "useless degree" Degrees show you simply have a certainly level of ability. Many people don't end up going on to jobs in their field, but because degrees are somewhat (in SOME cases) transferable someone working in say, psychology can apply for a job in a number of different fields, because they have a degree, period.

Reply 70

Keckers

Original post by zubz91

so your telling me obtaining an engineering degree is same as getting a business or accounting degree?

Not at all. Getting an engineering degree open up far more avenues than a business or accounting degree (in most cases). Engineering is just less likely to spring to the front of Joe Publics mind.

Reply 71

TurboCretin

Original post by laura130490

Depends on the degree and the area you are trying to get into. Medicine and law degrees for example, are obviously not worthless because you wouldn't be able to get into the professions without one.

Not true in the case of law. I agree with the gist of your post though.

Reply 72

The_Internet

Original post by zubz91

Well yes because al the degrees youve mentioned are more common than engineering and less paid jobs? do you agree ?

Well, I don't know how much they get paid... If you tell us the average pay, I'd imagine that people in other professional degrees would get paid around the same or perhaps even more - and then it would depend on what kind of engineer you are ie: software engineering would really come under CS, rather than engineering

Original post by Keckers

Engineers built the world around you.

So? I know that, but it still not so special that it HAS to be mentioned, and then on a thread on TSR. You couldn't have typed on your computer, without computer science graduates, the treatments you get on the NHS couldn't have been done without medicine degrees, nuclear fuel/reactors/missiles couldn't have been done without physics degrees, the lawyers who defend your case couldn't have done it without a law degree

Neither of these were mentioned either. I know that engineering is worth a lot, but it's not so special that it HAS to be mentioned on a bloody student forum

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 73

zubz91

Original post by Keckers

Not at all. Getting an engineering degree open up far more avenues than a business or accounting degree (in most cases). Engineering is just less likely to spring to the front of Joe Publics mind.

Yeah definitely more higher paid jobs i suppose.

Reply 74

dreadnaut

Ha. He is making population inferences from one data point (himself).

He clearly displays some serious cognitive bias to come out with such drivel. Just because he made millions after leaving school at 16 doesn't mean that everyone else can. Way to fall for the fallacy of composition.

Clearly, he doesn't need a degree. He wouldn't make a very good scientist. He's like those people who say they recovered from/cured their aids/cancer themselves, and then encourage others to stop taking the medication so they too can be cured.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 75

TurboCretin

One could make the same point by quoting a tramp who has a degree.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 76

Tateco

Stupid argument, it's like when people say "But look at Alan Sugar or Richard Branson!"... Couldn't be more infuriating :rant:

Reply 77

TurboCretin

"University is not the issue of whether you had a good time or not it is the whether you will be employable at the end of it."

That sentence doesn't make any sense.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 78

Tateco

Original post by zubz91

Well yes because al the degrees youve mentioned are more common than engineering and less paid jobs? do you agree ?

Maths, Economics, Physics? Badly paid? Really?

Reply 79

dj1015

Original post by fire2burn

Well seeing as a significant number of jobs specify that you must have a 2:1 degree or higher, I'd say having a degree is better than not having one for a large number of people.