2.2 in the employment market.

studentphil

Objectively how employable are you with a Lower second class degree?

brazilianwax

studentphil wrote:

Objectively how employable are you with a Lower second class degree?

Depends what subject the degree is in and what job you are applying for!

Gabriel-Ernest

I got a 2:2 and have a good career in the financial industry; I've not found it a drawback at all. In fact I don't recall any potential employer even discussing what class degree I got.

regularsaver1

to be honest it doesn't matter - its your knowledge and experience and shows your commitment to studying rather than the grade you got - oh and how you did in interview

melancholly

LOG OFF MSE AND WORK!!!!
please!

we've all been through this discussion recently phil and YOU started that thread too!
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=259089&highlight=degree+class+job


i dare you to go and read 10 pages..........now........... by 9pm! then you can glance through it before you go to bed and make sure it made sense.

Heth_2

My husband got a 2.2 in his degree (Engineering at Oxford). He went on to do a fully funded PhD, and now is working for our local water company.
A friend on my course (Physics at Oxford) got a 2.2 and went on to work for a year (in India though), and is now studying for a PhD in the states.

Of course this is a long time ago, but my dad got a 2.2 (Physics, Cambridge), got a full time job straight away, did a part time masters, phd and is now Technical Director of a major scientific research facility.

I think you are employable but it does depend what you want to do. Some graduate recruitment schemes do specify a 2.1 or above. However it doesn't sound like that is quite the sort of thing you want to do.

studentphil

melancholly wrote:

LOG OFF MSE AND WORK!!!!
please!

we've all been through this discussion recently phil and YOU started that thread too!
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=259089&highlight=degree+class+job


i dare you to go and read 10 pages..........now........... by 9pm! then you can glance through it before you go to bed and make sure it made sense.

Not really as that was about pass degrees.

It is slightly different as a topic.

I am do something on a fomative essay for next term anyway- challege will be met dont worry!

studentphil

So it really is just these narrow minded big companies that dont like 2.2's.

tr3mor

studentphil wrote:

So it really is just these narrow minded big companies that dont like 2.2's.

They're narrow minded cos they can be. They want a crude filter to get rid of some of the thousands of applications they receive each year.

So what if you might make a great employee? There are plenty of other people who have got a 2:1 who would make a great employee.

Gabriel-Ernest

Because the job market is saturated with graduates, some companies can raise the stakes and opt for the graduates at the 'top of the food chain.' That's their right; they want what they consider to be the best because to them a 2:1 or First shows a candidate who has worked consistently hard (or possibly is so academically gifted that they sailed through student life.)

If that bothers you, ask yourself though if you'd even want to work for a company with those standards - there are other options. It's a cut-throat world out there, particularly in certain sectors, but some employers will put more of an emphasis on presentation at interview, a wide latitude of interests, an extra spark which isn't necessarily connected to academic results. You won't know which until you get out there and start interviewing. Remember that when you're jobhunting you're not begging someone to give you a job; it's a two-way process in which you have an equal right and responsibility to assess whether the company can offer you the career opportunities you want.

When I recruit for my team, academic results aren't necessarily an indication of a good employee (I've known people with a First who haven't a clue but I've also know people with a First who've worked during their holidays to gain experience and exposure to the corporate world). I actually put more store on character and can usually tell within a few minutes if the person has what it takes, because you need balls of stone to work in the City. However if I get an applicant with good academic results AND the personal qualities to match, then it's a bonus. At the end of the day, it's personal qualities which will sway it for me in a choice between two people; I do pay attention to the section on a CV and interview discussion about a person's outside interests and experience. If someone has done something like run a student club, volunteer work, travelled overseas in a non-tourist capacity, that's an indication to me that they've thought outside the box and have that extra something to offer. No-one wants to employ a dullard.

studentphil

2.1's seem to be a must for city jobs and they seem high pressued jobs where everyone is out to undercut their neighbour. That really seems not a very nice place to work anyway. So maybe if you can not get a look in for those jobs it is no bad thing.