Graduated with a 1st, no job

Garee said:
Surely with proper time management and effort a first is obtainable for everyone? I find it dissapointing that some people regard those with a first as having no personality.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say everyone, but a lot of people could get a first. Problem is how much would you have to give up to achieve it and would it be worth it?

I know people on my course (engineering) who made significant sacrifices in order to guarantee a 1st (most notably not doing any extra curricular activities).

Personally I went for the other route and got a 2:1 but played rugby, was on the rugby committee as well as other society committees at university. I think it made me a more rounded and better person as I couldn't have done those activities whilst guaranteeing a 1st - deffo looked better on my CV and gave me something to talk about outside uni work!!

I will admit it depends on the course, I'm sure a 1st in some subjects is easier to get than in others.
 
Garee said:
Surely with proper time management and effort a first is obtainable for everyone?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily.

Some people may not have the mental ability to understand a concept/idea or have the exam technique, to be able to score enough points to get a high grade.

I admit though, time management and commitment/effort to your degree is a huge factor in your final degree grade.
 
Garee said:
I have heard this from a few people now. Can you explain why?
Click to expand...

I got a 2.1, but employers want a well rounded person, not a recluse who studies all the time - how much fun would they be at client meetings and to share an office with? The three things I would say are important are grade, relevant work experience and key skillsets.

Getting work experience in the summer has payed off massively for me.

I cant complain, I think only 1 guy from my course is on a higher salary (for BP).
 
Nice stereotyping going down in this thread. If it makes you feel better about your inability to get a first you can blame what you like I guess.
 
Garee said:
Surely with proper time management and effort a first is obtainable for everyone? I find it dissapointing that some people regard those with a first as having no personality.
Click to expand...

Depends on the degree course. A First in chemistry, for example, certainly isn't obtainable for everyone.
 
KaHn said:
Loves it from what he's spoke about.

KaHn
Click to expand...

From reading their graduate careers website it does look good! Would consider applying if they were open to applications, may wait a few weeks and see.
 
Myshra said:
Nice stereotyping going down in this thread. If it makes you feel better about your inability to get a first you can blame what you like I guess.
Click to expand...

I didn't get a first because I didn't try to get one because of the immense amount of time and effort it would require, rather than not having the intrinsic intelligence to do so. A 1st is just as much about putting in the hard graft and leaving no stone unturned as it is understanding concepts etc.

I'm not trying to knock getting a 1st, it's a very impressive and commendable achievement getting 70%+ (especially in a hard subject) - I just decided to settle for a 2:1 and do more things outside of studying.

Each to their own :).
 
alx said:
I didn't get a first because I didn't try to get one because of the immense amount of time and effort it would require, rather than not having the intrinsic intelligence to do so.

I'm not trying to knock getting a 1st, it's a very impressive and commendable achievement getting 70%+ (especially in a hard subject) - I just decided to settle for a 2:1 and do more things outside of studying.

Call it lazy or whatever, seemed to work for me :).
Click to expand...

I'm not sure it takes that much more than a 2:1, its only 10% at the end of the day. I was aiming for a 2:1 but snuck into a first through luck really. If First was like 85%+ I would agree though.
 
Rockitt5 said:
I did a Masters in Elec Eng with nanotechnology (although really every specialisation route was the same)
Click to expand...

You have a first class Masters Degree? I doubt that very much.

If you decide to use this troll again, remember that postgraduate degrees are not classified in the same way as undergraduate degrees. A first class Masters degree is a fallacy.
 
Morlock said:
You have a first class Masters Degree? I doubt that very much.

If you decide to use this troll again, remember that postgraduate degrees are not classified in the same way as undergraduate degrees. A first class Masters degree is a fallacy.
Click to expand...

You can do a masters undergraduate degree to receive a graded classification. I should know, I have one :p
 
Morlock said:
You have a first class Masters Degree? I doubt that very much.

If you decide to use this troll again, remember that postgraduate degrees are not classified in the same way as undergraduate degrees. A first class Masters degree is a fallacy.
Click to expand...

Wrong! Engineering is different. You essentially tack an extra year onto a bachelors (BEng) and you get a masters (MEng) which has all the same classifications. I have a 2:1 MEng.
 
chaosdestro0 said:
I think this guy is right,isn't it that most Eng students do a masters?
Click to expand...

They probably do nowadays if they want to stand a better chance getting a job (or spend another year drinking on a loan), but in my day most just did the BEng.

Oh well since I'm in the thread now...

OP, as you finally seem to have identified, it's nothing other than your own negative attitude holding you back, though with all due respect I might add laziness to lack of self esteem. Sort that out pronto and get applying for jobs! What's this bizarre fear of commitment? Why do you think you'd be signing your soul away for life by just getting a job? There is nothing stopping you looking for another job the day you start working if that takes your fancy. And all these bizarre justifications for not applying for anything - 'I'll be up against someone who might have done a module in whatever specific subject the job is in blah blah'. Aaarrghhhhh! You're your own worst enemy - stop thinking of stupid reasons for inaction and despair. Many graduate schemes will accept a whole bunch of various science/engineering degrees, for example. You have done a degree - you've scraped the tip of the iceberg of a great many subjects. You are not specialised and stuck down a narrow career path you can apply for anything.

My degree was also electrical, I then spend a good few slightly aimless years trying to erase that mistake (oops maybe not what you want to hear :p:)) and am now a mechanical engineer in oil & gas (hello fellow industry-folk KaHn and AD :)). My point is the world is still your oyster so go out and grab it.

Oil & Gas is where the most money is in engineering (woo hoo), but probably less call for sparkies - I'm not sure. We're certainly absolutely desperate for engineers. You didn't choose engineering to get rich though, did you? Mistake :p. Aerospace is good too and electronics and nanotech is very relavent there (and in automotive aswel) - at my last place I was involved in projects looking at adding nanoparticles to lubricants, hydraulic fluids, chrome replacement coatings etc etc. There are literally hundreds of companies you should be knocking on the doors of, so get out and do it.
 
Liampope said:
Wrong! Engineering is different. You essentially tack an extra year onto a bachelors (BEng) and you get a masters (MEng) which has all the same classifications. I have a 2:1 MEng.
Click to expand...

I did an undergraduate MEng and was graded Merit. They're not all the same.:)
 
Personally I think this CR*p about having a 2.1 makes u more employable because your a more 'normal' person is a myth. They work this sort of stuff out during your interview.

The only occasion where they won't give you an interview is when they think your over qualified which can be a problem. But generally a first gives you better prospects once you're on a professional career ladder. Also with the sheer number of people going to uni these days, a first helps you stand out beyond the crowd.

I love how people try to validate their achievements.
 
Not read all the posts but bear in mind you don't pay tax, council tax, student loans or anything like that when you do a phd.

Your take home wage will look pretty similar to most graduate schemes.
 
Chris1712 said:
I'm not sure it takes that much more than a 2:1, its only 10% at the end of the day. I was aiming for a 2:1 but snuck into a first through luck really. If First was like 85%+ I would agree though.
Click to expand...

Getting the odd 70%+ mark isn't hard, it's doing it consistently that's hard. Also, you never really know when a piece of work is 70%+ because you don't have the mark scheme, so you always have to put that extra effort in to guarantee the grade.

You also can't really relax so to speak because one slip up and a 60% and you need an 80% to make up for it. Obviously I'm speaking from experience of an engineering degree where getting a 1st is fairly impressive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom