Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospects?

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  1. roh's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by Astronomical)
    In my defense I said it is probably boring! All I meant by that was I imagine much of it is just memorising definitions and, well, "laws" and so on. I may well be wrong, I don't really have a clue what an LLB entails. I'm open to correction.
    For a month a year it is indeed memorising stuff like your life depends on it Thankfully for the remainder it's pretty interesting, exploring how an area of law works, if you agree with it etc.
  2. wibletg's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    Very subjective -

    Some people HATE Chemistry, I actually quite enjoy it.

    I could never do English Literature or Language because I'd say they're boring - others would disagree.

    It's down to the interests of the individual person - Engineering sounds interesting to me, but obviously I have no first hand experience of the subject
  3. DuncanMono's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    surely the point of study a degree is that you find it interesting/stimulating.
  4. Astronomical's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by roh)
    For a month a year it is indeed memorising stuff like your life depends on it Thankfully for the remainder it's pretty interesting, exploring how an area of law works, if you agree with it etc.
    Ouch that sounds like a rough month! In any case, law being interesting only helps my point anyway.

    I think there is a correlation between academic subjects and graduate prospects/career options, OP. It seems the people who suffer are those who tend to do less academic subjects.
  5. kaypc's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    REALLY...i'd say the sciences like chemistry, dentistry and medicine are WAY more interesting than history and politics.
  6. fellowjoe's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by emerset)
    But all of you can't deny that there is a definite percentage of law and medical students that are smart but dislike their subject and even end up being unsatisfied with their career, simply because they had not prioritized what they enjoyed over their career income or family pressure.

    What OP says has a ring of truth to it despite everyone showing exceptions: law medicine and engineering are demanding, strict, and many if not most people consider them boring subjects, at least at a university level. And they do statistically give you the highest income level that a university degree can give you (together with an MBA possibly).

    I know that exists because I was great at maths so went into Software Engineering not because it was what I most enjoyed but because it had the most promising career, and after the first term I hated it. And now I'm going into Economics which is a field I truly enjoy.
    Bravo.

    You just summed up my entire point

    Don't you get that people? There are exceptions of course but apart from those who are truly interested in pursuing a professional career path like law and accountancy, i'd say most of the others who went into it do find it boring.
  7. Elwyn's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by roh)
    Lack of choice in modules maybe?

    Medics have to study whatever the Med School tell them they're studying (excepting intercalation), whereas most other subjects you can specialise in a specific area of the subject that interests you. I know plenty of Historians who find anything Medieval deadly dull but love Modern, or vicea versa, and thus never study the other. Whereas in Medicine it doesn't matter if renal bores you senseless whilst you would happily study neurology all day, you have to study both equally.

    I'm not saying Medicine is boring by any means, just that the above's a plausible reason for claiming that.
    Actually, for the course at Cardiff only around 75% of the course is set in stone. The rest is SSCs which we pick ourselves. I agree that preclinical biochem and sociology is boring though
  8. roh's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by Elwyn)
    Actually, for the course at Cardiff only around 75% of the course is set in stone. The rest is SSCs which we pick ourselves. I agree that preclinical biochem and sociology is boring though
    Ah fair enough, I guess that's unusually large by med school standards?

    Though it is still very prescriptive by standards for an average degree and, as you say, does mean you have to do boring modules.
  9. JammyChoos's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    I wouldnt call them boring. They are difficult which is wy people dont choose them unless they are capable
  10. The_Mighty_Bush's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    What is 'interesting' is purely subjective to the individual. I study history because I find it interesting but I am sure that there are plenty of people who study Medicine or Maths and find it incredibly interesting.
  11. Mr Einstein's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    The only one I would personally find boring out of those is dentistry!

    The study of teeth, ohmanohman
  12. racheatworld's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by Mr Einstein)
    The only one I would personally find boring out of those is dentistry!

    The study of teeth, ohmanohman
    Yes, because that's all that Dentistry entails. :facepalm:

    A Dental degree is actually very similar to a Medicine degree, it is just that it is specialised earlier on. You study general anatomy and biochemistry in first year (exactly like Medics), and then move on to the anatomy and physiology of the head and neck area. It's fairly naive to say that Dentistry is simply the "study of teeth". Dentists are expected to know anatomy and physiology of all parts of the body. Would you really be happy if you visited a Dentist, who didn't know how to deal with a patient who fainted? Or a Dentist who didn't know how drugs that he/she administered could affect other parts of the body, which could result in some very dangerous situations?

    Also, I'm quite interested in how you would find a Dental degree boring, but not a Medical degree? It seems that you have no idea of what a Dental degree entails, or you're simply presumptuous. They have very similar components, with Dentists just concentrating more on the head and neck area in years 2+. You seem to believe that studying "teeth" would be boring, so why would studying other parts of the body that Medics specialise in not be boring eg: Podiatry?

