Is it worth everyone to go to university?

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M@255

Ok - by higer ed I meant degrees.

There are far too many polytechnic unis that have been given university status. There are far to many people doing crap degrees at crap uni's. The sheer amount of people going to uni is only watering down the achievements of people who go to good unis. There is simply no need for so many people to do degrees.

Have you got any real evidence to support this though? Or are you just assuming? Are you at university yet by the way? Have you ever studied at an ex poly?

Reply 101

kellywood_5

M@255

Many people would agree with my statement.

Like me

Just thought I'd give you some back up.

Reply 102

-EL-

What can people do with no university degree? Is a degree necessary for all professions?

Reply 103

kellywood_5

M@255

People can do plenty without a degree and in many cases (long term) just as much as people who do have degrees. A degree is by no means necessary for all professions.

Although what we're arguing about is that now that so many people do degrees, they're becoming less valuable. For example, I would imagine some time ago there would be hardly anyone from a school like mine going to uni, but now it seems almost expected.

Reply 104

Font

kellywood_5

Actually its not becoming devalued - my arguement earlier was that lots of people doing degrees is making competition for work intense. And as i mentioned from earlier posts, people from rubbish unis such as Hertfordshire, where most of my cousins went, find it really difficult to find a job, because there are far too many intelligent people to go around. There are around 20 000 people in oxbridge, and many 10's of thousands of smart people in top ten uni's; Does everyone have an expectation that employers should not be prejudice on where they like to emply people from.

I mean, of course they are going to want to employ smart people, who can think for themselves, over "stupid people" that went to a crap uni, for the fun of it!

A lot of people in this country have very high expectations, and don't want to put in the work for it - i mean, who would want to. But the reality is that smarter people will always be valued in teh professional workplace over less able people, and people with fantasies need to come to reality and accept how the world works - was not supposed to up myself in any way, before people in the TSR make a big deal of this post too, LOL

Phil

Reply 105

AT82

Well I would happily employ people form any university but then I have enough common sense to see past branding. I personaly would not want to employ somebody who went to all the best schools universities etc I am sure there are many SMEs that think in the same way.

I would want to be employ very well rounded people and these people don't always come from Oxbridge.

My two bosses are fine examples, one of them has a masters from my university, he used to earn £40k as an electrical consultant, he has written journals for the IEEE and he wrote a business plan from what he learn't at university it was so good that the company won a years from free consultancy from KPMG.

I am sure he isn't stupid.

The universities you have applied to do not surprise me one bit.

Reply 106

d750

amazingtrade

I personaly would not want to employ somebody who went to all the best schools universities etc I am sure there are many SMEs that think in the same way.

I would want to be employ very well rounded people and these people don't always come from Oxbridge.

That's a bit of a stupid thing to say (again). The best qualified people aren't necessarily the most socially inept, as you seem to think and reiterate from time to time.

Reply 107

kirbz

I think they should, because people that might have got low grades at A levels, might not have found their strength, and could do well at uni. That's my situation, I didn't get great A levels but I'm doing really well at uni, it's just I chose the wrong A levels, and they don't do an A level in the subjects that I'm good at.

Reply 108

AT82

kirbz

Well don't worry as longs as there are lots of bosses like me (will be a boss in July) (and there is believe me) who choose an employer on their own merits and not just on what university they happened to go to you will be fine :p:

PS You're also doing a very similer course to me.

Reply 109

Elles

amazingtrade

you're walking straight into a managerial position?

Reply 110

AT82

Elles

you're walking straight into a managerial position?

Yep my own company, I am an entrepreneur and have discovered an oppurtunity I cannot miss, so I am setting up a company while Iam looking for other work, I still work for other people for experience and income but this oppurtunity cannot wait. It won't be a LTD company to start of with, but I will be employing somebody under PAYE from the word go.

Its most likely it won't take off, but if it does I am in the right market at the right time, when I was at school I wanted to run my own business when I left, some how my mum distracted my original ideas and ended up going to unviersity which I am very glad I did now becuase the business I want to setup is a lot more high tech than the one I would have setup at 16.

Reply 111

ak763

Starting a business straight out of university is a bit of a risk, isn't it? I mean good luck and all, but so many businesses go to the wall in their first year, I hope you've thought it through fully; got a business plan in place and the like. An entrepreneur is one thing, being able to cut it in the world of business is quite another.

Reply 112

AT82

ak763

I know its a risk but you have to take risk in order to suceed, this particular project (not going into details) dosn'#t require much investment I already have most the facilities to run it, it is needs is lots of time and a small amount of capitol.

The university are also very good with helping people out with setting up busineses.

I still intend to work full time once I get a job but this business is mainly going to be run while looking for a job, once the bulk of the work is done the day to day running is not time consuming.

I am not feareful of failing, if anybody says serves you right for failing then I will just ask them how sucesfull their business was :biggrin:

Its unlikely it will be sucesfull in the long term but after I have got enough proper work experience I am going to setup a consultancy business, however will be after my masters and after I have at least 10 years commerical work experience.

PS My family is very strange in the sense that we all run businesses, out of about 25 uncles and aunties only five of them have jobs, the rest all run their own businesses.

Reply 113

JackieS

Phil23

I have to say I'm quite offended by that comment......I'm a Uni of Herts graduate - graduated with 1st class honour in a particularly difficult subject.....does that make me any less intelligent than anyone else who went to university?

Reply 114

Vladek

JackieS

If the people he's on about are so much more intelligent than grads from "lesser uni's" why is he worried about them as competition?

I'm happy in the knowledge I have a most excellent job even though i must be really stupid cos i went to a "lesser uni" they still let me play about with things that allow everyone here to use a computer, turn their lights on, have hot and cold running water. But wait, the piece of paper in my certificate wallet says i shouldn't be doing this... SHOCK.

Reply 115

AT82

JackieS

Don't worry about it, some people on here have not grasp for the concept of circumstances yet or that other concept called real life.

I'm sure you will go onto the very well, going to a good unversity only gets you so far, you have to do the rest, and if you do that rest better you could well end up with better jobs than those at better universites.

I'm just past caring about comments regarding my university now, I know what I have learn't and how much of a benefit it has been to me. It is also a good point about competiton, I am not scared of Manchester University (in fact I support it) but some people on here seem to see the amount of students as a threat. As Vladek said if those universities were really so good it shouldn't affect them in the slightest what the other lesser universites are doing.

Reply 116

Wagamuffin

Everyone has the right to education, but the government's financial plans simply cannot maintain what's going on right now. The state system was invented many years ago no? Probably when university attendance was much much lower. IMO it is not a question of morality and educational politics, but of approach and application.

PS: I wouldn't mind paying higher fees later in life, it's state-subsidised uni that guarantees me that high paying job isn't it??? Now that we only have to pay later after uni more people than ever have the means to invest in higher education.