Graduating is scary

[lifelessfool]

Yesterday I handed in my final essay and life has become well scary! I'm currently weighing up working full time or doing a masters,do you think its worth doing masters? I hopefully am about to graduate with a politics degree, which whilst being a lovely thing to study it doesn't seem applicable to many jobs. So a masters seems like a good thing, maybe human rights or environmental governance, my mum and dad said they'd put a bit towards it and that. But does anyone have any experience as to whether its really economically viable? I do want to do it more for the education benefits that economic ones, but I can hardly justify 6k to learn at the moment. The alternative however seems for me to end up being a supervisor in a call centre...

[lifelessfool]

I say that because I work at a call centre and they offered me the position.....

Thats what my parents say but stuff like that doesn't interest me and it would be a shame to give up on studying politics, which is something that really interests me. it's a shame that its so hard to justify doing a masters now they have hiked the prices up, which I guess will only increase as the years go on.

[lharris92]

I say that because I work at a call centre and they offered me the position.....

Thats what my parents say but stuff like that doesn't interest me and it would be a shame to give up on studying politics, which is something that really interests me. it's a shame that its so hard to justify doing a masters now they have hiked the prices up, which I guess will only increase as the years go on.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I think a lot of people are in the same boat with reference to a masters. I need one myself for the career progression I want and the cost has doubled this year. 6k is a lot of cash to find especially as Career Development Loans are still set at 10k.

If I was you I

would take the supervisory sold and study for a masters part time, maybe look at a masters by research? A masters in an area you want to really work in with work experience in a supervisory role is really going to give you a leg up.

[eFestivals]

Yesterday I handed in my final essay and life has become well scary! I'm currently weighing up working full time or doing a masters,do you think its worth doing masters?

Once upon a time, having a degree meant something as it made that person stand out from the rest. Now that nearly everyone has a degree the only way to stand out is by having a higher qualification.

Despite all the govt promises about how a greater number with degrees would be good for Britain and it's economy, there is no measurable effect from a greater number of degrees. All it's done is meant that jobs which used to function perfectly well with people without degrees now ask for people with degrees simply because they can get them at the same price.

It's all been a scam to hide the fact that employment opportunities are shrinking (because the rich are stealing all the money and with it the chances of jobs) - and which is now being hugely exposed by the fact of 21%+ youth unemployment despite the fact that over 50% of people aged 16-21 are in full-time education.

Education is great for education's sake, but it's daft to think that it's anything more personally beneficial than that unless you have a qualie that is able to distinguish you from the rest, which a degree doesn't do. Analysis of the numbers is suggesting that those who are qualifying now (before the increase in fees) will put less money into their pocket in their lifetime than someone with the same capabilities would do who started work at 16 - but it's going to be a few years until that's able to be proven.

Edited March 23, 2012 by eFestivals

[Purple Monkey]

Educational institutions becoming a default pipeline into industrial interests is where it all went wrong.

We're now in a situation where employers are binning off CV's that don't come from graduates just to quickly whittle down the applicants to a more manageable level, even for the most basic of jobs.

It's absolutely mental. As a result we now have gross incompetence as people who are no longer filling roles which they qualified for instead fill roles just because they're all they can get. Professionalism goes into the toilet as self-worth gets destroyed and it backfires on absolutely everybody because nothing is being done by someone qualified to do it, they're either under-qualified in skilled roles or grossly overqualified for menial work and are bored senseless as their education completely betrays the mind numbing duties they've landed.

We're turning into a society of complete misfits. It's becoming rare to see someone in a role they actually wanted to do, are qualified to do and are satisfied with what they do. What a clusterfuck.

Edited March 23, 2012 by Purple Monkey

[lifelessfool]

I think a lot of people are in the same boat with reference to a masters. I need one myself for the career progression I want and the cost has doubled this year. 6k is a lot of cash to find especially as Career Development Loans are still set at 10k.

If I was you I

would take the supervisory sold and study for a masters part time, maybe look at a masters by research? A masters in an area you want to really work in with work experience in a supervisory role is really going to give you a leg up.

[grumpyhack]

My daughter did a Politics Degree, couldn't get work so did a Masters in International Development - and still couldn't get work.

She's now embarked on a Nursing Degree where, hopefully, she will at least end up with work-related skills.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Thanks for the decent advise I hadn't even considered a part time masters, I think I will take up the position and work full time for a year just so I can clear my head and really work out what course I want to do, I made the mistake of studying ICT for my first year in a rush decision and hated every moment of it! I think I vaguely remember you asking for advice for your daughter for university maybe? Did she end up going?

