Is this the real reason people go to uni?

From what I have seen, those who study HR, politics, sociology, psychology, neuroscience,philosophy, forensic science etc. Tend to study for the own personal fulfillment. Because in reality there are no jobs, for these courses. and if there ARE the jobmarket is so tiny that only the top notch people get them.

Whereas courses like, dental technology, nursing, medicine, accounting, teaching, special education, computer science, are job specific, so grads know where they are going with them in life.

I feel like that and I know its true. I personally put in a application for psychology and biology,bcos I like the subjects, but LIKING them isnt enough I guess, but I am gonna leave it, and do a proper course, cos in relality the above courses dont get YOU jobs!

What do you guys think about this? IS it so?

Reply 1

ionaboner

1

Doing an applied degree such as nursing and medicine leads you into one career. Careers in arts/social sciences often are done for enjoyment for the person and the value of a degree itself. People who study sociology could go into any number of jobs but could a medical grad?

Reply 2

1234sam1234

12

Original post by blank_smile

philosophy

Oh yeah, because employers have and always will hate all that analytically reasoning ability... :rolleyes:

Reply 3

blank_smile

OP

9

Original post by rageagainstessays

Oh yeah, because employers have and always will hate all that analytically reasoning ability... :rolleyes:

What employers, what job does that exactly land though? That job could of been landed without the need for a degree.

Reply 4

blank_smile

OP

9

Original post by ionaboner

Doing an applied degree such as nursing and medicine leads you into one career. Careers in arts/social sciences often are done for enjoyment for the person and the value of a degree itself. People who study sociology could go into any number of jobs but could a medical grad?

Medical grad will have choice in their field to specialise in. But someone with art/social will be likely to get the jobs that dont even require degrees. I.e admin jobs.

Reply 5

ArtGoblin

16

I think that is partly true. I chose to study sociology because I loved it and also because I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career (and still don't even though I graduated in July). It would have made no sense for me to do any of the courses you listed because I don't want to do any of the jobs they lead to. Not everyone can work in healthcare, education and computing. There are plenty of graduate level jobs that just require an applicant to have a degree - it doesn't matter what it is in.

Reply 6

Syrokal

I agree, it's what I did.

Wen't for a Degree that I personally enjoy studying 9/10 chance im going to end up working in Asda(at best) in a few months.

Reply 7

username451311

12

I partly agree, but I also agree with some of the other posts. There are other things these jobs can lead in to. For example, if you do a nursing degree all you can do is nursing, with the exception of specialising etc. There are loads of jobs out there you've probably never even head of (not you personally) until you come to apply for things and see what is available. The degrees you've mentioned above, such as sociology etc, don't lead into a specific job but have transferable skills which may lead into other jobs you haven't thought about. Do a degree in something you enjoy and want to study, as that is what you'll do best and will probably benefit you in the long run.

Reply 8

Jimbo1234

20

Original post by rageagainstessays

Oh yeah, because employers have and always will hate all that analytically reasoning ability... :rolleyes:

The sad truth is that they do.

Reply 9

Hal.E.Lujah

19

Original post by blank_smile

Tend to study for the own personal fulfillment.

but LIKING them isnt enough I guess, but I am gonna leave it, and do a proper course, cos in relality the above courses dont get YOU jobs!

Of course I only study english literature for my own personal fulfilment. I very much doubt it will get me a job, I left a job to come to university.

Let me put things into perspective for you. If you're talented, whether you try and get a job before going to university or getting one afterwards, you'll most likely be entering at the same level. Alot of graduates make the mistake of expecting a dream job to turn up, then eventually give in and get an office job.

Your years between 18-25 are the best years of your life. It's when you're at the peak of physical fitness, for some people it's when you look your best, and in our society it's when you can still get away with acting silly and having fun. You can choose to go to university and live that to the fullest, with a course you enjoy, social clubs (my personal favourite is the sky diving society), masses of people to befriend, and even free money and time to spend.

Then you'll leave and get a job. Working sucks. There is no way to describe the mind and soul destroying finality of thinking you're now just going to slog your life away in an office for a decade or so.

There were no specialist jobs I wanted to do with my life. The jobs I intended to apply to make no distinction between a graduate and a non graduate. But why would I miss out on such an opportunity to live my life to the fullest? I love my degree subject. These are the best years of my life, and I didn't want to compromise that by picking a subject I didn't enjoy for job prospects that in reality don't exist for any degree.

