which degree leads to the best career prospects?
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?There's a combination of factors. It's not simply like there's a ranking of degrees: Maths > Finance > Econ > Law > Poli Sci > History > etc etc. There's also the institution and the mark, and internships... I'd be willing to guess that an Creative Writing degree at UEA will be harder than the same degree at London South Bank, and an English degree at Oxford would be harder than all. Similarly, I'd be willing to bet that my IR degree at LSE is more challenging than a degree in law or maths from Nottingham Trent... not because of the content so much as the standards you are held to. But someone with a First from Oxford Brooks is gonna be better off than someone with a Third from Oxford. The point is, it's not so easy to distinguish between the difficult/worthwhile degrees and the rest, and getting a first in any degree is never easy, although getting a 2.1 usually is...(Original post by Kenocide)
Oh yeah absolutely, by no means do I expect any degree to entitle anyone to a job automatically.
I was just trying to say that out of the significant numbers of unemployed graduates out there, I reckon a fair few of them must be the kind of people I was talking about earlier - did no work on their degree, didn't even need to, got a 2:1, had a doss for 3 years and now can't find a job. If that is the case, then out of all graduates those are the people who most deserve to be in that position.
And I kind of hope it is like that. I hope that, whilst as you rightly say a degree =/= a job, employers do rightly distinguish between difficult/worthwhile degrees and the rest (so far as they can reasonably be expected to do so - obviously it is difficult). -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?You have hit the nail on the head here...(Original post by aftrglw)
There's a combination of factors. It's not simply like there's a ranking of degrees: Maths > Finance > Econ > Law > Poli Sci > History > etc etc. There's also the institution and the mark, and internships... I'd be willing to guess that an Creative Writing degree at UEA will be harder than the same degree at London South Bank, and an English degree at Oxford would be harder than all. Similarly, I'd be willing to bet that my IR degree at LSE is more challenging than a degree in law or maths from Nottingham Trent... not because of the content so much as the standards you are held to. But someone with a First from Oxford Brooks is gonna be better off than someone with a Third from Oxford. The point is, it's not so easy to distinguish between the difficult/worthwhile degrees and the rest, and getting a first in any degree is never easy, although getting a 2.1 usually is...
Having a degree just usually puts you on par with everyone else because the degree pool is so diluted now.
You need other things, like work experience in your applied field, evidence of work (even part time work!) and extracirricular activities.
A degree is no more of a filtering object for a job than a driving license or an NI number. It simply seems necissary if you want to have prospects of earning above 18k a year (starting) -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?simply because theres so many people with that degree, its exactly like say gold ... the more of it the less theres worth and there is huge glut of qualified lawyers, i was specificly reffering to people becoming lawyers but none the less(Original post by Kenocide)
On what grounds?
A law graduate has more options than simply 'become lawyer'.
In fact, out of all the degrees that have been listed on this thread I'd argue it's probably the most versatile. A law degree is less about subject specific knowledge and more about varied and particular skills which happen to be transferable and desirable. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?True, there are tonnes of law graduates but(Original post by cl_steele)
simply because theres so many people with that degree, its exactly like say gold ... the more of it the less theres worth and there is huge glut of qualified lawyers, i was specificly reffering to people becoming lawyers but none the less
a) Not by a long stretch do they all go into law. You can't question the overall career prospects of a law degree but then say you were referring specifically to those who go on to be lawyers.
b) Because, as you say, there are many law graduates, for those who do wish to go into law distinctions are certainly drawn by employers between groups of universities. For instance, whilst I don't purport to know exactly which 5 universities they target, it's pretty evident that you're unlikely to get a job at a Magic Circle (read: elite) firm if you went to a university outside the top 20-ish for law.
But as I said, law graduates go into such a wide range of different sectors and jobs precisely because it is well-regarded degree in the grand scheme of things so you can't question the career prospects of a law degree just because there are a limited number of jobs as a lawyer. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?But if you're Andrew Lansley why bother training a ****load of new doctors in order to do that? Why not just figure that you employ probably in excess of 90% of the doctors in the UK (I don't know the official figure but it's basically a monopoly) and just say 'Right every doctor is getting a 40% pay cut because you're paid too much'. What exactly could doctors do about it?(Original post by fletchdd02)
237,000,000 is nothing compared to the long term saving on wages and in comparison to the billions pounds worth of debt we have.
