400,000 graduate jobs

[Kemik]

Who wants to work for the big four though?

What's wrong with the Big Four? I don't see any of the graduates moaning who wanted to go in to IBs to find there aren't any jobs. I'd rather get a great wage and work 9 til 5 than a fantastic wage and work 16 hour days.

Some people seem to have the impression that the Big Four are just audit, checking numbers. KPMG have one of the best Corporate Finance departments around.

It's a bit pointless - you don't need it to get an ACA training contract as the firms will take anyone with a good degree and train them up, so it makes me wonder why you'd bother.

Yes they will, but the accounting degree gives you a big benefit. I feel sorry for the people who need to start from the beginning. Exemptions for me will help me loads. I have to learn the CA (ICAS) modules and CTA (CIOT).

I'm personally hoping to use secondments to get in to CF, try it out and if I can live with the work life balance, try and transfer.

They're cutting graduate jobs too. Loads of good, quality, students on my course are getting turned down at the application stage for the Big Four. I'm just glad I done an internship. Even then I had to fight against someone who done an internship the year before and took a year out.

 

[DB_SamX]

You speak form experience?

Not from experience of being an architect but from that of having a qualification in it as well as engineering and being familiar with the industry.

A few of my uni peers went on to work as architects whereas the majority went into structural engineering, like me. My arch tutor who taught me at uni is local, so I've actually been employed by him oddly to work alongside him, been to his practice, socialised. So generally, I am in touch with friends/colleagues who are on the other side. There are perks but it's not as glamourous as it appears when you keep seeing architects' names in papers aand working in exotic countries all the time.

 

[Vixen]

[TW]Fox is correct. Most large institutions place UCAS point requirements in the region of 300-320 on job roles and some even insist on at least an A in GCSE Maths.

I don't get this whole 300 Ucas points as a base, I looked up an online calculator and I've got over over 600 from 5th and 6th year, almost 900 if I include my standard grades. Is 300 a really small amount, or am I missing something?

 

[DB_SamX]

energy, oil and gas the things that people always need and can't afford to stop buying, making, selling etc

I am not sure that recession-proof is the correct term but yes, they do fare better it seems. Our parent company, which is from Scandivania and deal in energy and renewables mainly, are still turning healthy profits. Atm, even high profile engineering companies are having trouble and laying off staff: Arup comes to mind based on the last few days.

 

[Strife212]

I don't get this whole 300 Ucas points as a base, I looked up an online calculator and I've got over over 600 from 5th and 6th year, almost 900 if I include my standard grades. Is 300 a really small amount, or am I missing something?

I'm sorry but I don't believe you

That's 8 full A levels at A grade? What qualifications did you do?

 

[Vixen]

I am not sure that recession-proof is the correct term but yes, they do fare better it seems. Our parent company, which is from Scandivania and deal in energy and renewables mainly, are still turning healthy profits. Atm, even high profile engineering companies are having trouble and laying off staff: Arup comes to mind based on the last few days.

There are certainly some companies who aren't affected at all. My boyfriend is currently working in the oil and gas industry, and his company is expecting to expand and increase profits this year.

EDIT: Strife, I'm Scottish, I didn't do any A levels. I did 6 highers, 2 advanced highers and 8 standard grades. Apparantly music grades count now too, so I've another 45 from that.

 

[rsatd]

Whats a recession proof sector?

Digital TV (engineering side of it at least), we got plenty of work while expanding current and getting new office. Not saying its "recession proof" but it doesn't seem to be that much in decline at all.

 

[Lord_Kokain]

I don't get this whole 300 Ucas points as a base, I looked up an online calculator and I've got over over 600 from 5th and 6th year, almost 900 if I include my standard grades. Is 300 a really small amount, or am I missing something?

You are certainly missing something. 300 UCAS points is the equivalent of 3 A levels at grade B so 360(3 A's) would be the maximum, unless of course someone does a 4th A level to boost competitiveness(as I tried to do).

 

[RandomTom]

Vixen you're definitely adding up wrong. If you did 3 A levels and 1 AS and got Bs in all of them, that's 100,100,100 + 50 = 350.