At the moment, I don't want to ever leave. I want to stay in academia for the rest of my life, there's nothing quite like it. Most likely however, it'll come to an end and I'll have to get some crummy job (albeit hopefully a well paid one) that I could have gotten with any degree. But at least I lived the best years of my life to the absolute fullest.

Reply 10

Valentas

13

If you don't know what you want to be in life, there are three choices(obvious ones, there are many more):

1) Study the most general degree(do you like logic? Study maths, after that you become computer scientist, but not the other way around, cs graduate won't have all the maths skills. In other words, study basic, good-old science.)

2) Get a job in a company which specialize in what you feel you might like to study. Do your best to get in, tell them you want to explore waters before jumping and they may help to fulfill this. Also, they might inspire you to come back to work for them after degree. Both sides benefit.

3) Be different and become entrepreneur. Think about what you could do for people, identify the problem and search for solution. This path is hard but most of human progress was achieved this way.

What is very, very disturbing is the economics and competition...It prevents aspiring artist to enter art field because parents tell 'Choose medicine. There are no jobs for artists'. Many talented individuals never find themselves. It's a pity. I personally know a person who would have become great musician but I suspect parent's influence made her to study science. She likes it but never stops playing violin on her free time.

Reply 11

midnightice

13

Original post by rageagainstessays

Oh yeah, because employers have and always will hate all that analytically reasoning ability... :rolleyes:

Nobody wants an employee who's sceptical about their own sense of reality. They want someone who will do their job and get on with it. Philosophical contemplation belongs to your own spare time, not the workplace.

I don't think my boss would appreciate a lecture from me about the noumenal world and how our reality is merely a projection from nothingness... That wouldn't go down too well.

Reply 12

1234sam1234

12

Original post by midnightice

Nobody wants an employee who's sceptical about their own sense of reality. They want someone who will do their job and get on with it. Philosophical contemplation belongs to your own spare time, not the workplace.

I don't think my boss would appreciate a lecture from me about the noumenal world and how our reality is merely a projection from nothingness... That wouldn't go down too well.

Well...... Yes, but by the same logic no-one wants a lecture on the Heisenberg principle in psychics at work, or a lecture on Vector Autoregression from an Econometrics grad?

Also the ability to construct clear, concise and well reasoned arguments hurts everyone in the work place? Especially in client relations, clients hate a decent idea

Oh sorry, negger, I'm going to take that economics degree- find you and give you a lecture on Vector Autoregression.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 13

1234sam1234

12

Original post by Jimbo1234

The sad truth is that they do.

Oh please I know 4 philosophy graduates, 2 of them are lawyers, the other one is a management consultant and the last one is a teacher.

Being negged for knowing 4 philosophy grads is hardly fair lol?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 14

Iron Lady

Original post by Syrokal

I agree, it's what I did.

Wen't for a Degree that I personally enjoy studying 9/10 chance im going to end up working in Asda(at best) in a few months.

If you don't mind me asking, which course and university?

Reply 15

Jimbo1234

20

Original post by rageagainstessays

Oh please I know 4 philosophy graduates, 2 of them are lawyers, the other one is a management consultant and the last one is a teacher.

When did they graduate and how many of them got to where they are due to daddy get them the job? :rolleyes:

I say this as I know many people with Law degrees who are unemployed and teaching is just as badly saturated with too many graduates thinking it is an easy career path to fall into.

Reply 16

1234sam1234

12

Original post by blank_smile

What employers, what job does that exactly land though? That job could of been landed without the need for a degree.

Birmingham University Philosophy Department Graduate destinations:

•

Recrutiment constulant

•

Estate Agent

•

Lieutietenant

•

Accountant

•

Hydrographic Survyeor

•

English Teacher

•

Maths teacher

•

researcher

•

head teacher

•

Barrister

•

Senior Solicitor

•

Law conversion course

•

Casting Agent

•

Writer

•

Film Maker

•

Radio presenter and Producer

•

Freelance Journalist

•

Publicist

Reply 17

midnightice

13

Original post by rageagainstessays

Well...... Yes, but by the same logic no-one wants a lecture on the Heisenberg principle in psychics at work, or a lecture on Vector Autoregression from an Econometrics grad?

Also the ability to construct clear, concise and well reasoned arguments hurts everyone in the work place? Especially in client relations, clients hate a decent idea