The reason people don't go into IB is because it's much harder than medicine to get a job at the end, that's the only reason.
And I suspect there are other intangible (and tangible like job security, pension, relative freedom of location etc.) reasons to be medics. I know my girlfriend (medic) would rather stab herself in the eyes with two blunt pencils than work in the City.
But I still reckon if you went to Oxbridge, and I'm following the rule that all 15th October courses are equally hard to gain entry to here, other than those that double it (Med at both, Vet at Cam), to do a science subject you'd be a pretty safe bet to go into IB, consulting, big law or any number of jobs that ultimately pay better than medicine.Last edited by roh; 29-05-2012 at 18:57. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?What sort of things do you do in chemical engineering and what are the average earnings?(Original post by hslakaal)
Med/dentistry for best %employment across all unis.
Chemical/eng for best combination of time, cost, versatility&earnings -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?I know but threads like this are always worth bringing out the popcorn for!(Original post by Dominicque)
This website is the equivalent of beating a dead horse, lbr. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?I've noticed a lot of people saying that Law is good for later career prospects but unfortunately at the moment there are more people with law degrees looking for work than there are people graduating from Law School every year.
In other words, there are not nearly enough jobs for the amount of graduates in law.
This is also supported by what my Dad has told me (He's a partner in a Law firm), they've come across people applying to become trainees who've spent the last 3 years packing bags in Tesco's because there haven't been posts for them. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?You, Sir, have just been repped. The good kind, that is. :P(Original post by Aeschylus)
I know but threads like this are always worth bringing out the popcorn for! -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?Wow! That is bad.(Original post by Matthew150)
I've noticed a lot of people saying that Law is good for later career prospects but unfortunately at the moment there are more people with law degrees looking for work than there are people graduating from Law School every year.
In other words, there are not nearly enough jobs for the amount of graduates in law.
This is also supported by what my Dad has told me (He's a partner in a Law firm), they've come across people applying to become trainees who've spent the last 3 years packing bags in Tesco's because there haven't been posts for them. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?lol @ the students commenting on Bsc computer science degrees without any experience.
Let me tell you FACTS from someone who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt.
I passed my CS degree in 2010 (right in the middle of the recession). I achieved a 2.1 and am now employed by an American IT firm (no names) who focus in many areas especially the financial sector.
People who say CS degrees offer poor job prospects, you talk RUBBISH. IT has transformed this World and is part of every sector that depends on their IT infrastructure for their day to day business.
From App development to bank security systems, to website design to networking. The market is huge and set to continue to grow as shown by heavy investment by the government to try and ignite London's very own Silicon Valley.
Any new graduate today in CS related degrees WILL need a degree for 99% of the employers out there. Older, non-graduate programmers were common 20 years ago but not today unless the employer prefers to target these people (many don't due to their cost).
Just get out there and try and gain experience by doing a placement. CS is a good degree and I am proof that you can find a good career from it.
I started on £24k in mid recession with all expenses paid for and with no experience. I work away from home Monday to Friday, staying in a £100 a night hotel, £30 a night food allowance and free travel costs. People who say IT is finished haven't got a clue and don't let them put you off because like most, they talk from opinion yet try to pass it off as fact.
Good luck fellow CS students/grads.Last edited by bs3ac; 01-06-2012 at 00:56. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?Spot on.(Original post by Matthew150)
I've noticed a lot of people saying that Law is good for later career prospects but unfortunately at the moment there are more people with law degrees looking for work than there are people graduating from Law School every year.
In other words, there are not nearly enough jobs for the amount of graduates in law.
This is also supported by what my Dad has told me (He's a partner in a Law firm), they've come across people applying to become trainees who've spent the last 3 years packing bags in Tesco's because there haven't been posts for them.
I worked with the Lib Dems and Conservatives during this year on internships. There are loads of law students who can't get jobs and so are trying the politics route and even here, failing to get good jobs and largely stuck in the same internships as me, pre-university. Of course, all of us were highly qualified (and I the only one, pre-university here) but most of these law graduates were from top universities (Edinburgh, KCL, Bristol, Leeds, etc.) struggling for work. It also shows there is a noticeable excess in law students at the moment, I wouldn't say it's a really good degree to have at the moment unless you go to Oxbridge and LSE/UCL to a lesser extent.Last edited by Deep456; 01-06-2012 at 18:38. -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?It's actually quite funny reading your trolling and I find it gives me as much amusement to reply to your ridicilous ravings as it does to read them.(Original post by see-are)
Haha you aren't very intelligent.
Nice point scoring about axiom/theorem though, made me look really stupid and didn't make yourself look like a pedantic idiot AT ALL.
The problems are not novel. You are taught techniques/formulas etc that will get you the answer as long as you follow them accurately. Unless you create a new theory to do with maths you are not creative at all. Don't try to tell me that they give you questions that are so far unanswered and there is no known method for working it out. That wouldn't be given to an undergraduate.
Nope. I was implying that maths students are not free thinkers. And I was actually making a point about employers who take on maths students etc, was looking beyond what they may say they do and at what they actually do... Sorry I didn't provide a formula to work out what I meant..
First of all, do you have any idea how many different ways there are to construct an idea? Essay writers are well trained. They must express their own opinion on paper and show off their knowledge.
The same is true for mathematics. We're given a question and expected to use our intelligence and inginuity to create a coherent answer. Contrary to A levels and prior, there isn't just one answer to a question anymore. If you read books, do wider reading and know your stuff then there can be 10 different ways to answer a question. Hell there are a stupid amount of ways to do a integral, and each one is correct. There are hundreds of ways to express a proof, but you're rewarded for being concise, coherent and succinct. This is rarely true of essay based degrees.
This aspect of mathematics alone teaches you to think fast and react to new problems and solve them without getting wrapped up in banalities.
In any case, most of the world thinks you're an idiot and I'm sure the reaction I get from telling people my degree speaks wonders for my course. After all, what is a good degree without its reputation in society? -
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Re: which degree leads to the best career prospects?Don't mean to detract from the thrust of your post, but I'd proffer "an education".(Original post by wanderlust.xx)
It's actually quite funny reading your trolling and I find it gives me as much amusement to reply to your ridicilous ravings as it does to read them.
First of all, do you have any idea how many different ways there are to construct an idea? Essay writers are well trained. They must express their own opinion on paper and show off their knowledge.
The same is true for mathematics. We're given a question and expected to use our intelligence and inginuity to create a coherent answer. Contrary to A levels and prior, there isn't just one answer to a question anymore. If you read books, do wider reading and know your stuff then there can be 10 different ways to answer a question. Hell there are a stupid amount of ways to do a integral, and each one is correct. There are hundreds of ways to express a proof, but you're rewarded for being concise, coherent and succinct. This is rarely true of essay based degrees.
This aspect of mathematics alone teaches you to think fast and react to new problems and solve them without getting wrapped up in banalities.
In any case, most of the world thinks you're an idiot and I'm sure the reaction I get from telling people my degree speaks wonders for my course. After all, what is a good degree without its reputation in society?
Apart from the final paragraph, I thought this was a good post. -
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Have you not considered that these law graduates that you speak of we're simply not good enough? So many factors determine whether or not you make it in law. Most people who I personally know who did Law at top universities and got involved with societies etc got a reputable job. Working in a top city firm is about far more then academics. You won't succeed without the commercial awareness, personality or many other traits. Law firms do not sponsor law societies at leading universities for the fun of it. Law is being depicted as a useless degree arm, because every Tom, Dick and Harry reckons that they can get onto a GDL after coasting through university. To say that only Oxbridge/LSE/UCl law degrees are valuable is off the mark.There is a notable excess of graduates full stop.(Original post by Deep456)
Spot on.
I worked with the Lib Dems and Conservatives during this year on internships. There are loads of law students who can't get jobs and so are trying the politics route and even here, failing to get good jobs and largely stuck in the same internships as me, pre-university. Of course, all of us were highly qualified (and I the only one, pre-university here) but most of these law graduates were from top universities (Edinburgh, KCL, Bristol, Leeds, etc.) struggling for work. It also shows there is a noticeable excess in law students at the moment, I wouldn't say it's a really good degree to have at the moment unless you go to Oxbridge and LSE/UCL to a lesser extent.
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