Can anyone suggest a good university course to me?

Any reason why law isn't on your list?

Crimonology

If you don't know what degree you want to study you shouldn't be going to university. Take some time out until you know what you want to do.

Reply 4

iJess

18

Original post by SmallTownGirl

If you don't know what degree you want to study you shouldn't be going to university. Take some time out until you know what you want to do.

I agree with this, its a big decision to make.

Reply 5

BesideThePoint

12

How about a Law and Criminology degree (which is what I myself am considering :biggrin:

)?

Reply 6

OP

Original post by Crumpet1

Any reason why law isn't on your list?

I basically didn't get the grades I would need to do a law degree. That and it is really hard to find a job with a degree in law - it would be useful for the police but I wouldn't be able to do many other law-related jobs with it and actually have a good chance of getting a job. I can see why it would be a good choice for the police force, but if I don't get in then that won't leave me with much that I could do with a law degree. The degree itself would be really useful, but that area of work is just too competitive, and I would basically need more impressive grades, which I just don't have.

Reply 7

OP

Original post by Secretnerd123

Crimonology

I was considering a criminology degree for a long time, actually, but when I suggested it to my parents they were really against the idea and said that I wouldn't be able to get a job with it if I didn't get into the police force :frown:

Then I researched it a bit and realised that they were right.

Reply 8

OP

Original post by BesideThePoint

How about a Law and Criminology degree (which is what I myself am considering :biggrin:

)?

Again, it's a combination of the fact that I didn't get really impressive grades (for the law part - don't law degrees require straight As?) and that it would be extremely difficult to actually find a job related to either of those subjects if I didn't get into the police force (for both parts) and that law is just really competitive. It would be relevant to the police force and the degree itself would be fascinating, but it's just too risky because there's no way of telling if the police force will actually give me a job.

Reply 9

You seem to be suffering from the common misconception that whatever degree you take will be related to the field that you'll go into, and that you can only get jobs related to your degree.

Why not just do a Policing degree (or whatever they are called)?

Why are you even considering a degree if you know you want to go into policing? Why not just go directly into the force after A-Levels? You can always do a degree when you're older.

Reply 10

OP

Original post by SmallTownGirl

If you don't know what degree you want to study you shouldn't be going to university. Take some time out until you know what you want to do.

Actually, I'm still in school at the moment and a lot of people my age are in a similar situation. And I have actually decided on what degree I want to do now (English language and linguistics - assuming that I actually get in and I actually pass, it'll open up a lot of doors). But to be fair, you didn't know that I had chosen a degree when you posted this. I decided about a week later after looking at the course description on the Aberdeen university website and considering which careers I could pursue with a degree in English language and linguistics. And it does look genuinely interesting.

Reply 11

Miss Maddie

Original post by Converse&Roses

X

I recommend you do a broad degree covering lots and keeping doors open/ Good examples would be history, politics, law and combinations of those. On top of those STEM subject degrees are looked at favourably and will open lots of doors for you. You obviously have the talent to go to university so why the police force and not a graduate job paying more?

Reply 12

OP

Original post by PythianLegume

You seem to be suffering from the common misconception that whatever degree you take will be related to the field that you'll go into, and that you can only get jobs related to your degree.

Why not just do a Policing degree (or whatever they are called)?

Why are you even considering a degree if you know you want to go into policing? Why not just go directly into the force after A-Levels? You can always do a degree when you're older.

Because actually doing a degree would open up a lot of doors. As I've already said, doing an English Language and Linguistics degree would make it possible for me to pursue different careers that aren't policing (such as speech therapy and teaching). And some fields do actually require a specific degree, or at least a great deal of study into that one area (for example, I imagine an English teacher would need to have a decent amount of knowledge of English). And seeing as English Language and Linguistics obviously has nothing to do with the police force, I don't assume that I have to do a degree directly related to the job that I want. Like I've already said, I've chosen to try and get a place in an English Language and Linguistics degree because it opens up a lot of doors for me, not because I think a speech therapist has to have a linguistics degree (they do however need a speech therapy degree, and I was planning on taking a postgraduate in speech therapy if the police force doesn't work out, and I actually emailed a university professor of speech therapy, asking if they would consider a student with a language and linguistics degree, and he said yes. And if speech therapy doesn't work out, then I can take a course in teaching). Also, I don't think there actually is a policing degree (unless you're refering to criminology, and I've already explained why I can't do a degree in that). If I get into the police force I would have to train at a police college for a year or so.

