Rank these degree subjects in order of career prospects.

I presume you count healthcare degrees in STEM otherwise you re a bit stuffed

Languages, I would place very highly. In terms of career prospects they are essentially infinite. Any international company needs translators, advisors, project managers, sales reps that can speak the local lingo. From pharmaceuticals to banking to aviation, there's always a place for a linguist.

As with language skills, say, Mandarin, Russian you can bridge the gaps between countries, you can open doors to other cultures - not only is that rewarding personally, there is money to be made there.

To address the STEM people, yes English is the accepted language of science, but CERN is in Switzerland and if you're lucky enough to work there, you'll be staying in that country...

Common courtesy people, less that 6% of the world speak English as their first language. That's 94% of the world that English speakers require a foreign language to meaningfully access (FYI there's high paying jobs going in those parts too).

It's different and varied, you speak to new a cornocopia of people and improve your skills constantly. Not just for the language:
e.g: If your job is to reach an agreement with a foreign company to work in partnership (such as oil drillers in the middle east) then you need to use many parts of your brain. 'Languages' is but an aspect, you can do much more.

Not only all that...travel! If you speak French, your work in 'languages' could take you to Senegal, Canada, Haiti, Belgium, maybe even France ("ah, Paris!").

I think why most have placed it in the lower section is because A) Many overlook it as they themselves are not multilingual, B) Languages take time and effort to learn, and C) A degree is not required to learn a language...however is desirable. And, contrary to popular belief, a hard qualification to get a first in.

I can speak Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English, and French - learned in that order. I am only 17. The more you learn languages the better and faster you get with each one. It's part science, part art.

En plus mes amis, I extracted this from an article:

"To find and keep valuable bilingual workers, employers are willing to pay big. On average, bilingual pay differentials range between 5 and 20 percent per hour more than the position's base rate, according to Salary.com.

Thirty-one percent of executives speak two languages, according to a poll of 12,562 visitors to the Korn/Ferry International Web site. An additional 20 percent speak three languages, 9 percent speak four languages and 4 percent speak more than four."

So guys, sorry for length, but I feel that languages do not get enough recognition. And remember this: take your own language for granted sure, but 'other-languaged' people do not!

Were healthcare degrees on the list?

Language knowledge would slowly be redundant when real time electronic translators become available, probably as an app on a smart phone.

I would not invest a lot of time and effort into a language degree for the sole purpose of being able to communicate with another person.

That does not sound very likely at all. HR people filter applications for internships and training contracts; your connections (family as opposed to people you have met through networking events) are only going to help in a tiny amount of circumstances. Some of the big, international law firms are even going CV blind.

It sounds to me like there is something bad with her application; this whole 'it's elitist' excuse does not cut it. She should be getting loads of interviews with a first from a Russell Group and plenty of ECs. Are her A-levels poor? Are her application answers poorly written?

No but your generalisation of other degrees being useless and therefore they should have stuck to gcses made me wonder how much merit you put on healthcare degrees as they arent generally classed as STEM subjects by some people except maybe medicine in some cases.

Language knowledge would slowly be redundant when real time electronic translators become available, probably as an app on a smart phone.

I would not invest a lot of time and effort into a language degree for the sole purpose of being able to communicate with another person.

I'm guessing you don't get out much. Communtication is very much in fashion right now, as it has been for thousands of years...

And no billion pound business deal would depend on an app, let's get real.

Also, how on earth would you make a 'real time electronic translator' without linguistic expertise?

Did you know, languages are vital aspects of our history and culture, and they set us apart from the other nations.

Also, there is a sense of pride and achievement in learning one language or more, as it is as challenging if not more than other high end courses.

And no way will you insult my favourite subject and future Uni course by calling it redundant. I know 4 languages fluently and am learning 1 more and another soon after that, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that all of them are much, much better than any stem or IT subject IMO, and I do maths and programming at a level!


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You have to also consider not just the usual routes into jobs on top firms but other routes where contacts play an importnat role. For example, if you have family connections with a senior employee in a top firm, you could get an internship which makes your application stronger. You could also be told the application process and the best way to navigate through it.

Of course, if your father was the managing partner, he'll just get you in and no one is going to make a fuss are they?

No, you couldn't. Are you honestly telling me that the likes of Allen and Overy will disregard their entire application process for vacation schemes if an employee is friendly with an applicant? The onus is on you to provide proof that this occurs in such firms.

Again, HR people filter these applications. There is generally no part that says 'tell us about one of our employees who comes to your mother's luncheons'.

Are you sure you really know how the world works?

Yes. Like I said, the burden is on you to show that firms such as A&O are acting unethically and bypassing their usual application process.

You are right, it never happens, I expect George W Bush and Hilary Clinton got where they are through hard work and talent and nothing to do with who they are related to at all.

Good for you but language degrees for the purposes of comminication are soon to be redundant.

What on earth has American politics got to do with vacation schemes at UK law firms?

Getting something through familial connections does happen; I am not denying that. But that girl using it as an excuse for not getting into a UK law firm with a first from a Russell Group is nonsense.

Over my dead body.


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