how important is a university degree in the job market these days?

fitnessguy1

SeduLOUs wrote: »

What would you 'enjoy' about being a doctor?

If you like the idea of care but don't have the academic ability and/or drive for 7 years of hard study then there's definitely some options there - health care assistant, social worker, etc and quite a few options that often don't require any prior experience or qualifications.

OK, you'll start at the bottom of the pile salary wise as you would in any career, but there will usually be on the job training to get NVQ qualifications, and the career paths have longer term potential avenues into nursing, assistant practitioner, qualified social care and a multitude of other things so there's plenty of wiggle room to progress up the ladder in the long term if that's what you want.

i am not really a caring type. i like the idea of studying to be a doctor, i.e. the studying medicine, biology. i don't think i would particularly enjoy working in a hospital but maybe a gp practice.

i don't know what else is out there. i guess teaching, but i wouldn't want to teach kids in a classroom environment i don't think. it would be my idea of hell lol.

i have thought about psychology or philosophy, but they don't lead anywhere unless i do extra study or qualifications for a career in them.

what i would like to do is different to what i should do because most people do the jobs for the money. i guess if you are lucky you can work a job you enjoy and pays well. rare though.

andygb

fitnessguy1 wrote: »

i am like you. i have done manual work before and it's physically demanding and the pay is poor in comparison to pay for whatever work i could get in an office/inside.

the dilemma i have is pursuing something for the money or for the love of it. i would ideally like to work something i have an interest in as well as the possibility of being paid well for the job.

i have always struggled with academics, but if i need to do it for a job then what other choice do i have? i feel i am too old to work my way up the ladder in a job which doesn't require a degree.

Could you try a sports science degree, as it would combine something you are interested in, with studying, and then quite possibly lead to a very good career in the future.
If you are into your fitness, is there any sport which you excel at, and which you could take to professional level?

k3lvc

OP - Have you read this post ?


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5328050

fitnessguy1

andygb wrote: »

Could you try a sports science degree, as it would combine something you are interested in, with studying, and then quite possibly lead to a very good career in the future.
If you are into your fitness, is there any sport which you excel at, and which you could take to professional level?

i am interested in fitness, but i couldn't study it for 3 years at degree level it just gets tedious. i have a friend who studied sports science and now he's a p.e teacher, but he is good with that kind of thing, me not so much.

i have been exploring the options with sport science, but the career opportunities are not much interest to me. personal training is something i thought about but the industry is saturated with trainers and i wouldn't stand out.

as for professional sport, not at my age sadly. i am going to be 30 in a couple years. i mean boxing i am pretty good at, but it's not an ideal "career" move lol. getting punched in the face isn't fun, and the training is even harder, and that's just amateur level.

it's really tough out here without a degree it seems. i have considered marketing and digital marketing, even web development, but again so many people with degrees and many more years experience than myself. i don't even have experience in marketing.

fitnessguy1

anyone with some advice for someone maybe looking into the aforementioned marketing/digital marketing/web development area?

no experience at all in these field/s, but it does spark my interest a bit. again though, degrees seem to be the wanted thing for employers. frustrating.

i took a look online for qualifications in this area, but seems to just be training for already established marketing people, or the qualifications are not much use next to a degree or degree + experience

fitnessguy1

k3lvc wrote: »

OP - Have you read this post ?


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5328050

looks interesting. i will have a read through that thread. a degree certainly does seem to open a few more locked doors though.

dawyldthing

fitnessguy1 wrote: »

i would, but i am not good at all at any of that studying malarky. i wish i was but i am not and believe me i have tried before. i think acquiring a degree would be out of my comfort zone and ability.

if it is last resort then maybe i would give it a shot, but i am getting nearer to 30 and would much rather not go the university route which would put me out of work for a few years.

this is a list of what i consider "good paying"

good paying = anywhere from 21,000 - 30,000
very good = between 35,000 - 45,000
excellent = anywhere over 45,000

take into consideration the above figures are before tax.

Sorry to say but unless you want to do lots of overtime getting £21k from an entry level job is really difficult. My friends a boss at a big bargain store and he's starting to get that kind of money after several years in there field, teachers after degree and/ or pgce start on £22k roughly. Coppers and nurses aren't on much more than £21k after starting. Id say you need to start somewhere on whatever wage and work your way up from the bottom. Might take a few years but it is how it is sadly. I know a bloke around here that does personal training, set himself up a studio and I think that's took some doing.

theoretica

fitnessguy1 wrote: »

this is a list of what i consider "good paying"

good paying = anywhere from 21,000 - 30,000
very good = between 35,000 - 45,000
excellent = anywhere over 45,000

take into consideration the above figures are before tax.

Why should anyone pay you those sorts of sums? If you want employers to hire you without the qualification that they first thought they wanted and especially if you are interested in a career in marketing, you need to be able to sell yourself. You have mentioned what you aren't good at, but what are your strengths?

Sorry - that first question could read wrong, I meant it that you needed to talk positively to persuade employers you are worth paying - and think where your skills would be more valuable than other people's.

fitnessguy1

dawyldthing wrote: »

Sorry to say but unless you want to do lots of overtime getting £21k from an entry level job is really difficult. My friends a boss at a big bargain store and he's starting to get that kind of money after several years in there field, teachers after degree and/ or pgce start on £22k roughly. Coppers and nurses aren't on much more than £21k after starting. Id say you need to start somewhere on whatever wage and work your way up from the bottom. Might take a few years but it is how it is sadly. I know a bloke around here that does personal training, set himself up a studio and I think that's took some doing.

setting up a personal training business would most likely cost more money to do than making a profit from it. these days every other person is a personal trainer/fitness trainer so there's no uniqueness to it any more. unless you happen to get top clients such as celebs, it's a difficult to make good money from it these days.

that is the conundrum i am in. i either spend a good few years building up or if needs be try to study for a degree for 3+ years to start at the bottom anyway. i would need to get a levels before studying for a degree so that's another year or two on top, so nearly 5 years before i would even graduate. i would be in my early 30's and still unsure if i will get work after a degree.

i would start from the bottom if needs be, but when you don't have a degree of any sort, will it be tough just to get on the bottom of the ladder anyway?

fitnessguy1

theoretica wrote: »

Why should anyone pay you those sorts of sums? If you want employers to hire you without the qualification that they first thought they wanted and especially if you are interested in a career in marketing, you need to be able to sell yourself. You have mentioned what you aren't good at, but what are your strengths?

Sorry - that first question could read wrong, I meant it that you needed to talk positively to persuade employers you are worth paying - and think where your skills would be more valuable than other people's.

are you saying i need to talk/charm my way into certain jobs?