University

[Saysay]

Well as some of you know i had an appiontment to see a careers advisor last night, anyway shes given me some stuff to read through to help me decide what route to take, (Its looking like i'll be doing Psychology, Sociology and Criminology)..anyway, i was sat down reading the local uni magazine last night, they have a problem page (or 3) where any students current or otherwise can write in to view their feelings on Uni, i was quite shocked to discover that nearly all the letters sent in where of people saying Degrees are not worth it! Most of the peeps were basically saying that you would be better off with just the A-Level, because the financial costs of going to uni were just so high that when they had passed their degree they had to concentrate on paying back their loans which meant getting a job that did not have anything to do with their degree and for far lesser money than they had expected to receive.

Has this rung true to anybody here? Is spending all that time, effort and money REALLY worth it in the end? Are we best of just going up to A- Level Level? Any comments on this would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[silocybe]

It depends on if your hearts set on learning something that interests you , or if your banking on some shit hot job at the end . My theory is that you will get what you want if you put the effort in. Maybe these people who wrote in arent prepared to go the distance. Are you doing the course to get a specific job ? Are you a mature student ? For mature students the benefits of doing a degree are better. Learning something new is a good thing in itself. I know this isnt really helpfulll but I dont know the "ins and outs" of your sitch. But one thing I do know is that , if your determined enough you will get what you want regardless. (sound like a self help book dont I)

 

[Saysay]

It depends on if your hearts set on learning something that interests you , or if your banking on some shit hot job at the end . My theory is that you will get what you want if you put the effort in. Maybe these people who wrote in arent prepared to go the distance. Are you doing the course to get a specific job ? Are you a mature student ? For mature students the benefits of doing a degree are better. Learning something new is a good thing in itself. I know this isnt really helpfulll but I dont know the "ins and outs" of your sitch. But one thing I do know is that , if your determined enough you will get what you want regardless. (sound like a self help book dont I)

Yeah i thought that too! If you want a career in a specific job then surely after uni you would do your damn best to get that job? Its just thrown me reading all those letters. These people have been told to expect a salary of around 22K but in reality its more like 15K sometimes less!! I also have known people go for jobs only to be told they are over qualified. :S What can we do?

I'm doing Psychology because i've always been interested with the ins n outs of the human mind and how we cope with things etc etc etc, but i'm not quite sure which area to go into just yet, which, tbh won't matter i think till i've finished my OCA's and OCB's (which are GCSE's and A-Level equivalent) and yes i am a mature student, 25 this time round. EEK! Feeling old!

Thanks for your comments!

 

[silocybe]

Sometimes I get the feeling that people with Degrees think they have a Divine right to get a decent Job , just because they have one. I wouldnt let their comments in the paper discourage you , they've probably lost their motivation. I always think that working with and helping kids is a good path to follow. My brother was a youth worker in Sheffield (the more depraved areas) and he got paid really well as well as the job satisfaction. The Government ,arts council , lottery etc do alot of funding in this area so you wouldnt be out of work. Ar'kid also used to apply to get funding for projects he had thought of . This is just one area that I think is interesting , pays well and rewards , doubtless there are countless avenues to pursue !

 

[Saysay]

Sometimes I get the feeling that people with Degrees think they have a Divine right to get a decent Job , just because they have one. I wouldnt let their comments in the paper discourage you , they've probably lost their motivation. I always think that working with and helping kids is a good path to follow. My brother was a youth worker in Sheffield (the more depraved areas) and he got paid really well as well as the job satisfaction. The Government ,arts council , lottery etc do alot of funding in this area so you wouldnt be out of work. Ar'kid also used to apply to get funding for projects he had thought of . This is just one area that I think is interesting , pays well and rewards , doubtless there are countless avenues to pursue !

Aye perhaps your right, at the end of the day its a dog eat dog world, there is so much competition out there, its all about applying to the jobs and getting noticed!

 

[starsky79]

The "overqualified" factor really doesn't come into play until you hit the graduate or PhD levels -- picking a Uni can only help you get noticed better by potential employers. A lot of the larger employers already have particular schools picked out for drafting, and generally these are the ones with the better programs. Don't sell yourself short -- although a great school doesn't guarantee a great job, it just helps considerably.

 

[Saysay]

The "overqualified" factor really doesn't come into play until you hit the graduate or PhD levels -- picking a Uni can only help you get noticed better by potential employers. A lot of the larger employers already have particular schools picked out for drafting, and generally these are the ones with the better programs. Don't sell yourself short -- although a great school doesn't guarantee a great job, it just helps considerably.

Thanks for your comments!

Oh, and welcome to the board!

 

[fugjostle]

Its looking like i'll be doing Psychology, Sociology and Criminology

I did a sociology a-level and was planning on doing a degree in Psychology. I was warned off by my careers advisor because its quite heavy on the mathematics side. Lots of statisical analysis etc. He said you have to be pretty good on the Maths side so I shyed away.

Has this rung true to anybody here? Is spending all that time, effort and money REALLY worth it in the end? Are we best of just going up to A- Level Level?

If you want a corporate job or a big bucks job then you'll need a degree. Look on the jobs sites and its rare that you'll find one that doesn't have a degree as a pre-requiste. If you've worked in a certain field for a long time then its not so important but if you want to break in to the field then a degree is a must. The degree isn't that valuable because lots of people have them but its a good method of sorting people into two piles. If you want to do a degree that your planning to do then I reckon its the only way into those fields otherwise you'll be stuck at the bottom of the pile of those respective fields.

