University Courses with good career prospects

Person_one

tunde10 wrote: »

Thats exactly why i was asking. Its stupid to go to Uni, do a pointless course for 3yrs. Only to come out and be on jsa or min wage for years. Its better to just work & get training once you leave school. But as far as i kno, he hasnt said he doesnt want to go University.

There are benefits of going to uni beyond just getting a better job afterwards. The debt is only paid back if you're earning enough and its not real debt, really.

salamancajerri

As there doing an A level in history maybe they'd be able to do some sort of course in law or maybe politics which could lead to good money.

The problem is if they pick a course that will just "make them money" rather than pleasure its likely they wont go through with it. 3 years is a long time to study something you don't really like.

Pick something there good at and enjoy, surely in the long run this might lead to more success, and if it doesn't at least they'd enjoy the ride.

I went to uni to study accountancy, I only last 2 years because I hated it. Came out with very little to show for it. Decided to start my own business doing something I like and now earn more than the average accountant and have a good time too.

It seems we have to make our hardest decisions in life, when we have the least experience to make the best decisions

Jakg

I think he really needs to chose his own degree - getting a first from a good Uni isn't a walk in the park, especially not in a subject being forced on them by someone else.

tunde10

Lagoon wrote: »

Whilst I did use my degree along my path, I'd argue that the experience of university CAN be worth the fees even if you don't use your degree specifically.

Again, just throwing in one argument here. When I was at university, I was able to gain a wide range of experience. I had the flexibility to do many temporary jobs without NEEDING the money, I was able to build my confidence and try out new things by volunteering, and I made friends on other courses that are now potential networking contacts in a wide range of careers. University moved me from one end of the country to the other, it gave me independence and a way to slowly learn about living on my own and managing my finances whilst I had the support of the university/accommodation providers if there had been any issues.

That's ignoring all of the transferrable skills you get from any degree, and the knowledge that comes from doing the work not from the content of the work you're doing.

Again, to some that might seem like a waste of 9k, but you can look at it another way. You also get relatively cheap accommodation for those few years, often with bills thrown in so that you don't need to worry about all of those issues. You can work part-time and earn money as you're studying, and the fees themselves are what some people would spend on a fortnight abroad each year.

Weighing up cheap accommodation, the potential to earn, the qualification and the experience against a holiday abroad before you return to your rental property and your job, and the difference perhaps isn't as significant as some seem to think. Working immediately is right for some people, but there's a lot to be said for going to university, getting a qualification and learning from the experience.

Very good point & i agree that going to Uni has so many other benefits. However from the people i graduated with who are struggling, they dont think it was worth it. At that time, the fees was only £3k. So its a bigger decision now its £9k.

Either way, he'll be goin to Uni as he wants to & his parents also want him to. Its just a case of what course he wants to do and hopefully he can pick one that suits him.

tunde10

Jakg wrote: »

I think he really needs to chose his own degree - getting a first from a good Uni isn't a walk in the park, especially not in a subject being forced on them by someone else.

There is no forcing going on. I just wanted to make a list really and givd it to him as suggestions to research. However i now think it is better for me to point him to the right websites to do his own research.

salamancajerri

Although University can be a fast track to growing up, moving away to maybe start a new job rather than going into education could be a way of getting new life experiences and making contacts rather than spending thousands to go to university.

A few years ago when the fees were much less I would recommend it, but now the price has increased so much I don't think its worth it. At the end of the day it is a pure investment, you gotta spend money to make money. Many employers don't require a degree and sometimes having a poor degree grade like a 3rd can do more harm than good.

Aryndeneth

tunde10 wrote: »

... His brother made the mistake of studying Media studies at uni. Even though not the worst degree, it became pretty clear that it will be a very hard struggle to get a job especially in this economy...

This isn’t necessarily the fault of the degree though and media does seem to be the degree that people focus on as being not a good choice or an easy choice with no career prospects. The thing you also need to consider is what is the real route to a 'good' career in any particular sector and not all sectors are entered via degrees and graduate schemes. If, keeping media as just one example, you want to work in the media there are practically no graduate schemes or graduate roles. You start at the bottom and work up. Doesn’t mean a degree isn’t important. For a sector like this the degree isn’t what opens the door for you but it’s what allows you to progress higher up the ladder as the career progresses. Just because you might not walk into a great job right after graduating doesn’t mean the degree hasn’t given you enhanced career prospects in the longer term.

Wyndham

tunde10 wrote: »

To be honest, i think he should be researching himself but its nice to try and put him in the right direction.

Yes, he should, but he may not be ready to do that yet, and you can't force him to. The internet is a strange place, but reading this thread, you sound a little like a worried parent - even though I'm sure you don't mean to and it's just the internet fairies making their mark. You need to be careful how you approach him with this, he may see you as interfering.

My first degree was Maths. My second was Science Fiction. It's a talking point if nothing else

tunde10

Wyndham wrote: »

Yes, he should, but he may not be ready to do that yet, and you can't force him to. The internet is a strange place, but reading this thread, you sound a little like a worried parent - even though I'm sure you don't mean to and it's just the internet fairies making their mark. You need to be careful how you approach him with this, he may see you as interfering.

My first degree was Maths. My second was Science Fiction. It's a talking point if nothing else

Haha no, im not a worried parent. I just know how hard it is currently out there and tried to help. It's not nice being on JSA after spending 3years of hard work at University. I know a friend with a 1st class in Business Management and still cant find work for 9months now.

I really think the governemnt should introduce more schemes to help young umemployed people rather than increasing fees and cutting other resources.

tunde10

Aryndeneth wrote: »

This isn’t necessarily the fault of the degree though and media does seem to be the degree that people focus on as being not a good choice or an easy choice with no career prospects. The thing you also need to consider is what is the real route to a 'good' career in any particular sector and not all sectors are entered via degrees and graduate schemes. If, keeping media as just one example, you want to work in the media there are practically no graduate schemes or graduate roles. You start at the bottom and work up. Doesn’t mean a degree isn’t important. For a sector like this the degree isn’t what opens the door for you but it’s what allows you to progress higher up the ladder as the career progresses. Just because you might not walk into a great job right after graduating doesn’t mean the degree hasn’t given you enhanced career prospects in the longer term.

That's what i mean though. Doing a degree in Media usually does not lead or give you significant advantage to a person that didn't go University so why bother? I was thinking it's better off to do something more relevant e.g graduate scheme related courses.