Is higher education a waste of time?

amber1979

We have recently had two threads on this subject and the general consensus seems to be that people who go to university, are somehow less deserving of a job than others.

It appears to me, that having a degree causes so much resentment that it's actually a disadvantage in the jobs market.

tabskitten

Not true.
However I spent 4 years gettting a degree at Edinburgh and have not used it at all- so in my case it was a waste of time yes, thankfully I had a full time job whilst doing it so came out quids up!!

Person_one

My degree certainly wasn't a waste of time, a list of positive outcomes from my degree:

• I thoroughly enjoyed it, and learned a lot
• It taught me critical, analytical and independent thinking
• It taught me to meet deadlines with nobody pushing me to, to organise myself and to get the best from myself
• It was my first experience of living away from home, in two wonderful cities one in a far flung part of the world I wouldn't even have visited otherwise nevermind lived in.
• I made some great, lasting friendships
• I learned to manage my money and to cope in unexpected situations without mum and dad nearby to step in or help out
• It got me a decent job, in the ballpark of the field I studied in, within 3 months of leaving.
• It enables me to apply for all the jobs out there which have 'educated to degree level' as a requirement, even if they don't care what your degree was in.

iamana1ias

amber1979 wrote: »

We have recently had two threads on this subject and the general consensus seems to be that people who go to university, are somehow less deserving of a job than others.

It appears to me, that having a degree causes so much resentment that it's actually a disadvantage in the jobs market.

I would agree on some levels, but I don't really fancy having unqualified doctors, dentists or surgeons running amok!

amber1979

iamana1ias wrote: »

I would agree on some levels, but I don't really fancy having unqualified doctors, dentists or surgeons running amok!

So, should we scrap all university courses other than those such as medical, legal and vocational ones?

mrcow

Person_one wrote: »

My degree certainly wasn't a waste of time, a list of positive outcomes from my degree:

• I thoroughly enjoyed it, and learned a lot
• It taught me critical, analytical and independent thinking
• It taught me to meet deadlines with nobody pushing me to, to organise myself and to get the best from myself
• It was my first experience of living away from home, in two wonderful cities one in a far flung part of the world I wouldn't even have visited otherwise nevermind lived in.
• I made some great, lasting friendships
• I learned to manage my money and to cope in unexpected situations without mum and dad nearby to step in or help out
• It got me a decent job, in the ballpark of the field I studied in, within 3 months of leaving.
• It enables me to apply for all the jobs out there which have 'educated to degree level' as a requirement, even if they don't care what your degree was in.

?? Good grief that sounds boring.

I learned how to get rat-faced on £3 a night and how to survive on bread, pasta and cheap fags.

dizzyblonde82

It all depends on the person doing the degree, the subject of the degree and the career path they want to be on. I started a degree course at 18 and decided that I wan't for me and that I would gain experience through employment and not get myself into debt, however I am now 27 and am at a point where I need a degree to be able to progress my career. I am starting a part time degree in September and will continue to work full time around it.

mrcow

Person_one wrote: »

My degree certainly wasn't a waste of time, a list of positive outcomes from my degree:

It got me a decent job, in the ballpark of the field I studied in, within 3 months of leaving.

It enables me to apply for all the jobs out there which have 'educated to degree level' as a requirement, even if they don't care what your degree was in.

And also, aren't you currently unemployed?

iamana1ias

amber1979 wrote: »

So, should we scrap all university courses other than those such as medical, legal and vocational ones?

Pretty much, yes.

celyn90

I must admit I didn't see the other threads, so I'm sorry if I'm off point.

My degrees are a requirement for the job I do, so I certainly don't see them as pointless. I didn't enjoy being at university, I only did it because I wouldn't have been able to work in my chosen field without the correct qualifications. I put my head down and worked like crazy. I held part time jobs whilst studying, took evening classes to pick up extra skills, used my holidays for internships and to get extra experience, did voluntary work.

I would say, however, that having a degree isn't the be all and end all. Everyone that went for my job would have been qualified in the same way and employers do look for other skills and expereince as well. I often find when I talk to the students that they have sometimes have an idea that a degree will be all they need and this is very very wrong. I always ask them if I had to select between them, what would make me choose them over somebody else and quite often I'm met with a stunned silence. There are a huge number of opportunities for students to develop useful skills outside their studies whilst at university.

I do think very much that education opens doors, but also that many people do not understand the importance of other skills relevant to the workplace. I used to work for a guy who often took people with lower qualifications on the basis that he could teach them what they needed to know, but he couldn't teach social skills - he liked working with intresting people!

So my arguement would not be that having a degree makes you less deserving of a job, but having only a degree and no other skills doesn't give you an advantage. Having just a degree puts you in the same position as many other graduates. You need to ask yourself what makes you better, what makes you different and what else you can contribute over above what every other applicant presents. Show what you can offer, not what you think you deserve.

Person_one

mrcow wrote: »

?? Good grief that sounds boring.

I learned how to get rat-faced on £3 a night and how to survive on bread, pasta and cheap fags.

Well there were other, more recreational aspects as well but I didn't think that was what the OP was after!

I also learned how to get to and from anywhere in Greater London between midnight and 6am on nightbuses, which cheap student clubs to avoid because they topped up the vodka with floor cleaner and how to blag free food by clever complaining. I don't do that now of course.