The holy grail of university education.

Morglin

conradmum wrote: »

For any reasonably well paid job with prospects, most employers won't look twice at an applicant without a degree.
Dh left school at 16 to start up his own business, is successful, highly experienced and highly skilled and can put together a portofolio of top level projects he's worked on as long as your arm. If he approaches an agency offering consultancy work, their first question is - what qualifications do you have?
Not fair, but true.

Well, I don't know about that - my brother is regional manager for one of the "big 4" banks, and has to interview prospective employees - he (and the bank) are so sick of 'mickey mouse' exams/degrees that don't prove a thing as to how capable/intelligent/full of common sense someone is, that he puts the CV etc., to one side without looking at it, and just talks to the interviewee.

Having worked with a lot of graduates, (good and bad), I think perhaps this bank have the right idea in not relying soley on a degree to prove anything about a person.

Lin

studentphil

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Nope SP, currently you don't need any special qualification to lecture. I've given a lecture at a uni as part of a post-grad course and i've got no special certificate to say I can.

They may be introducing a requirement soon, but it's not required yet

I thought a PhD was a requirement for a lecturer's post now.

Sola

I recruit for my team in a global investment bank, and a degree is largely irrelevant; we look for experience and a can-do attitude in preference to qualifications alone, so we rarely take anyone straight from Uni (although work experience gained while at Uni or during time out can be a useful sign of how motivated and serious someone is). A lot goes on gut feeling at interview and how the person presents themself; I can usually tell inside a minute whether they'd fit or not. Languages are a skill which is always welcome. The last three people I recruited have A-levels but no degree; the one I did take with a degree turned out to be absolutely useless. Fortunately she was a temp so we got rid of her.

studentphil

Sola wrote: »

I recruit for my team in a global investment bank, and a degree is largely irrelevant; we look for experience and a can-do attitude in preference to qualifications alone, so we rarely take anyone straight from Uni (although work experience gained while at Uni can be a useful sign of how motivated and serious someone is). A lot goes on gut feeling at interview and how the person presents themself; I can usually tell inside a minute whether they'd fit or not. Languages are a skill which is always welcome. The last three people I recruited have A-levels but no degree; the one I did take with a degree turned out to be absolutely useless. Fortunately she was a temp so we got rid of her.

Bankers to me sometimes seem right big headed and full of themselves and yet lack the reflectiveness that comes with knowing you have limits. Is that what you are looking for in the first minute then huge ego?

[Deleted User]

Apparently they will be introducing a teacher-training style qualification that lecturers will need, but as I previously said, you do not need any qualifications to be a university lecturer..

Sola, got any openings in your IT department ? I do integration/data migration...

Hereward

studentphil wrote: »

But to lecture he muct have done something like professional body exams instead of a degree.

Nope, he's qualifed by experience. AFAIK, there aren't professional bodies for Lectures.

Sola

studentphil wrote: »

Bankers to me sometimes seem right big headed and full of themselves and yet lack the reflectiveness that comes with knowing you have limits. Is that what you are looking for in the first minute then huge ego?

What do you think, you numpty? In all my years in banking, I've only met 3 people who fit your stereotype and I didn't work with any of them because they were far senior to me.

I look for practicality, creativity, a good work ethic, a solid work history, a down-to-earth sense of humour, outside interests and that extra 'spark' which is hard to define. One woman I really wanted for the team a few years back had a degree in History and had spent the previous 'year out' living in a remote village in China doing voluntary work, but she got a better offer elsewhere.

studentphil

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Apparently they will be introducing a teacher-training style qualification that lecturers will need, but as I previously said, you do not need any qualifications to be a university lecturer..

Sola, got any openings in your IT department ? I do integration/data migration...

I see, something like a teaching certificate.

Sola

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Sola, got any openings in your IT department ? I do integration/data migration...

Sadly not - our entire IT department is outsourced.

studentphil

Sola wrote: »

What do you think, you numpty? In all my years in banking, I've only met 3 people who fit your stereotype and I didn't work with any of them because they were far senior to me.

I look for practicality, creativity, a good work ethic, a solid work history, a down-to-earth sense of humour, outside interests and that extra 'spark' which is hard to define. One woman I really wanted for the team a few years back had a degree in History and had spent the previous 'year out' living in a remote village in China doing voluntary work, but she got a better offer elsewhere.

That's the sort of feeling you get from students I know who have got city jobs they are vastly over confident and really big I ams. It is nice to know that is not a reflective sample.