Do you really need a degree?
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Soldato
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When my dad got his degree, he was 1 of only 10 adults that had degrees back then. Nowadays, it's 1 out of 2 so I'm as common as muck for getting mine. This lead me to taking a different career path due to so many in my profession (electronic engineering) going for too few vacancies in that field.
But is that because they state it as an artificial requirement, or because you actually need the skills gained during a degree in order to do the job?
I think he was really asking whether a Teacher necessarily needs a degree to teach rather than a degree is require by the state to teach.....I think it depends entirely on the individual and their ability to teach a given subject or a broad range of knowledge......(as some Colleges recruit from the trades and professions etc..)
A doctor on the other hand absolutely has to have a very specific set of skills and in-depth knowledge of the their chosen field..something that can only really be gained in an academic environment.
I do think that minimum requirements for some professions/jobs are somewhat inflated these days, but that is becasue a degree is no longer as exclusive as it once was...it is becoming, amongst the younger generation at least, the standard rather than the exception. I am not sure whether that is a good thing or not tbh......
My last 3 jobs have specifically stated "Must have a good degree in maths or computing" - I have dodgy GCSE's & BTEC's in music/art.
These requirements I feel are meant to put people off who can't do maths or use computers to a high level - I passed all the tests they put me for with flying colours.
If you have good experience & are willing to demonstrate you have the skills I often go for & get jobs meant for people with qualifications - I also clearly state my qualifications (or lack of) on my C.V.
These requirements I feel are meant to put people off who can't do maths or use computers to a high level - I passed all the tests they put me for with flying colours.
If you have good experience & are willing to demonstrate you have the skills I often go for & get jobs meant for people with qualifications - I also clearly state my qualifications (or lack of) on my C.V.
Soldato
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for some stuff sure. but i hate the way a lot of the time its deemed the only reasonable way and course of life. Every one is different. My degree hasn't helped get a job at all, its more been down to me trying to find something I'm more interested in and working hard
watch these. they're brilliant talks. actually on bbc news today
watch these. they're brilliant talks. actually on bbc news today
I have a cousin who is 31 with no degree and is now a teacher in a primary school. He did some courses to get qualified although I have no idea which ones.
As previously said it depends which industry/what job you want to be in.
I wouldnt have got my job without a degree, as its a prerequisite.
As previously said it depends which industry/what job you want to be in.
I wouldnt have got my job without a degree, as its a prerequisite.
Having a degree allowed my to get a US visa and a well paying job. That is all I have to say.
My current job required me to do some travelling, and several of the visas that my company applied for on my behalf, stated that I must have a degree in order to obtain the visa and travel on business to that country.
Thats typical with the O&G industry as you need to justify why a company isn't using local workers.
KaHn
Even countries like Oz, NZ and Canada that don't explicitly require a degree, having degree makes the visa process simpler as you are likely classed as a skilled worker and in countries with a points system you get a lot of points of a degree, even more for a masters even more for Phd.
I'm doing a degree starting next year because I enjoy the topic, rather than because I really want a job out of it. If it gets me a job, then great. If it doesn't, it hasn't hurt in any way and I've done something enjoyed. It'll also mean I wont be kicking myself in later life, wishing that I had gone to university when I was younger.
Too many people go to university because it's what their friends are doing or because it's what's expected of them. I think that's the main problem with degrees now.
Too many people go to university because it's what their friends are doing or because it's what's expected of them. I think that's the main problem with degrees now.
For me, I went down the Science Degree route because I firmly believe that even if I do veer off from that degree subject, with a science background, you're more likely to be hired doing 'anything else'.
That exact scenario happened to me, got a 2:1 Bsc Pharmaceutical Science. Found it hard to get a job within the pharmaceutical field, did a summer job at a cake factory and hey presto, 2 years on and I'm a full fledge food developer - curently working in a confectionary company.
I do however, find that with work experience (even if summer job), will give you a bigger step on top of your degree to getting a job. No work experience in pharmaceutical but had it in food industry, answered all food related experience well & confident at interviews and boom, job's yours.
