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Science graduates 'lack skills needed by business'

Here is the article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18957712

Science graduates seem to be completely undervalued in our society yet they are an essential part of our economy. They are underpaid and underused leaving many unemployed.
As a future science graduate I am quite frightened for what the future holds in employment - I don't think this is just because of the financial crisis it is endemic in the science industry.

Thoughts and opinions please.

EDIT: Worryingly there is only 1 member of parliament with a scientific background and over 150 with a background in law. This really shows up how unrepresentative our MPs really are.
(edited 11 years ago)

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Reply 1
They are undervalued because alot of them actually try and go into business which is obviously the place where they shouldn't be. Success in the sciences is not equal to success in business.
Reply 2
Original post by Cephalus
They are undervalued because alot of them actually try and go into business which is obviously the place where they shouldn't be. Success in the sciences is not equal to success in business.


But aren't they forced into business because of the extremely low salaries offered - around £20000 - because of myopia by research institutions like GSK. Why shouldn't they be in business anyway. The most successful biotechnology companies where started by a couple of graduates with a brilliant idea for a new drug or scaling up drug production so I don't see what the point your making there is.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 3
Original post by babyjustin
But aren't they forced into business because of the extremely low salaries offered - around £30000 - because of myopia by research institutions like GSK. Why shouldn't they be in business anyway. The most successful biotechnology companies where started by a couple of graduates with a brilliant idea for a new drug or scaling up drug production so I don't see what the point your making there is.


I dont know what point I'm making. I didn't read the article. I'm sure there is a point there somewhere.
Well, apparently all graduates lack basic skills and are totally useless in the workplace. I keep coming across articles about how employers just can't find anyone who isn't a numpty and yet a lot of graduates manage to get employed in the end. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you, it always comes down to what skills you personally have and can demonstrate.


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Reply 5
Science graduates 'lack skills needed by business'

meanwhile....

business graduates 'lack skills needed by science careers'

That is not what they learn in their degree
Reply 6
Original post by moorbre
Science graduates 'lack skills needed by business'

meanwhile....

business graduates 'lack skills needed by science careers'

That is not what they learn in their degree


Science skills/knowledge are far less useful to a business grad than business skills to a science grad (or to anyone). Pretty much everything that happens in the world of work is "business", and a science grad without good training in business is basically useless and can at best be somebody's lab bitch on £13k for life.

Science degrees tend to just churn out absolutely useless people with no idea how the world works, below-average social manipulation skills, and no decent employment prospects.
Reply 7
science graduates are manifestly NOT an essential part of the economy despite what the STEM tedes tell you. how much 'scientific research' delivers the potential for profit in the short or medium term? not very much.
Reply 8
Original post by NB_ide
Science skills/knowledge are far less useful to a business grad than business skills to a science grad (or to anyone). Pretty much everything that happens in the world of work is "business", and a science grad without good training in business is basically useless and can at best be somebody's lab bitch on £13k for life.

Science degrees tend to just churn out absolutely useless people with no idea how the world works, below-average social manipulation skills, and no decent employment prospects.


It can depend on what modules they take though... My sister just graduated with a 2:1 Biology degree and took some/many business related modules, and now she is a trainee manager for Enterprise.....
Original post by babyjustin
But aren't they forced into business because of the extremely low salaries offered - around £30000 - because of myopia by research institutions like GSK. Why shouldn't they be in business anyway. The most successful biotechnology companies where started by a couple of graduates with a brilliant idea for a new drug or scaling up drug production so I don't see what the point your making there is.


Hmmmm.
The article is about skills needed by businesses, and then spends the first section talking about A-level maths and the second section talking about random ****. So is A-level maths a skill needed by businesses?

I'm just a dumb science graduate, so I need someone clever with totally useful sought after skills (a Maths graduate?) to explain the article to me. From here it just looks straight up retarded.
(edited 11 years ago)
I don't see the problem here. British businesses simply do not pay enough to attract the type of talent they need. They can whine to the government about how we "don't produce enough STEM graduates", but at the same time they produce zero incentive for the right type of graduates to pursue careers with them.
Reply 12
Original post by babyjustin
But aren't they forced into business because of the extremely low salaries offered - around £30000 - because of myopia by research institutions like GSK. Why shouldn't they be in business anyway. The most successful biotechnology companies where started by a couple of graduates with a brilliant idea for a new drug or scaling up drug production so I don't see what the point your making there is.


Yea, sure every science graduate should just start up a multi-million, even billion dollar company.
Reply 13
Original post by BO'H
science graduates are manifestly NOT an essential part of the economy despite what the STEM tedes tell you. how much 'scientific research' delivers the potential for profit in the short or medium term? not very much.


The development of the transistor? The Internet, penicillin? Shall I list some more?


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Original post by BO'H
science graduates are manifestly NOT an essential part of the economy despite what the STEM tedes tell you. how much 'scientific research' delivers the potential for profit in the short or medium term? not very much.
You'd soon run out of new stuff to sell.
Reply 15
'10% of engineering students did not have A-level maths.'

Holy hell.

'The report team even found evidence that even an A* in A-level mathematics was no guarantee that students would be able to cope with a university science course.'

This is hardly shocking.
Reply 16
Original post by bambamty
The development of the transistor? The Internet, penicillin? Shall I list some more?


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sure, after you have calculated the number of the STEM graduates who made a direct contribution to those developments as a proportion of every STEM graduate in the world since 1950
Original post by Slumpy
'10% of engineering students did not have A-level maths.'

Holy hell.


A lot will have likely came from apprenticeships.
Reply 18
Original post by Cephalus
They are undervalued because alot of them actually try and go into business which is obviously the place where they shouldn't be. Success in the sciences is not equal to success in business.


Where should they be then? And why is the success in the sciences is not equal to success in business - this is a serious question; I'm eager to know.

Original post by moorbre
Science graduates 'lack skills needed by business'

meanwhile....

business graduates 'lack skills needed by science careers'

That is not what they learn in their degree


lol. how ironically true; however, I don't have the 'facts' to support my own statement :/
Original post by BO'H
science graduates are manifestly NOT an essential part of the economy despite what the STEM tedes tell you. how much 'scientific research' delivers the potential for profit in the short or medium term? not very much.




Please tell me how there is supposed to be a pharmaceutical industry, for example, without people understanding disorders and diseases and how to treat them? Even a pointy-rock factory would increase their yields with fancy machinery requiring energy (a somewhat important area of research at the moment).

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