Top 5 Most Useless Degrees

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Reply 140

Cadwallonap

Original post by jambojim97

I feel very hurt by your use of profanity. :rolleyes:

Spacker

Reply 141

jambojim97

Original post by King Boo

Any job that doesn't require a STEM degree could be done by someone who had taken a STEM degree, whereas a STEM job could only be done by someone who had taken a STEM degree.

Go figure whats useless from that.

That's not to say a non-STEM degree is 'useless' per se, just less useful.

Reply 142

Flather

Isn't there a course in starcraft studies somewhere, and Solent does football management I believe

Reply 143

somethingbeautiful

Original post by stemmery

So academic degrees are useless? Because apparently according to you, a vocational degree is going to guarantee success right?
All BA subjects are useless too? Does that mean if you have a BSc, you're more likely to be successful than if you have a BA?
This is particularly terrible logic tbh

I didn't differentiate between a BA/BSc, I just mentioned BA because I have one and I don't believe that anything is guaranteed to anyone by anything in this life.

I've had lengthy discussions (or arguments more like) about this very subject on another thread quite recently and it got very messy and I'm not going into my personal experience again but what I shall say here is that there are grads (BA/BSc) who cannot get grad work and are overqualified for non-grad work. When this goes on for 2/3 years they become unemployable in the grad market (look at grad roles - they usually stipulate ''recent graduate''/''graduated within the last 3 years'') and stuck in low paid work or unemployed. Now, these aren't all grads from low ranked universities who have done so called 'Mickey Mouse degrees' - there are people who went to RGs who did academic degrees and achieved 2.1s who are underemployed or claiming benefits. So if they are in such a situation, what hope does someone have who has done a degree in something obscure and and unrelated to any kind of industry/trade/profession (BA or BSc)?

I think it's absolutely fine to do 'Beyonce Studies' at 'The University of No-one's Heard of It', if that's what someone genuinely enjoys, is passionate about and has been well informed about regarding career/employ-ability/salary prospects or if they're doing it as a mature student simply for the challenge/personal development/enjoyment etc. It's also fine if your parents are loaded so it doesn't matter if you graduate into unemployment and it's fine if you meet a rich partner at uni and they don't mind supporting you. But for most people this just isn't reality and if someone truly is well informed about the employ-ability of certain degrees at certain universities and still wants to go ahead with them simply because they enjoy the subject - then that is their potential problem to deal with once they graduate and so long as they were informed they have no one to blame but themselves.

However, my view point is - most teenagers are not that well-informed about job prospects other than ''if you do X degree, it could lead to ABC and you could get paid £X amount-Y amount'' - that is not good enough.

Teenagers at the moment seem to be applying to uni, at worst, because that's what everyone does and they don't know what else to do OR, at 'best', on the basis of 'could be' - they have this carrot dangled in front of their face for 3 or 4 years and then when they graduate reality sinks in and they've been chasing something that does not exist. They've been chasing an idea - not a reality.

I personally won't actively encourage my kids to go to uni for the sake of it which is what most teenagers seem to be doing these days, because for some reason it's the 'done thing' and it puts reality on the back burner for 3 years. There are plenty of careers you can go into without a degree (trades/self employment) and become very financially successful and there are plenty of degrees which lead directly to reasonably well paid jobs. So I would advise my kids to look at those options first and give them serious thought. You can expand your mind and learn about subjects that interest you at great depth these days - so long as you have a local library and an internet connection, nothing is stopping you from reading degree level History texts, for example.

I don't think it's helpful to encourage young people to go to university for the sake of it, to do a BA/BSc in something without having a clear idea of what job they want at the end of it and how that degree is going to help them get there. I think unless you're from a rich family/marry rich - you ought to be looking at vocational degrees/courses if you want to get on in life, otherwise you're gambling on a BA/BSc that doesn't directly lead to a certain profession. I know there are grad schemes which accept 'any degree' but they are hugely competitive and it seems to me, that they only take on certain 'types' of grads.