That exact scenario happened to me, got a 2:1 Bsc Pharmaceutical Science. Found it hard to get a job within the pharmaceutical field, did a summer job at a cake factory and hey presto, 2 years on and I'm a full fledge food developer - curently working in a confectionary company.
I do however, find that with work experience (even if summer job), will give you a bigger step on top of your degree to getting a job. No work experience in pharmaceutical but had it in food industry, answered all food related experience well & confident at interviews and boom, job's yours.
Word.
Which university/universities did you get your degrees from? For such soft subjects that is going to matter. Otherwise recruiters are going to tend to filter you down towards the middle-bottom of a pile, unfortunately.
A degree opens doors that not having a degree would bar you from. A degree lifts your career-potential 'glass ceiling'. Nowadays the job market is terrible - especially for graduates - but, like it or not, the job market is now a truly global market, and your degree (even if it doesn't count for much in the UK grad market) is valuable abroad. UK university educations are still generally considered very good according to world standards, and labour and work must follow a global demand now. It's obvious that the UK doesn't have enough room for all of its graduates to fit into the workplace - so unless you have a vocationally specific degree, a 'classic' traditional degree that shows some merit, or a degree from a top25 university... you may as well forget it. Probably not worth it then, no. Adjust your expectations, however, and look abroad.
English Literature is actually regarded as one of the hardcore academic 'traditional' subjects and is very valuable to grad-recruiters (providing you graduated from a hardcore academic university, of course). A lot of senior politicians have English degrees. More people that cross over into a career in law as solicitors/barristers have English undergrad degrees than Law LLB's. It is not on the same level as a soft-science like Psychology, with limited application. I think your impressions are a little out of touch with reality. What exactly is a 'non-subject'? University education is about academic learning; they are places of knowledge. What is a 'real subject', exactly, if things like English Literature aren't? I think you'll be surprised to know that people with undergraduate degrees in pure-sciences (e.g. Physics) are actually no more employable, statistically, than English grads. Both are statistically more employable than Architecture grads - a vocational course. So to be honest calling so-and-so a 'non-subject' is total bull.
Associate
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I think it also varies from culture to culture. I'm from a South Asian (Bangladeshi) background and if I had my way, I would have gone to university, like SOAS etc and study a subject that really peaks my interest such as Islamic Studies, Comparitive religion etc. However due to the economic demands, I needed to go into something that would bring in the cash, was pushed to do Medicine, wasnt feeling it so choose Pharmacy. At the end of the day I guess it wasnt a bad choice, I graduated a few days ago and will be starting my training/career from August and the salary post training is pretty good. I guess thats better than what most graduates have to look forward to these days, a few good friends of mine had to end up working down Tesco/Ikea as they couldn't find anything when they finished uni.
You're missing the point, though. Later in life a person with a degree will have much more mobility in changing careers or starting another job - it just opens more doors. You've given yourself to a job that you have learned as you go, which is great for practical hands-on knowledge and is great for dealing with this crappy economic climate and student financing debacle, but it will hold you back if you ever want a career-change (because there will be other people in their early/mid 30's in the same position, only with a degree). Your 4 years extra experience sounds like a lot now, and earning 25% extra with no debts must be nice (though that's not a huge proof really, earnings fluctuate according to so many factors) - but when you are 40+, what then? Most senior roles in a career path will require some sort of degree or professional qualification. Are you going to go back to school in your 30's? Get an MBA?
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Entry/acceptance rates into the good law schools for the barrister path tend to prefer non-LLB graduates, afaik., e.g. literature and philosophy grads. Something about the method of analysis and skills at rhetoric/presentation that make them more preferable to someone that has spent 3 years plugging legal theory and learning cases and statutes by rote. I did get an article up about this several months ago but I can't remember where... and my (limited) anecdotal experience with friends would tend to confirm this. My only friend that did a law-based undergrad and is doing better in the legal profession than non-law entrants is a guy who got a First in Jurisprudence from Wadham, Oxford, so I guess that's to be expected.