Agree with this, also I think the University experience is a positive one on a personal and societal level, people can have a too bleak view of education sometimes just seeing it as purely a means to a job and an income. I do think that University shouldn't be seen as the only option available when leaving school though and people shouldn't just do a degree for the sake of it

Well it depends. Some careers, obviously, you can't even start without a degree. Other positions are "graduate only" with any degree. For example, my degree was pretty useless when I graduated and had no practical experience to back it up. I didn't need one to start at the company I'm at now and just learned on the job up to manager. But now that I have management experience too, there are possibilities for moving into other management roles that require both a degree and management experience to even apply, that I couldn't have gotten when I had no experience, but likewise couldn't get now if I didn't have a degree...

Hmmmm.

Basically if I was to apply for one of these positions, I suspect my experience would be my selling point and more relevant to actually doing the job, but having a degree is a prerequisite to applying at all.

Then again, there are a lot of things that have come very easily to me in my current job that others at the same management level struggle with. Writing up reports, spreadsheets and stats, actually understanding how the business and the industry works on a deeper level, even just how to communicate efficiently and professionally. All things I'd been doing for years coming out of University.

Tl;dr it's been useful to me even though my starting position wasn't graduate employment, and even though most people at my level in the company don't have a degree.

My degree's been worth quite a lot. I suppose the only way to evaluate it is how well you use it once you've got it.

It depends on the degree.

I'd say, if you're still unemployed five years after you graduate then you've probably wasted your time.

I don't know, depends if the person is being fussy. I knew a guy who got a 1st in something Music related from Oxford... he was then unemployed for something like 7 years (living off mum & dad, not the state) even though he had not only had employment opportunities - but plenty of GRADUATE employment opportunities - but turned them all down because they weren't "music related".

The flipside of the "idle benefits folk" is that there are plenty of silver spoon / trust fund kiddies who get good degrees but when it comes down to it, don't actually want to work, and already have money. You just don't hear as much about those because they are funded by their families rather than by the state.

Not having a related job after 7 years would suggest to me he picked the wrong degree or just wasn't good enough in his area. And like you say, a good degree opens up opportunities in lots of areas, I've had a couple of great jobs that haven't been law-related. I suppose as a taxpayer I don't care so much about idle people who fund themselves because I'm not ultimately paying for them through taxation. And the idle rich are pretty unemployable anyway in my experience.

I guess you have to ask yoiurself why are you doing it.

ie does the profession you wish to enter require it?

If you are just avoiding work, or for the social life, to meet new people etc then dont bother and get a job

How did I know the debate would flip to benefits? Not even graduates can remain on job seekers allowance indefinitely, so the illusion that there's hoards of people clutching a degree sat on benefits is a nonsense.

Now now Kizzy, anyroad you smell of air freshener


:hehe:

I'd rather that than bullplop LT :laugh:

I thought the whole idea of getting a degree was to get a career in the area of your choosing and of your talents. If people get a degree then don't work for years, why is that not allowed to be included in the discussion, I wonder? Seems pretty relevant to me.

It was included in the discussion, except that example isn't representative of students as a whole, the discussion is being led in a particular direction, I don't believe students enter into a degree with the intention to not use that degree.

don't rush to uni, either work a few years or travel a bit before deciding..geta feel for working and a better understanding of yourself and your passions etc which in turn leads to your career and chosen degree...then pick a degree that leads specifically to a career....do not bother with sociology or some vague nonsense and pls do not study a degree in david beckham, yes it does actually exist. theres nothing in it just like that vapid boring walking billboard of a man

I wish I'd gone travelling, worked a little bit and THEN thought about going to uni; it just feels like I wasted 5 years that could have been better spent elsewhere. I don't regret going to uni and I love all the friends I made and the things I learned but I do wish somebody had sat me down when I was 16 and told me to look past what my school was drilling into my head every day and see the bigger picture.

I went off and worked for 3 years before going to uni.

But that's because originally I didn't want a degree and then after a while realised a degree was the best option for the career path I wanted.