Do You Need A Degree To Succeed Nowadays?
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Original post by geoking
Hardly. The best of those professions require a degree.
Engineering: yes. The others: no. Geography isn't exactly much more useful than English you know; I'm fairly sure it's the degree with the highest unemployment rate. Salaries in the sciences (especially academia) are rarely anything to write home about; it's almost enough to make any aspiring chemist turn to cooking meth
"My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn't believe that that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice," Carrey said. "Instead he got a safe job as an accountant."
All of that fell apart, the actor said, when his dad lost his job and the family fell on hard times.
"I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which, was that you can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love," he said.
- Jim Carrey
Degree does not guarantee everything...
All of that fell apart, the actor said, when his dad lost his job and the family fell on hard times.
"I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which, was that you can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love," he said.
- Jim Carrey
Degree does not guarantee everything...
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Viva Emptiness
You don't need a degree to do those things 
My dad's a partner in an accountancy firm and never set foot in a uni.
My dad's a partner in an accountancy firm and never set foot in a uni.And is your Dad in his 20's? No. Different world back then.
Original post by MrSupernova
Engineering: yes. The others: no. Geography isn't exactly much more useful than English you know; I'm fairly sure it's the degree with the highest unemployment rate. Salaries in the sciences (especially academia) are rarely anything to write home about; it's almost enough to make any aspiring chemist turn to cooking meth
Geography Bsc is actually incredibly useful as long as you are smart with the modules you take as it opens up doors into surveying, GIS etc. English however can't be translated into any job.
But yes, sadly pure science routes can be poor paying unless you go into certain industries e.g. fossil fuel extraction, pharmaceuticals, weapons manufacturing.
Well it depends what your goal in life is.
My friend finished A Levels then didn't want to go to University, HOWEVER, he did not want to just work in some ****ty insurance agency or one of those kind of jobs. So he started his own food business. After a year business was good and he was comfortable, but he knew he would have to take a bigger risk in order to gain a bigger reward. So he used the money he earned and open a proper restaurant, he thought that business would be slow at first, but surprisingly it wasn't. Then he thought it was busy because they just opened and that the hype would eventually die out. But it didn't and his place is packed everyday.
He knows its a lot of work, and high amounts of risk (Especially in the food industry), but with a combination of luck and hard and smart work he is making more money than most middle aged degree wielding people.
He is 20 btw.
Now in regards to the topic, it depends what you mean by "Succeed".
If you mean in terms of wealth, you don't necessarily need a degree to get rich (No doubt it helps though)
If you mean in terms of knowledge, educational ability and status, yes you do need a degree.
Just my 2 cents.
My friend finished A Levels then didn't want to go to University, HOWEVER, he did not want to just work in some ****ty insurance agency or one of those kind of jobs. So he started his own food business. After a year business was good and he was comfortable, but he knew he would have to take a bigger risk in order to gain a bigger reward. So he used the money he earned and open a proper restaurant, he thought that business would be slow at first, but surprisingly it wasn't. Then he thought it was busy because they just opened and that the hype would eventually die out. But it didn't and his place is packed everyday.
He knows its a lot of work, and high amounts of risk (Especially in the food industry), but with a combination of luck and hard and smart work he is making more money than most middle aged degree wielding people.
He is 20 btw.
Now in regards to the topic, it depends what you mean by "Succeed".
If you mean in terms of wealth, you don't necessarily need a degree to get rich (No doubt it helps though)
If you mean in terms of knowledge, educational ability and status, yes you do need a degree.
Just my 2 cents.
I think it fully depends on which industry you wish to work in. For example; I currently work in the hospitality industry, and it's very easy to work your way up to the top, if you voice early enough that this is what you wish to do. Most of our line managers do not hold degrees, and would rather hire someone with a work ethic they've seen for themselves, or someone with relevant experience. I imagine it's similar in other industries, for example retail, estate agency, insurance, tourism etc... However these industries don't tend to pay too well.
I'm off to get a degree in September, because I want to go into Marine Biology. So yes, I will need a degree to be successful in that industry, much like you would need a degree for a job in engineering, any science field, medicine, nursing etc...
I'm off to get a degree in September, because I want to go into Marine Biology. So yes, I will need a degree to be successful in that industry, much like you would need a degree for a job in engineering, any science field, medicine, nursing etc...
No, you don't.
Given the opportunity most people have to get into a company at the bottom rung ('graduate jobs' aren't much removed from the bottom rung in most cases anyway) and the irrelevance of a degree after even a year or two of experience, I often wonder why people value degrees to highly in the first place. Unless you're entering the academic world, or doing medicine, dentistry or something like that requiring very specific vocational knowledge, a degree doesn't seem that necessary.
