400,000 graduate jobs

bottletop · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:29

The whole idea of tertiary education for all is a joke. The whole point of a degree/PhD was that the top 5-10% intelligent people could study specialised, intellecutally demanding subjects and were then employed, for example, in scientific discovery or in the design of complex engineering.

Nowadays armies of graduates are finding their degrees in media studies are pretty much worthless...less than worthless in fact as they've paid for the privelage in course fees and student loans, only to end up in a call centre or macdonalds on minimum wage. It has kept them out of the unemployment numbers for 3 years though which suits Labour just fine.

Pretty disgraceful of Labour really, and the only solution I can see is for the govt to publish lists of "required skills with a current shortage of graduates" and allow undergraduates fee-free study and even cash payments to study those degrees. This would be paid by even higher fees in non-required positions - the ones students seem to want to take these days, but that business or society actually has no need of in such numbers.

hopefully that would dissuade people doing interior design degrees and encourage more engineering etc.

Jamesdavid3 · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:31

you just have to laught at all these uni students who think it was better to goto uni. None of them will get jobs which they would like to do.

WillyNelson · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:33

int said:
These days everyone and their mum has a bachelors degree, you need more than that for a decent job.

I haven't got a bachelor's degree, or any kind of degree for that matter, and I have a decent, professional job. It's taken me 5 years and a lot of hard work to get here and, personally, I'm a lot better off than if I'd gone to university.

One of the things a shiny new degree can't make up for is practical experience. All you new graduates looking for jobs in a competitive market place are going to be up against guys with 5 or so years on the job experience who have a proven track record. If you're struggling to secure a job at your chosen level, amybe drop down a rung for a short while to gain the experience and you may find things easier after that.

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:34

Of course unemployed graduates is on the increase with crap degrees in crap subjects.

Such as media studies or criminology at somewhere laughable like Lincoln.

EDIT: The average college in Burton upon trent (in staffordshire) is now a University - None of the graduates will get any sort of graduate job.

aayzof · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:34

-Ad- · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:43

Nzyme said:
Im on course for a first class masters in mechanical engineering and have over 360 UCAS points and am yet to find a job after 5 months of searching so far

Stop lieing or try harder

Maybe look at getting some experience locally in the holiday, it all helps on your cv. I left uni and had some temp jobs for a bit. Applied to a grad scheme in London working on the underground and got in. I narrowly missed a 2.1, but with it being an MEng it didn't really matter. Far too many mech eng grads with only a BEng out there, which means a lot of effort to get chartered, or jsut stick with going for IEng.

OpenToSuggestions · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:47

Nzyme said:
Im on course for a first class masters in mechanical engineering and have over 360 UCAS points and am yet to find a job after 5 months of searching so far

Where you studying at?

Nzyme · 13 Jan 2009 at 16:55

mglover070588 said:
Where you studying at?

Sheffield

Waiting to hear from ARUP and Atkins after having interviews

Nix · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:06

Well, I certainly haven't seen this biased debate before.

Stefnay · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:07

I was a at college/uni for 6 years, studying Computers, Multimedia a course which was a waste of time but did lead me to join degree course for graphic design, which I loved and specialised in illustration, I can say with no ego I’m really good at it but getting a job in the industry is near impossible, as 30+ people are applying for the same job and have more experience.

Even finding a job where I don’t get paid for the work is extremely hard as people are far too busy and don’t want to take the time out to help you out.
The university wasn’t much help either didn’t point me in the right direction or give many tips on how to improve my chances of even getting an interview.

Part of me wished I never bothered with it but I did enjoy it and made some good friends but even though I’m working as a builder now and probably won’t ever get a job as illustrator. Oh well...that’s life.

Azagoth · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:10

Not fair! I graduated back in '95 and didn't have all this help to get into work.

SKILL · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:11

I think the problem consists of a few different things, you've got the massive rise in graduates at all, a lot of which are doing frankly worthless degrees's, but on top of that you've also got the rise in unemployment over the last few months, most of whom whill be scrabbling around trying to find a new job due to having bills to pay.

If you were interviewing for a position and you had candidate a, who as an example has a relevant 2:1 or higher degree, and maybe a placement year as experience if you're really lucky. On the other hand you've got a guy, recently made redundant, with several years real world experience (and maybe even a degree as well) under his belt, this guy is also willing to accept slightly less as he basically needs *a* job, whilst the graduate still has idea's of grandeur and wants high pay for basically an inexperienced trainee...

Personally I did a degree relevant to what I wanted to do (although maybe I don't now but that's a seperate problem

), did a placement year who were initially going to offer me a job but then couldn't employ me at the last minute (end of april last year), spent 2-3 weeks looking for jobs and having my cv on monster and after 2 interviews (with 2 more potential interviews in the wings) I got offered 2 jobs, took the one that sounded the most interesting.

Can't see why anyone with a decent/relevant degree (of any classification really) should struggle to find a job from may/june time last year, unless they have unrealistically high expectations as to wage...

MikeHunt79 · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:17

Stefnay said:
Part of me wished I never bothered with it but I did enjoy it and made some good friends but even though I’m working as a builder now and probably won’t ever get a job as illustrator. Oh well...that’s life.

Have you thought about going free-lance? I'm not sure if this is an option for you? Even build up some sort of portfolio in the evenings?

I'm sort of in a similar situation, I did Audio Tech at Uni, I've found trying to to get Sound Engineer jobs to be difficult to say the least... I'm now looking into starting my own PA hire company, but running your own business requires a lot of extra skills (budgeting, marketing, etc.) which I'm clueless about.

Deleted member 651465 · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:18

Depends what degree, and what University.

All well and good having a maths degree from Oxford but if you're lumbered with a "film and screen" degree from a low-ranking Uni then you're up Dawson's Creek with no paddle.

Stretch · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:21

Gilly said:
More than being a product of the downturn, this is, IMO, a product of **** and ****-easy degrees in stuff that won't allow anyone to move into any kind of career. In addition, too many people going for the same thing and avoiding 'proper' degrees.

There may also be a kind of snobbery too. People no better than manual work deciding they don't want to do it, and want to do something 'better' when they're not good enough to make it.

There have been plenty who haven't been "good enough to make it" in the past, but have sailed through into "better" jobs with relative easy. I think the problems now are a little more severe that you are tying to make out. Do you have a degree?

aayzof · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:25

Lord_Kokain · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:26

I got 300 UCAS points(340 with my 4th A level which I did on my own and quite badly) and finished with 2:1. Six months on,I am yet to see a solid point from my academic education(I find it easy to secure non-degree jobs but thats about it). My experience in terms of various part and full times jobs has been on since I was 17 so I definitely dont consider myself lacking the taste of "real life work". Nevertheless, most times I applied for a graduate job, it felt as I was aiming too high or something along the lines.

Anyway, could be the economy, could be me(or both) but people that just finish uni better have a job at the side to pay the bills cauz they might be on for a looooong wait when it comes to following the whole process of graduate job selection.

aayzof · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:38

Nzyme · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:41

If your getting to the assessment centres your obviously doing something right and they obviously like what they are initially seeing

fastwunz · 13 Jan 2009 at 17:42

1ST Degree from Nottingham Trent University in Building Surveying. Find me a damn graduation position and ill eat my own face.

400,000 graduate jobs

Deleted member 651465

Deleted member 651465