How are third and pass degrees regarded these days?

talksalot81

But my point is that there is a balance... PG study can only advance your prospects so far, especially if you are not aiming for the highest grades. Most now assume that more is definitely the way to go and many undoubtedly end up with additional qualifications which really dont advance them from where they would have been without.

DrFluffy

talksalot81 wrote:

Whilst this may well be sound, it is unwise to give this advice without reservation. It is just as common for someone to end up drowning because they have assumed they are better than they are. Not everyone has their calling going further and higher in academia and there will be plenty of times when following your advice ends up in someone taking the wrong path. We need to get away from people assuming that moving into the real world and not higher in the education system means they are a failure.

Where did I mention he should go into academia? I said he needed to find his niche (based on this thread and his thread re: should I masters or gap).

studentphil

I am thinking of doing a Masters or PG Dip in Management or Special education MEd/ PG Dip ( which is for interest and maybe one day I would like to work in the education of disabled people) . So it really has nothing to do with academia as a career.

talksalot81

DrFluffy wrote:

Where did I mention he should go into academia? I said he needed to find his niche (based on this thread and his thread re: should I masters or gap).

Your post mentioned only academic aspects, so while you didnt state it explicitly, this is what it implies. Further it looks to me that Phil is not in need of encouragement not to sell himself short. He is pushing his barriers as it is so probably requires being led to think more deeply about other possibilities.

studentphil

I would never want to be an in academia anyway. I would be much better suited to an acedemic related post anyway if I did ever work in HE ,something like a disability support officer.

melancholly

drfluffy - nice new picture (at least i think it's new-ish, right?!)

kittiwoz

studentphil wrote:

I am not kidding myself a Masters is probably too much for me and thus I am thinking of doing a PG DIP instead and see how I get on but probably doing a big research project might be too much for me.

You can probably do the PGDip and if you are successfull at it proceed to the masters, that's what I'm hoping for. I have a 3rd in Mech Eng which is a course I ended up not really enjoying and I want to use the postgrad course which is Industrial Design to change my direction a bit.

While I agree that if you don't do well at degree level it isn't sensible to do higher level and more focussed study in the same subject that isn't always what postgraduate education is about. I'm using it to broaden my skills and transfer some of my existing skills and knowledge into a more arts based approach to the design industry.