So no, I don't think a BSc is more employable than a BA (it's no where near as simple as that and it is a whole other complex subject) and I don't think a vocational degree will guarantee success (no such thing as guaranteed success) but in most cases, a vocational degree will give you a better chance than a non-specific-career-oriented BA/BSc if you are a regular person without a rich family or partner.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 144

RobML

STEM ****ing this, STEM ****ing that. Shush :giggle:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 145

Doglamlico

Original post by jambojim97

Biochemistry
Biology
Biomedical science
Neuroscience
Mollecular biology
Genetics
Zoology
Chemistry
Environmental science
Geology??

Original post by King Boo

Weak trolling from you both. :erm:

Reply 146

jambojim97

Original post by The Polymath

Weak trolling from you both. :erm:

I was not trolling, just putting forward my opinion that against the STEMasterRace consensus, there are some STEM degrees that are less useful within the labour market, although I agree I was wrong on Geology.

Reply 147

Dheorl

Original post by jambojim97

Biochemistry
Biology
Biomedical science
Neuroscience
Mollecular biology
Genetics
Zoology
Chemistry
Environmental science
Geology??

You're right, we have no need for medicine, natural resources and the sustainability of them, understanding of a terrible range of diseases or the ability to process raw materials into something useful.

Weak troll is weak.

Reply 148

jambojim97

Original post by Dheorl

All I was saying is that there are fewer opportunities in those fields than say, engineering.

Reply 149

Dheorl

Original post by jambojim97

All I was saying is that there are fewer opportunities in those fields than say, engineering.

Far, far from the 5 most pointless though.

Reply 150

macromicro

Original post by somethingbeautiful

So as much as I'd love to defend a lot of degrees (mine in particular) as being gateways to social mobility, it obvious to me now that in certain degree subjects hard work doesn't necessarily equal success anymore (it may have done once). You need a heck of a lot of luck - whether that's being born into the right family, marrying rich, or simply getting a lucky break.

Moral of the story - either take your chances and do a 'useless' degree and bank on lucking out somewhere along the way OR do a vocational degree or get a trade.

Original post by somethingbeautiful

I don't think it's helpful to encourage young people to go to university for the sake of it, to do a BA/BSc in something without having a clear idea of what job they want at the end of it and how that degree is going to help them get there.

That was you, hence why you were not successful. Nothing to do with luck or background or degree subject and everything to do with having no concrete career aspirations and expecting great jobs to magically offer themselves to you upon graduation.

Reply 151

somethingbeautiful

Original post by macromicro

Attributing the success of successful graduates to "lucking out somewhere along the way" is incredibly insulting. Luck has very little to do with your success in the job market and "working hard" does not simply mean getting good grades. The right type of hard work equals success and that's something you neither exercised nor understood (and still don't). Maybe you should read what you write:

That was you, hence why you were not successful. Nothing to do with luck or background or degree subject and everything to do with having no concrete career aspirations and expecting great jobs to magically offer themselves to you upon graduation.

You obviously don't remember me. I've already talked to you at great length about this subject. I made my opinions clear in the other thread to you so I'm not going to do it again. I have no need to justify myself to you. Have a nice day though.

Reply 152

linkmoosey

Original post by jambojim97

All I was saying is that there are fewer opportunities in those fields than say, engineering.

Just because there are fewer opportunities in those fields doesn't mean that they are of lesser importance.

Reply 153

djrp97

I'm going to do Ancient History so don't misunderstand...

History of Art
Journalism
Creative Writing
Planning
Obscure science subjects.

Reply 154

macromicro

Original post by somethingbeautiful

I correct posts not members.

Reply 155

somethingbeautiful

Original post by macromicro

I correct posts not members.

Well there's no use in you 'correcting' any of my posts from this point forward because I won't engage in discussion of this topic with you :smile:

Reply 156

macromicro

Original post by somethingbeautiful

Well there's no use in you 'correcting' any of my posts from this point forward because I won't engage in discussion of this topic with you :smile:

I'm not looking for discussion. I correct posts for the benefit of those reading the thread not for the dullard who posted it. Ignorance is stubborn, after all.

Reply 157

somethingbeautiful

Original post by macromicro

I'm not looking for discussion. I correct posts for the benefit of those reading the thread not for the dullard who posted it. Ignorance is stubborn, after all.