Of course, it helps, which is why people do them. But the most successful engineers I know are former armed forces engineers who joined at 16 (and are no older than 25-35 now), accountancy firms offer A level finishers entry which (following qualification and several years of experience) places them exactly the same position as a degree holder after several years' experience.
A degree is a useful foot in the door for many jobs. But after a few years experience, nobody even gives a **** that you even went to university. They're worthless compared to experience and natural ability. It's for this reason that (although I don't want to do so, as I left that career for a reason), I could walk into a managing business analyst's job without a relevant degree whilst most university leavers would struggle to get a junior position. Because I've done it before and have proved myself able to do it. Without a degree.
Not to mention the thousands of people who become successful starting their own businesses or working for themselves.
A degree is well worth having for the sake of having more opportunity, but the idea of them being necessary is well off, even in today's degree=average job market.
Given the opportunity most people have to get into a company at the bottom rung ('graduate jobs' aren't much removed from the bottom rung in most cases anyway) and the irrelevance of a degree after even a year or two of experience, I often wonder why people value degrees to highly in the first place. Unless you're entering the academic world, or doing medicine, dentistry or something like that requiring very specific vocational knowledge, a degree doesn't seem that necessary.
Of course, it helps, which is why people do them. But the most successful engineers I know are former armed forces engineers who joined at 16 (and are no older than 25-35 now), accountancy firms offer A level finishers entry which (following qualification and several years of experience) places them exactly the same position as a degree holder after several years' experience.
A degree is a useful foot in the door for many jobs. But after a few years experience, nobody even gives a **** that you even went to university. They're worthless compared to experience and natural ability. It's for this reason that (although I don't want to do so, as I left that career for a reason), I could walk into a managing business analyst's job without a relevant degree whilst most university leavers would struggle to get a junior position. Because I've done it before and have proved myself able to do it. Without a degree.
Not to mention the thousands of people who become successful starting their own businesses or working for themselves.
A degree is well worth having for the sake of having more opportunity, but the idea of them being necessary is well off, even in today's degree=average job market.
(edited 9 years ago)
Define "success"
I'm guessing your definition doesn't mention a degree explicitly, and the only likely condition that a degree would help with is money.
So no, actors and actresses don't normally have degrees and they seem to get on just fine. So do sportspeople (at high levels), and just about anything worthy of using the word "celebrity".
You probably need talent to be successful no matter what your definition is, I guess, but a degree does not guarantee talent or vice versa.
Edit: found relatively suitable definition :http://www.windmillsprogramme.com/the-true-meaning-of-success/ doesn't mention degrees, does mention world records.
I'm guessing your definition doesn't mention a degree explicitly, and the only likely condition that a degree would help with is money.
So no, actors and actresses don't normally have degrees and they seem to get on just fine. So do sportspeople (at high levels), and just about anything worthy of using the word "celebrity".
You probably need talent to be successful no matter what your definition is, I guess, but a degree does not guarantee talent or vice versa.
Edit: found relatively suitable definition :http://www.windmillsprogramme.com/the-true-meaning-of-success/ doesn't mention degrees, does mention world records.
(edited 9 years ago)
You only need a degree if your wish is to become a corporate slave or work in academia. Otherwise, it's just a safety net.
Not necessarily, there are many examples of people who've attained enormous success without having a 'degree' of any sort. However, I believe, in this day and age, having a degree is essential. It's like a ticket to the real world. Once you have it, it's of no importance. Employers want people with degrees. Even though having a degree is absolutely essential in the 21st century, I also believe that if you do something extraordinary and make people's lives better by building stuff, a degree is worthless and unnecessary.
Original post by Talipso
Discuss 
Absolutely not!
Original post by Talipso
Discuss
Depends what you mean by "success".
It is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for success.
Don't think so. I'm hopefully going into an accounting apprenticeship when I finish A levels and if I am successful in my accounting exams, I should be on a good wage in 5 years. Having a degree obviously makes life easier though, especially if there are no apprenticeships in the thing you want to do.
Original post by MidnightDream
I don't think so but in the eyes of my parents, yes 
if I went up to them and said 'I don't want a degree' they'd probably kick me out
if I went up to them and said 'I don't want a degree' they'd probably kick me outthat's really sad
Original post by emilyjc17
that's really sad
I guess it's good that I want to do one, I see why they would think that anyway
Original post by geoking
It's a rule of thumb. If you want to gamble with your future, then sure, get an english degree or no degree and wing it.
That is unbelievably insulting to someone who is taking the time and effort to go to uni and study for an English degree. In the future I'd like to break into copy-writing, paid blogging or maybe even screen-writing, an English degree would help me to do all of these things and open numerous doors, creating many opportunities that wouldn't have previously been available. Everybody's different, some people are biologists and some people are writers you know? Also, I'm going to a respected uni, so I'm damn sure that my English degree will be a far better option than "no degree at all".
Unbelievable.
(edited 9 years ago)
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