Reply 13

Original post by Madeline_H95

I recommend you do a broad degree covering lots and keeping doors open/ Good examples would be history, politics, law and combinations of those. On top of those STEM subject degrees are looked at favourably and will open lots of doors for you. You obviously have the talent to go to university so why the police force and not a graduate job paying more?

Maybe because life is about more than getting the best-paid job?

Reply 14

Miss Maddie

Original post by PythianLegume

Maybe because life is about more than getting the best-paid job?

But I wants to get as rich as possible enabling me to do things I enjoy. I can't see why someone would take a lower paid route just because they like the job a little more.

Reply 15

Original post by Converse&Roses

Because actually doing a degree would open up a lot of doors. As I've already said, doing an English Language and Linguistics degree would make it possible for me to pursue different careers that aren't policing (such as speech therapy and teaching). And some fields do actually require a specific degree, or at least a great deal of study into that one area (for example, I imagine an English teacher would need to have a decent amount of knowledge of English). And seeing as English Language and Linguistics obviously has nothing to do with the police force, I don't assume that I have to do a degree directly related to the job that I want. Like I've already said, I've chosen to try and get a place in an English Language and Linguistics degree because it opens up a lot of doors for me, not because I think a speech therapist has to have a linguistics degree (they do however need a speech therapy degree, and I was planning on taking a postgraduate in speech therapy if the police force doesn't work out, and I actually emailed a university professor of speech therapy, asking if they would consider a student with a language and linguistics degree, and he said yes. And if speech therapy doesn't work out, then I can take a course in teaching). Also, I don't think there actually is a policing degree (unless you're refering to criminology, and I've already explained why I can't do a degree in that). If I get into the police force I would have to train at a police college for a year or so.

When I mentioned the belief that your degree has to be related to your job, I was referring to you dismissing Criminology as a degree you won't be able to get a job after.

I literally just googled 'policing degree' and found one of many: http://courses.wlv.ac.uk/course.asp?code=LW015H31UVD

Like I said, if the degree is about opening up other options, why not do it after you've tried to get into the police force, or decided it's not for you? Why do a degree to open up options if you don't need it for your first choice of career?

Reply 16

Original post by Madeline_H95

But I wants to get as rich as possible enabling me to do things I enjoy. I can't see why someone would take a lower paid route just because they like the job a little more.

That is the saddest post I've ever read on TSR.

Reply 17

Miss Maddie

Original post by PythianLegume

That is the saddest post I've ever read on TSR.

Can't you see the point though. It's hard grinding police shifts vs cushy 9 to 5 office jobs in the city. Both are 'enjoyable' so why not just take the one that gives the most moeny and fmaily time? If it was a really terrible job there's a debate to be had but what's the debate over when the higher-paid alternative is still not bad?

Reply 18

Original post by Madeline_H95

Can't you see the point though. It's hard grinding police shifts vs cushy 9 to 5 office jobs in the city. Both are 'enjoyable' so why not just take the one that gives the most moeny and fmaily time? If it was a really terrible job there's a debate to be had but what's the debate over when the higher-paid alternative is still not bad?

The example you give treats office jobs as 'cushy' while policing is a 'hard grind'. You're clearly putting a ridiculous spin on it - looking at it like that, even an equally paid office job would be preferable.

How about this - would you rather do a mind-numbing office job where you're just one of a million corporate sheep in cubicles, or do a job that gets you outside, is interesting and does something good for the community?

Oh look, I can spin things as well.

The ultimate goal of life, for me, is to be as happy as possible, not as rich as possible. Money obviously has a role to play in happiness, but your job is so much more important. No-one can be happy doing a job they hate for most of their waking day.

Reply 19

OP