Are degrees in the UK value for money?

adindas

gfplux wrote: »

Sorry,
Hello,
I only spoke to your comment about the EU.
I can not speak about Switzerland, although I know a number of Luxembourgers do go to Switzerland to study. (All luxembourgers who pass the BAC speak a number of languages including German and French)
I only speak as a normal family, not super rich or super connected.
You have said, it is difficult to get in to a European University. That they are highly selective. All I reply is that living in Luxembourg I see this differently. I have personal experience, you have Google.
I am not sure why we would be having this argument as you have information, I have information, why don't we exchange this information in a civilised and constructive way.
If your agenda is to rubbish a European Uni education then say it.
My agenda is the opposite.

I do not have any agenda against universities in the EU countries.

My post #450 is the reply to your question. You were asking me whether I was talking about the fact and I was presenting the fact taken from the official website of a university admission system.

Also in my post #450, would you please highlight where anywhere I was writing in non civilized and non constructive manner ??

Planet_Switzerland

Zxcv_Bnm wrote: »

I meant what I said.

Here's an example real life question. You work for a bank. A condition of keeping your banking licence is that you take reasonable steps to prevent your bank being used to commit financial crime.

Show me how a mathematician will a/ ask the right questions as to how you demonstrate this b/ get what you (jokingly I assume?) call the (not a, the) "right answer" to these questions c/ show the supervising regulator they've delivered the one and only "right answer" to the questions and d/ convince a Southwark jury they've done so when later charged by the FCA / PRA / police with negligently abetting money-laundering.

Your maths degree is no more use in this real world example than any other. A lot less if you are dumb enough to imagine there's one "right answer".

Wakey wakey. There are reasons only mathematicians think mathematicians are really smart. One such is thinking there's a right answer.

Goldfish can't see water. Same thing.

That is complete utter nonsense. Maybe when you do maths at school there is only one "right answer" as you put it, but it's different at degree level.


Maths at university includes analysing data, interpreting results from statistical testing, doing presentations. There is no "one right answer" for these. Then there is the computing side of it like writing code to solve complex equations, getting the code to work is a small part of it, the quality of the code is the main thing.


As for your statement "only mathematicians think mathematicians are really smart", I don't think I've ever heard any mathematician say that mathematicians are really smart.

john2054

Mine was a waste of money, i spent about £40 k and five years, working my head off, for a degree (2.1 hons) which can't even get me an intern or supermarket job!

I think i need to try and get back on benefits.

regprentice

adindas wrote: »

If you ask these people many of them might be saying "NOT WORTHY"

ERUDIO student loans help .

Have to agree. I had a fairly modest student loan (16k). It paid for a lot when at uni and i worked in years 2 and 3. i ended up saving the 3rd years loan and using it as a house deposit.At that time it was a sensible use of the low rate offered (this was 2002).

Since then ive earned more than i expected from a career unrelated to my degree and i will pay off my loan later this year.but ive been 'losing' 200 quid a month net from my wages paying off that loan. My wife cant work because of childcare costs (she had to quit a 30k a year job as it didnt even cover childcare) and we really feel that 200 quid each month.

My student loan has also contributed to my refusing a promotion. I earn 50k, could be promoted to 60k. In terms of deductions My employer takes 15% of that 10k increase in gross wage for my pension leaving me with 8.5k. On the 8.5k i pay 40% tax, 1%ni and 9% student loan leaving me with 4.25k. Then, because i will earn in excess of 60k, we will lose child benefit as well. So i will be paid 10k and end up taking home less than 2.5k after deductions and the loss of child benefit.

IMHO its simply not worth it... in an ironic way my supposedly 'enabling' degree is also contributing to my inability to progress my career further as my employer will want their pound of flesh for that 10 grand but im not going to be that motivated by taking home less than 25% of the same amount.

BikingBud

Zxcv_Bnm wrote: »

I meant what I said.

Here's an example real life question. You work for a bank. A condition of keeping your banking licence is that you take reasonable steps to prevent your bank being used to commit financial crime.

Show me how a mathematician will a/ ask the right questions as to how you demonstrate this b/ get what you (jokingly I assume?) call the (not a, the) "right answer" to these questions c/ show the supervising regulator they've delivered the one and only "right answer" to the questions and d/ convince a Southwark jury they've done so when later charged by the FCA / PRA / police with negligently abetting money-laundering.

Your maths degree is no more use in this real world example than any other. A lot less if you are dumb enough to imagine there's one "right answer".

Wakey wakey. There are reasons only mathematicians think mathematicians are really smart. One such is thinking there's a right answer.

Goldfish can't see water. Same thing.

So who compiles the algorithms and programmes that not only tell the screen muppets when to buy or sell to maximise profits but also spot the irregular activity that might indicate rogue/illegal trading? Not likely to be someone who studied history is it really, more someone with a statistics background and also a whizz with mathematical modelling.