The thing with Uni is that it could be the best years of your life... if you live away that is. If you get a job while studying then you'll be OK. There is a debt associated with it but the idea is that your first job is in the 20-30k region and you should be able to pay it off no problem.

Its an experience that I don't think anyone should miss out on. Live away in halls then move into a house with fellow students in the 2nd year and you'll have an experience that you'll never forget.

I spent most of my time at Uni partying and because all your peers are in the same boat then you don't feel sh*t because your skint, cause everyone is. I attended 3 or 4 lectures in my third year and spent the rest of it hungover. Glad to be earning money now but I do miss the freedom and fun I had at Uni.

Just my 2 euro's,
f.

 

[Miss C]

are you sure you want to pursue all 3 subjects? in my honest opinion, psychology and criminology would be great (so long as you degree is accredited by the appropriate boards in either area so that you can get a job with it afterwards), and they would be worth spending the money on, ad you will make it back working in those areas, but unless you're doing sociology purely out of interest, or want to go into teaching it, i'd concentrate on the other two so that theres more chance of your degree being recognised by the relevant boards ~(as most of the time when you split degrees they become less valid in their individual areas.) but you know what ur interested in so no need to listen to me. i did sociology at a/s level and although its great fun theres not much you can do with it at all, in which case, it might prove a bit of a waste of money. have you found a uni that will let you combine all three subj's?

but aside from that, go for the degree!! dont be put off by the cost, you will make the money back, and there are loads of ppl in the same boat. you cant hold back, its obvious how interested in psychology you are, its a life experience not to be missed out on. you dont wanna look back when you're older wishing you had gone for the dream that you didnt. you have to pursue your interests or else what is life for?!!! go for it i say and push yourself, learning is so fulfilling, especially when your as interested in the subjects as you are!

 

[Saysay]

I did a sociology a-level and was planning on doing a degree in Psychology. I was warned off by my careers advisor because its quite heavy on the mathematics side. Lots of statisical analysis etc. He said you have to be pretty good on the Maths side so I shyed away.



If you want a corporate job or a big bucks job then you'll need a degree. Look on the jobs sites and its rare that you'll find one that doesn't have a degree as a pre-requiste. If you've worked in a certain field for a long time then its not so important but if you want to break in to the field then a degree is a must. The degree isn't that valuable because lots of people have them but its a good method of sorting people into two piles. If you want to do a degree that your planning to do then I reckon its the only way into those fields otherwise you'll be stuck at the bottom of the pile of those respective fields.

The thing with Uni is that it could be the best years of your life... if you live away that is. If you get a job while studying then you'll be OK. There is a debt associated with it but the idea is that your first job is in the 20-30k region and you should be able to pay it off no problem.

Its an experience that I don't think anyone should miss out on. Live away in halls then move into a house with fellow students in the 2nd year and you'll have an experience that you'll never forget.

I spent most of my time at Uni partying and because all your peers are in the same boat then you don't feel sh*t because your skint, cause everyone is. I attended 3 or 4 lectures in my third year and spent the rest of it hungover. Glad to be earning money now but I do miss the freedom and fun I had at Uni.

Just my 2 euro's,
f.

Cheers Fuggy!

Lol, theres no chance of me living at the uni, i have a Daughter, fiance and house to look after! lolol

When i went to the careers advisor she told me i'd need maths skills, lol i just froze, i did shite at school with maths, so i'd have to take GCSE maths up at some point aswell if i wanted to get into uni. EEK! Tbh though its the cost of uni that puts me off alot, i really don't know if i could afford it, or wheather i want a huge debt like that looming over me for years.

 

[Saysay]

are you sure you want to pursue all 3 subjects? in my honest opinion, psychology and criminology would be great (so long as you degree is accredited by the appropriate boards in either area so that you can get a job with it afterwards), and they would be worth spending the money on, ad you will make it back working in those areas, but unless you're doing sociology purely out of interest, or want to go into teaching it, i'd concentrate on the other two so that theres more chance of your degree being recognised by the relevant boards ~(as most of the time when you split degrees they become less valid in their individual areas.) but you know what ur interested in so no need to listen to me. i did sociology at a/s level and although its great fun theres not much you can do with it at all, in which case, it might prove a bit of a waste of money. have you found a uni that will let you combine all three subj's?

but aside from that, go for the degree!! dont be put off by the cost, you will make the money back, and there are loads of ppl in the same boat. you cant hold back, its obvious how interested in psychology you are, its a life experience not to be missed out on. you dont wanna look back when you're older wishing you had gone for the dream that you didnt. you have to pursue your interests or else what is life for?!!! go for it i say and push yourself, learning is so fulfilling, especially when your as interested in the subjects as you are!

Thanks Miss C for your advice!

Tbh im not that bothered about Sociology, but because i'll be doing a free Access Course with the college i have to take up three courses, those are the three that are together, when i have passed the GCSE level on all three i can then drop one subject to concentrate on the other two. Then by the time i have hopefully passed A- Level on the two i can then concentrate on just one if i wanted, or sod the lot and start at GCSE level on 3 other subjects, lol its all free! Its psychology that im mainly interested in although criminology does sound interesting aswell, and theres plenty of jobs to do with that knocking around. I suppose i've got nothing to loose this early on as the courses are free, so i'm gonna try them and see what i really think when there put into practise, perhaps after finishing all college courses i may have a clearer view on wheather uni is right for me or not!