    A medical degree will usually result in a graduate becoming a GP, or specialising in a certain area of Medicine (obviously there are many other options, research medicine, etc. but I'm talking about the majority). Dentistry is very similar to a speciality of Medicine, in fact, I'd argue that Dentistry is a speciality of Medicine. Some people would argue that Dentistry enables you to become a specialist in a particular area of Medicine within 6 years (5 year degree and 1 year of VT training), without the need to do a 5 year degree in Medicine, then 2 years of VT training, then years of further study to become a specialist.
    Last edited by racheatworld; 10-07-2012 at 12:44.
  13. Mr Einstein's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by racheatworld)
    Yes, because that's all that Dentistry entails. :facepalm:

    A Dental degree is actually very similar to a Medicine degree, it is just that it is specialised earlier on. You study general anatomy and biochemistry in first year (exactly like Medics), and then move on to the anatomy and physiology of the head and neck area. It's fairly naive to say that Dentistry is simply the "study of teeth". Dentists are expected to know anatomy and physiology of all parts of the body. Would you really be happy if you visited a Dentist, who didn't know how to deal with a patient who fainted? Or a Dentist who didn't know how drugs that he/she administered could affect other parts of the body, which could result in some very dangerous situations?

    Also, I'm quite interested in how you would find a Dental degree boring, but not a Medical degree? It seems that you have no idea of what a Dental degree entails, or you're simply presumptuous. They have very similar components, with Dentists just concentrating more on the head and neck area in years 2+. You seem to believe that studying "teeth" would be boring, so why would studying other parts of the body that Medics specialise in not be boring eg: Podiatry?

    A medical degree will usually result in a graduate becoming a GP, or specialising in a certain area of Medicine (obviously there are many other options, research medicine, etc. but I'm talking about the majority). Dentistry is very similar to a speciality of Medicine, in fact, I'd argue that Dentistry is a speciality of Medicine. Some people would argue that Dentistry enables you to become a specialist in a particular area of Medicine within 6 years (5 year degree and 1 year of VT training), without the need to do a 5 year degree in Medicine, then 2 years of VT training, then years of further study to become a specialist.
    You are right to guess I have never given great amounts of my time in to researching what it entails. I did google it quickly before, and remember wiki saying it was the study of the oral cavity.

    The boring part I suppose was referring to being a dentist more than study.

    With medicine you could do a wider range of things. Would it be right to say Medics saves lives and Dentists save teeth?



    I apologise for my ignorance, however for real....it was a joke.
    Last edited by Mr Einstein; 10-07-2012 at 15:57.
  14. racheatworld's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    (Original post by Mr Einstein)
    You are right to guess I have never given great amounts of my time in to researching what it entails. I did google it quickly before, and remember wiki saying it was the study of the oral cavity.

    I apologise for my ignorance, however for real....it was a joke.
    I know, I can see the humour in your original post, so I apologise if my response came across as too serious. I'd just thought that I should point out a few things, as many people, even on TSR, seem to see Dentistry as boring in comparison to Medicine, when they are very similar (at least in terms of the degrees themselves).

    EDIT: I've just seen your edit:

    Would it be right to say Medics saves lives and Dentists save teeth?
    Not entirely, it isn't ever that simple. Both Medics and Dentists will save lives, both Medics and Dentists won't save lives. Some Medics will specialise in areas that don't often play a central part in saving a life. For example, podiatrists (specialists of the feet), may improve a person's ability to walk, may repair a broken toe or an Achilles tendon, but these things aren't really "life or death" illnesses. Whereas, Medics who work in A&E or a cardiologist will more often than not save a life in terms of life or death situations, for example: heart transplants.

    Likewise, often Dentists won't save lives at all. However some Dentists, and some Dental specialities, may play roles that do save a persons life. For example: a Dentist who spots oral cancer in a patient, and then the Oral surgeon who will (hopefully) go on to remove this cancer, would be saving a persons life.

    Both Medics and Dentists can play a role in saving lives. However, the more accurate quote would be that Medics will save lives in terms of "life or death" situations more often than Dentists.
    Last edited by racheatworld; 10-07-2012 at 16:06.
  15. maxants33's Avatar
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    Re: Do you agree that the less interesting courses we study lead to better job prospe
    Hello
    I did the dental nursing diploma for 2 years as I thought I'd like to go into dentistry - but I opted for podiatry instead. In total I worked with 5 dentists over my 2 years. I think dentistry can be very boring if your not imaginative, many BDSs just go straight into general practice and try start hitting the big money - and that is a tedious living, there are about 10 procedures that you routinely do every day, all day, all week, all year, and rarely something interesting happens, but all interesting patients are referred on to the dental hospital. So general practice is dull. But if you do something interesting, like specialise on oral medicine, oral surgery or do aid work and travel, then you could have a very interesting life - and save or improve lives (rotten teeth can kill!)! You also have lot more friends when your a dentist....

    But I went for podiatry, its mostly feet, but you cover the whole leg in loads of detail. The thing I like about podiatry is that the specialisms are cooler (and like dentistry you can go on to do surgery later), and (in my opinion...) the contribution you can make in aid work is greater (as in poor countries dentists mostly do one procedure - extractions!).

    But I guess medicine will always be king of the castle, you can go do all the specialisms, and do the whole A&E thing if that's your bag. Nursing is pretty cool too.
    Last edited by maxants33; 10-07-2012 at 19:22.
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