So this base of 300 is equivalent to 3Bs at A level and nothing else, I got ABD (shameful) and an E at AS so 120,100,60 + 20 = 300. Shameful

 

[Vixen]

You are certainly missing something. 300 UCAS points is the equivalent of 3 A levels at grade B so 360(3 A's) would be the maximum, unless of course someone does a 4th A level to boost competitiveness(as I tried to do).

Are A-levels over one year? I thought you did two years of school after gcse, so what happens to the other year? It seems really odd that we can get over 700 points in two years if you can only get 360.

EDIT: RandomTom, look it up. Higher A = 72, B = 60, Advanced Higher B = 100. I've got 5As and a B at higher and 2Bs at advanced.

 

[Kemik]

So this base of 300 is equivalent to 3Bs at A level and nothing else, I got ABD (shameful) and an E at AS so 120,100,60 + 20 = 300. Shameful

The good and bad news is that most don't count a 4th A level when working out the points in my experience. I don't even include the AS maths grade D that I got on my CV.

Not sure how I only got an D, I managed to get 84% in my first year quantitative methods for financial accounting exam.

 

[lemonkettaz]

Well am I screwed then?

I only did a BTEC National Certificate at college which ended up being Distinction Merit.. which i think is little over 200points..

 

[rsatd]

Well am I screwed then?

I only did a BTEC National Certificate at college which ended up being Distinction Merit.. which i think is little over 200points..

Depends what you going for, none of the places I applied for work mentioned anything about UCAS points. Don't think they looked at my A level grades as they are horrible.

 

[Kemik]

Are A-levels over one year? I thought you did two years of school after gcse, so what happens to the other year? It seems really odd that we can get over 700 points in two years if you can only get 360.

EDIT: RandomTom, look it up. Higher A = 72, B = 60, Advanced Higher B = 100. I've got 5As and a B at higher and 2Bs at advanced.

Doesn't the Scot system work differently?

With the England and Wales A level system most students do 4 AS levels (half an A level) then drop one or continue with 4 so you end up with 3 or 4 A levels.

 

[lemonkettaz]

My educational background is messed up,

Im in engineering now and thats where I want to be, I just hope they dont consider my previous educational history because its all over the place.. music to computing

 

[Vixen]

Doesn't the Scot system work differently?

With the England and Wales A level system most students do 4 AS levels (half an A level) then drop one or continue with 4 so you end up with 3 or 4 A levels.

Our 5th year is totally separate from 6th year. You can do Advanced Highers, but university places are given based on Highers in 5th year, so it's really just a way to waste a year.

 

[rsatd]

My educational background is messed up,

Im in engineering now and thats where I want to be, I just hope they dont consider my previous educational history because its all over the place.. music to computing

My current and previous(placement year) employer didn't seem to care much, as my A's are rubbish, and the only one I got more then a C in was an A* in a language that I spoke fluently, as you do .

At least in the sector I am in, years of experience far outweighs your "educational" achievements.

 

[Spike560]

EDIT: RandomTom, look it up. Higher A = 72, B = 60, Advanced Higher B = 100. I've got 5As and a B at higher and 2Bs at advanced.

Are the two Bs at advanced followed on from the highers?

If so, you cannot count the highers as well. So I would guess your total would be:

100 * 2 = 200 (2 Advanced Highers at B)
3 * 72 = 216 (3 Highers not taken to the advanced level at A)
1 * 60 = 60 (1 Higher not taken to the advanced level at B)

Total: 476


Also, they might not count softer subjects such as "General Studies" etc...

 

[rsatd]

Also, they might not count softer subjects such as "General Studies" etc...

Never bothered to list it on my cv

 

[gonda]

Our 5th year is totally separate from 6th year. You can do Advanced Highers, but university places are given based on Highers in 5th year, so it's really just a way to waste a year.

I think the Scottish system does work differently, in England if you complete your A levels, you dont get any UCAS points for your 1st year of 6th form, only for the full 2 years, and therefore your 3/4 fully completed A levels.

In some cases if you did complete your AS year in a subject, and then didnt carry it on in 2nd year, I think uni's might take your result/the points into account.