Your thoughts on university

PlymouthMaid

I was the first in my family to do a degree and it did open doors as well as opening my mind. I was lucky to not have a huge debt as fees were still paid the late 1980's. I knew what I wanted to do however and it wasn't just about 'going to uni' as I left a good Civil Service job to do it and moved 300 miles from home (still there).

I have two daughters; one graduated in Graphic Design and, from what I can see, needed the degree to break into her industry and the second is in year 2 of a science degree which should lead to a job in a medical research lab at least.

They do have student debts but these days they are practically considered as a lifetime tax to pay if you want a particular career. I do not think a young person should just trundle off blindly to uni unless they know why they are going and there is likely to be related degree-necessary job at the end of it. If they are unlikely to get any kind of job anyway at present and they are bright enough and have a strong interest in further high level study of a subject (and don't mind the debt) then I don't think education is ever a waste and many employers are just looking for general strong graduates for various positions.

Far too many are going these days however and the standard of written English and mathematics skills in some undergraduates is quite shocking. I do not think students who cannot manage three very good A levels should be at university.

In the OP's position unless the young people have a burning desire or need for uni then they would be better advised to try to find work with a visible career progression/in house training and then of they still want uni in a few years it will still be there and they are more likely to know what they want to do. The party side of things is there for those who want it but the work still has to be done or it will be a very short party for that student. By the second year the parties diminish a lot and by the third year it is pretty much head down the whole time if you want a good degree.

claire21

Zagubov

Thanks I have read the thread, very interesting

pinkshoes

I did a degree in engineering at a good university, and have never struggled getting a job, even with a 2:2.

My DH is a far better engineer than me, but left school at 16 and did an apprenticeship. He found he cannot apply or get an interview for many positions as they all require a degree. He feels somewhat stuck in his current job, but G least still enjoys it.

I'd say a degree IS worth it, but only from a decent university in a worthwhile subject.

gunsandbanjos

pinkshoes wrote: »

I'd say a degree IS worth it, but only from a decent university in a worthwhile subject.

Very true, I have a first in mathematics, was absolutely worthwhile doing my degree, I have a good job off the back of it.

I wouldn't have gone to university to do a course that didn't enhance my job prospects.

Big_Tree

There's a guy I work with who went to Uni to get a Degree in Event Planning, total waste of time IMO.

It's a different story if he was doing Law or one of the sciences of course.

gunsandbanjos

BigJockKnew wrote: »

There's a guy I work with who went to Uni to get a Degree in Event Planning, total waste of time IMO.

It's a different story if he was doing Law or one of the sciences of course.

I feel the same about hospitality and tourism type degrees! I don't understand why they are degree level subjects?

gozaimasu

My thoughts on uni are that the majority of students are not intelligent enough to be there. They don't deserve a degree. I work with students and the quality of spelling/grammar is atrocious, not the mention a complete and utter lack of common sense. They were taught to re-gurgitate learned answers at undergraduate level, so when they do a Masters, they still don't have a clue, expecting spoon-feeding at every stage.

Some students will stand in a group, in the middle of a stairway, chatting. Why? A stairway is not for hanging about chatting, it's for going up and down between the floors of a building. If you're standing in the middle of it, you should not be at a university, full stop. Unless of course, they are doing a degree in rudeness and idiocy.

There are only a rare few who deserve to be there - those are generally the ones who are good enough to study at PhD level, and do well. Sadly, when you're foreign and waving a load of cash you'll be let on the course anyway.

I have no respect for degrees that don't have an application, mainly in the arts. Great if you want to specialise in 15th Century French Literature, but that is just a load of tosh.

The politicians really messed it up when they wanted 50% of the population to have a university education. Half of the population just aren't clever enough, so we're churning out mediocre dumbasses who can't spell to save their lives. Pathetic.

Tropez

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

I feel the same about hospitality and tourism type degrees! I don't understand why they are degree level subjects?

This is why a degree is only useful if you know what to do with it.

There are plenty of degrees out there which many people dismiss as worthless, including those listed above, stuff like sociology etc.

The truth is though if you know what you're doing and how to apply those degrees they are far from useless. Hospitality degrees, for example, are effectively specialised business management degrees and have the potential to lead to extremely lucrative long term career prospects. The difference between a standard business management degree and a hospitality one is that hospitality is much more about interpersonal client relationships and skills.

Even our company (security) employs people with hospitality degrees, often in customer care and client management roles.

thorsoak

Regardless of which uni a teenager attends, which degree they take (and I'm another who regards a BSc in Beauty & Hair management as much use as a chocolate teapot) all of them offer the teenager a view of the wider world, meeting people with differing views on life, from all walks of life, from all parts of the world. It is hard to get that same type of experience at the same age unless one lives in a multi-cultural city.

I would be happier to see the sort of vocational training that appears to have gone out of fashion now - my OH entered engineering as a trainee engineer (not an apprentice), had part-time day release + 1 evening at night school to get his ONC in mech engineering, then part time day release + 2 evenings for HNC, then 1 year full term time (working during vacations) for his HND -so he was doing practical work with placements and getting some pay - a bit more than an apprentice would with a bit more responsibility. However, with the decline in engineering in the 1970s, this method of training went out the window.

Buzzybee90

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

I feel the same about hospitality and tourism type degrees! I don't understand why they are degree level subjects?

Though I know nothing about this sort of degree, it seems entry level jobs in most organisations seem to need a degree now, so that's changing too.