Enterprise_1701C

regprentice wrote: »

Have to agree. I had a fairly modest student loan (16k). It paid for a lot when at uni and i worked in years 2 and 3. i ended up saving the 3rd years loan and using it as a house deposit.At that time it was a sensible use of the low rate offered (this was 2002).

Since then ive earned more than i expected from a career unrelated to my degree and i will pay off my loan later this year.but ive been 'losing' 200 quid a month net from my wages paying off that loan. My wife cant work because of childcare costs (she had to quit a 30k a year job as it didnt even cover childcare) and we really feel that 200 quid each month.

My student loan has also contributed to my refusing a promotion. I earn 50k, could be promoted to 60k. In terms of deductions My employer takes 15% of that 10k increase in gross wage for my pension leaving me with 8.5k. On the 8.5k i pay 40% tax, 1%ni and 9% student loan leaving me with 4.25k. Then, because i will earn in excess of 60k, we will lose child benefit as well. So i will be paid 10k and end up taking home less than 2.5k after deductions and the loss of child benefit.

IMHO its simply not worth it... in an ironic way my supposedly 'enabling' degree is also contributing to my inability to progress my career further as my employer will want their pound of flesh for that 10 grand but im not going to be that motivated by taking home less than 25% of the same amount.

So basically you are complaining about having to pay back a loan.

If you are going to finish paying it back later this year, then surely it would have been sensible to accept the promotion as a way of getting closer to the next promotion, think of it more as a promotion to earn an extra £4.25K a year but as a doorway to further promotion.

Basically, you turned down more than £350 a month because you don't want to pay more tax and pay off your loan faster. That is NOT the way to get on in life. Especially as you would have had a better pension to look forward to, and, believe me, that time comes around quicker than it should.

Oh, and it would have more than negated that £200 a month that you "really feel".

BikingBud

#regprentice

Some people are never happy.
So when the employers takes £1500 for your pension pot why do you think this is lost? And why not consider the benefit downstream, what will this extra give you on payout?

200 quid per month paying off the loan - seems the pay rise covers that! And that feeling of really needing the money as your wife has lost her job does that not make it a noddy decision? Get it done clear the debt.

Of course your employer wants more, they are offering you £10k a year more, a 20% uplift, guess what that's the reality of life.

I think the final paragraph sums it up, you are content and don't have the motivation to work harder, fine someone else will be along shortly that does.

With £2.5k i could go on another ski holiday :beer:

kabayiri

Planet_Switzerland wrote: »

That is complete utter nonsense. Maybe when you do maths at school there is only one "right answer" as you put it, but it's different at degree level.


Maths at university includes analysing data, interpreting results from statistical testing, doing presentations. There is no "one right answer" for these. Then there is the computing side of it like writing code to solve complex equations, getting the code to work is a small part of it, the quality of the code is the main thing.
...

Indeed.

Electronic engineers sit the applied maths papers too. It's clearly not rubbish.

You can not design traditional or microwave aerials for industrial use without a good understanding of maths.

The digital filters in your phone or music player; they all rely on maths.

It's disappointing that people can not relate maths in to real world scenarios.

kabayiri

BikingBud wrote: »

So who compiles the algorithms and programmes that not only tell the screen muppets when to buy or sell to maximise profits but also spot the irregular activity that might indicate rogue/illegal trading? Not likely to be someone who studied history is it really, more someone with a statistics background and also a whizz with mathematical modelling.

Interesting.

My old boss headed up a department for a major engineering/computing firm.

He told me that he liked taking on people with qualifications in history; particularly Greek classics.

He found that they had a good analytical approach to problems, and made excellent programmers.

zagubov

regprentice wrote: »

Have to agree. I had a fairly modest student loan (16k). It paid for a lot when at uni and i worked in years 2 and 3. i ended up saving the 3rd years loan and using it as a house deposit.At that time it was a sensible use of the low rate offered (this was 2002).

Since then ive earned more than i expected from a career unrelated to my degree and i will pay off my loan later this year.but ive been 'losing' 200 quid a month net from my wages paying off that loan. My wife cant work because of childcare costs (she had to quit a 30k a year job as it didnt even cover childcare) and we really feel that 200 quid each month.

My student loan has also contributed to my refusing a promotion. I earn 50k, could be promoted to 60k. In terms of deductions My employer takes 15% of that 10k increase in gross wage for my pension leaving me with 8.5k. On the 8.5k i pay 40% tax, 1%ni and 9% student loan leaving me with 4.25k. Then, because i will earn in excess of 60k, we will lose child benefit as well. So i will be paid 10k and end up taking home less than 2.5k after deductions and the loss of child benefit.

IMHO its simply not worth it... in an ironic way my supposedly 'enabling' degree is also contributing to my inability to progress my career further as my employer will want their pound of flesh for that 10 grand but im not going to be that motivated by taking home less than 25% of the same amount.

Isn't your employer paying into your pension as well? Unless there were other traps and catches to the promotion, I don't follow your reasoning. As Enterprise 1701C says, you just need to see it as a boost to your earnings that could lead to higher things.