The Student Room Group

Do something which interests you at uni...

Well I know that a lot of people on this forum have recently been discussing whether or not certain subkects are "mickey-mouse" or not. When i was younger i told my prarents that i wanted to study law. I think they had their hearts set on me becoming a lawyer. Last year however I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to study Psychology instead. Several people told me i should not do this, some people may view it as a mickey mouse degree, some employers may not view it as a proper science, it may not have good job prospects etc etc. This is the argument that anyone wanting to study any subject other than one directly linked to a career such as Medicine or Law seems to have to face.
Even when i told them I am aiming to become a clinical psychologist - which is a highly respected career directly relating to my chosen degree course people still made comments like "Thats really competivtive and if you son't get into professional psychology then you might not get any other good job".
This post isn't just about Psychology it's about every subject. At a careers evening last year one speaker from Liverpool University made me even more deterimned to do Psychology. He said that there are so many jobs where your degree doesn't matter so you should do something which you enjoy rather than being bored for years and coming out with a lower class degree because you're not interested in the subject and so cant motivate yourself.
Think about it....we're young and we're getting the chance to go to uni with loads of other our age, meet new people and study for 3/4/5+ years a subject which we really enjoy and will hopefully improve our job prospects. We may never get this oppertunity in our lives as when we get older we will have more ties and a house/family to keep etc.
So whilst we're young and have the chance to do this shouldn't we just go for it and study a subject that we enjoy?? So many peopel that I know have ended up purley by chance and being in the right place in the right time in careers that they never thought they would end up in and that are in no way related to their degree. One of friend's dads is one of the most succesfull people I know and left school with no GCSE's.
My point is that you never know where life will take you, what demand there will be for certain graduates and what jobs will be avaiable in the future so why not just go for it and study something we enjoy - live for the moment.
Sure we need to think of the future, make sure we have a good start in life to enable us to achieve the best success possible - we all want some security but maybe we should stop being so obsessed with what course will look best to employers, what we think will give us the best status and study something that we have a passion for and enjoy. We never know where we will end up or what's round the corner, so shouldnt we just go for it? Live for the moment and all that.....
Reply 1
Here here!

I honestly couldn't agree more, well said!
Reply 2
I wholeheartedly agree with you. The fact is not everyone knows what career they want to pursue at our age, any degree really would suffice in future employment because there are so many different career paths that don't require specific degrees.
Reply 3
yeah i know wot ya mean Riz. i wanna do physio honestly because ive heard its a good career and i suppose i want to impress my parents and show off about it. (that is my really honest confession) wot i really enjoy though is psychology coz im doing it at A2. but im not sure if it will involve the interesting stuff or a load of boring research methods which i dont understand. so i dunno wot ta do
Reply 4
Riz, you've got exactly the right attitude. Pointless just doing something cos you know it's supposed to lead to big money jobs and hating it. (like me :biggrin:)

Do whatever you enjoy most, get a 2.1, and you'll have no problems, good luck to ya.
Reply 5
Totally agree with you. I wanted to study Business at uni. It is the subject I'm best at, offers great career opportunities afterwards, but it is god damn boring! That's why I have decided to follow my heart and study the subject that I enjoy - PE.

As with psychology probably, PE is seen as a mickey mouse subject with people thinking all we do is jump over boxes, but its got similar topics as Biology.

Anyway, if you are studying a subject that interests you, it will motivate you in completing the work and if you find it interesting you will learn the work faster.

Go with your heart and not your head I say!
Reply 6
So very, very true.
Reply 7
i agree, although i would stress that the problem isnt so much choosing the right degree, but choosing to go university at all.
Reply 8
Agreed, We'll probably never get the chance to move away from home for 3/4 years and live with loads of other people our age with financial help from our parents/government. I've always wanted to move away to go to uni as I've felt it's something that I have to do and will regret if I don't. Now my friends are all staying here I'm becoming a little unsure about moving away but I will do it because I know i want to deep down and will regret it later if I don't....
Reply 9
*Riz*
Agreed, We'll probably never get the chance to move away from home for 3/4 years and live with loads of other people our age with financial help from our parents/government. I've always wanted to move away to go to uni as I've felt it's something that I have to do and will regret if I don't. Now my friends are all staying here I'm becoming a little unsure about moving away but I will do it because I know i want to deep down and will regret it later if I don't....


but why uni? i understand your reasoning, but you can go and find bar work and live very nicely for 3-4 years on the continent.
Reply 10
*Riz*
Agreed, We'll probably never get the chance to move away from home for 3/4 years and live with loads of other people our age with financial help from our parents/government. I've always wanted to move away to go to uni as I've felt it's something that I have to do and will regret if I don't. Now my friends are all staying here I'm becoming a little unsure about moving away but I will do it because I know i want to deep down and will regret it later if I don't....


That's exactly the same situation I'm in!!!!! Completely it! Most of my mates are stayin here but I'm still going away.