Are degrees a waste of money now?
I'm just wondering what people think about if degrees are a waste of money now, and are just a product universities are selling to us. I think some degrees like Medicine, Engineering at UCL, Law at Oxbridge etc. are definitely valuable, but most people are doing a degree now, so do you think random degrees like Philosophy are really worth the £36k+ of debt?
I am very happy with spending that amount to receive my BA in gender studies and sociology. Learning about Feminism and smashing the patriarchy has certainly opened doors for me.
To the nearest whole figure it is estimated 1 in 8 jobs in the UK require a degree - I.e. you cannot enter the industry without it.
4 out of 8 school leavers are now going to university.
You have better odds spending 36k in the casino.
4 out of 8 school leavers are now going to university.
You have better odds spending 36k in the casino.
A degree will earn you on average 100-200k extra in a lifetime. But if you put 36k into the S&P500 at the age of 25 by the age of 65 that investment would have made you 1.9million in interest (assuming that it carries on its historic trend)
Yes the price is inflated. Some degrees are diluted. Nowhere near what people are paying for them.
Original post by loomynarty
A degree will earn you on average 100-200k extra in a lifetime. But if you put 36k into the S&P500 at the age of 25 by the age of 65 that investment would have made you 1.9million in interest (assuming that it carries on its historic trend)
Do you know any good brokers to use?
Not always. Even a degree that may not lead to job can be worthwhile if you are willing to pay for a good education in a subject that really interests you. You just shouldn't expect a return on it in that case, because you're getting a service rather than job training.
If you believe that education has value for its own sake, no degree is a waste of money. But if you expect a degree to lead to a job, then you might have to pick a degree that's in demand.
If you believe that education has value for its own sake, no degree is a waste of money. But if you expect a degree to lead to a job, then you might have to pick a degree that's in demand.
Original post by loya61
I'm just wondering what people think about if degrees are a waste of money now, and are just a product universities are selling to us. I think some degrees like Medicine, Engineering at UCL, Law at Oxbridge etc. are definitely valuable, but most people are doing a degree now, so do you think random degrees like Philosophy are really worth the £36k+ of debt?
I wouldn't say waste of money because you often are ruled out of more jobs without one (not taking away from apprenticeships) but over priced yes.
Original post by Daftpunker
To the nearest whole figure it is estimated 1 in 8 jobs in the UK require a degree - I.e. you cannot enter the industry without it.
4 out of 8 school leavers are now going to university.
You have better odds spending 36k in the casino.
4 out of 8 school leavers are now going to university.
You have better odds spending 36k in the casino.
Yeah but most of the 7 out of 8 jobs that don't require a degree are low paying jobs which people don't want to do.
It depends on the whole package the individual offers. A degree isn't going compensate for poor soft skills, little work experience, a poor application and poor interview technique. However if you have the aforementioned things then the degree is the final tick in the box which opens up graduate job opportunities.
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