Have degrees become too common?

However its great if people enjoy studying for studyings sake and to become more learned.

Well indeed, and this is something that is very often ignored in these discussions, but people studying degrees who will neither improve their employment prospects nor gain anything in particular from 'studying' a subject in which they have no real interest for brief intervals in between nights out remain too common.

I agree, there are too many doing degrees because they don't know what their other options are. However we need to make sure that the alternatives- apprenticeships, jobs e.c.t are more accessible than grad jobs- that people are given a chance to demonstrate what they can do rather than just have to jump through hoop after hoop.

Degrees have become too common if you believe a degree is just to be studied to get a grad job. Competition for grad jobs is at silly heights atm and having a degree is just one small tick box in a larger application process for them- the person as a whole is far more important.

Why is this a problem?

I don't have a problem with the current system, but your suggestion also appeals to me. Only I would say: Businesses could sponsor places for which there is economic demand, and everyone who wants to study something for which there is no demand could pay for it themselves. There are problems with that too (only rich people would be able to study Music or Drama), but these problems already exist to some extent, anyway.

I do think classical subjects are culturally enriching BTW, but I don't see why anyone needs to study Classics, English, History or Philosophy straight after school. I always think that people who are older (maybe retired) and have seen something of the world will get much more out of these kind of degrees than some precocious 18-year-olds.

There is a far easier way to do that: make the loans repayable to universities, not to the government. Therefore, universities will only open degrees for which they know their students will be able to pay back. There will still be degrees in Classics, Theatre or History, but only in the best unis. Others will have to adapt and only offer degrees with good employment prospects.

Because too many people are doing a degree believing that the degree alone will help them to get a better job and it won't. Also you think there isn't anything wrong with 100+ people chasing one graduate internship, as is the case in the sector I'm looking at?

There is a far easier way to do that: make the loans repayable to universities, not to the government. Therefore, universities will only open degrees for which they know their students will be able to pay back. There will still be degrees in Classics, Theatre or History, but only in the best unis. Others will have to adapt and only offer degrees with good employment prospects.

I would simply strengthen the terms of student loans so that they actually have to be paid back.

I personally cannot fathom why the government decided to raise the repayment floor to 21k when it increased the tuition fee cap. I do not see why someone earning 17k cannot even begin to make modest repayments.

No, I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all. I think tough competition is a good thing. I do agree with you though that people should be made aware of what they are getting into - that is, they should be told that the competition will be tough before they decide to go down that route.



Oh yes. Very good idea.

Why? It just shuts out plenty of people who would be great at a job but just can't write the perfect application or give the perfect interview.

Not sure which part you are replying to.

About you saying tough competition is a good thing. It stops people getting jobs.

There is a finite number of jobs. The people who are not getting jobs would not have got these jobs in the first place.

Why should other people be stopped from studying just to make life after graduation easier for you?