[lifelessfool]

I still don't get the point in studying politics at Uni... Surely it something you can get books on and read about at home...

I have lots of interests I am happily pressing on with without the aid of university... and the bill that follows...

Just seems a waste of time... I hope the current young ones are reading stuff like this and realising the pit falls and how pointless it is.

Study science! or something of use to us!

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Only the other week it was announced at my uni, the humanities library will be shrunk in order to see the business building develop.

While I have nothing against humanities the above would seem to be a logical decision in a depressed market. The country need to be able to compete with other countries and develop new markets. We seem to be sliding down the pan and if we don't act then were screwed. Never mind China, the African nations are getting their act together now. Without investment in business we'll be relegated. Then they'll be even less scope for humanities and the arts to flourish.

[The Nal]

If I were you I'd just fuck off to Thailand and do a load of mushrooms for a year or two and listen to Pink Floyd.

Fuck all going on in this neck of the woods.

[kaosmark2]

But is business at university really the best way to invest in it? Aren't most successful businessmen people who either work from 16, or people who have done some other subject like Maths before going into business?

[The Nal]

But is business at university really the best way to invest in it? Aren't most successful businessmen people who either work from 16, or people who have done some other subject like Maths before going into business?

Edited March 23, 2012 by The Nal

[kaosmark2]

Depends what you mean by "businessmen".

A lot of places wont employ you without x qualification. Google for example wont consider anyone without a degree.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

But is business at university really the best way to invest in it? Aren't most successful businessmen people who either work from 16, or people who have done some other subject like Maths before going into business?

[Ed209]

Yeah, basically what Barry said, but the opposite.

Politics is a great thing to study, it's a degree with actual academic substance. The country needs grads from all different subjects for a well rounded work force, and a book doesn't even compare to a well taught degree in which you can explore ideas with academics and other students. Plus nothing makes you understand a subject more than having to write essays and papers about it.

As a society we should never discourage the idea of education for educations sake. Learning and developing human knowledge is vital, irrespective of the subject. Although with the cost of higher education now that's exactly what we're doing. It's a sad state of affairs.

If you think you need a masters to get where you want to get to then do it! Don't go for the easy call centre option, because while it might seem like a good opportunity in a very depressed job market, you don't want to get 5 or 10 years down the line wondering what might have been.

If you have ambitions then don't cheat yourself, go follow them. If it doesn't work out then at least you spent an enjoyable year or two learning about humanity and expanding your knowledge. And only at the expense of a year or two of employment.

[kaosmark2]

Why ?

[lifelessfool]

Yeah, basically what Barry said, but the opposite.

Politics is a great thing to study, it's a degree with actual academic substance. The country needs grads from all different subjects for a well rounded work force, and a book doesn't even compare to a well taught degree in which you can explore ideas with academics and other students. Plus nothing makes you understand a subject more than having to write essays and papers about it.

As a society we should never discourage the idea of education for educations sake. Learning and developing human knowledge is vital, irrespective of the subject. Although with the cost of higher education now that's exactly what we're doing. It's a sad state of affairs.

If you think you need a masters to get where you want to get to then do it! Don't go for the easy call centre option, because while it might seem like a good opportunity in a very depressed job market, you don't want to get 5 or 10 years down the line wondering what might have been.

If you have ambitions then don't cheat yourself, go follow them. If it doesn't work out then at least you spent an enjoyable year or two learning about humanity and expanding your knowledge. And only at the expense of a year or two of employment.

[eFestivals]

From what I understand MBA's are a highly valued qualification. Most universities in Manc seem to be investing in their delivery.

nah, MBA's are soooo 1990 - there was a rash of people dong them then, who've gone into business or worked for others and proven themselves as shit.

The last I heard they weren't being considered as worth more than a degree. And it's not surprising, they're very lightweight, and many people doing them don't have an initial degree in the first place.

[kaosmark2]

My wife keeps getting pushed to do one but she sees little point. Experience and career history trumps any qaulification.

[lifelessfool]

Could you not argue to get experience and career history qualifications are needed? I know I was really lucky to get a job when doing my GCSEs which has helped me alot in getting new jobs, but I know people who werent so lucky who cant get jobs anywhere

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

If I were you I'd just fuck off to Thailand and do a load of mushrooms for a year or two and listen to Pink Floyd.

Fuck all going on in this neck of the woods.

[eFestivals]

I won't speak up for MBA's as a sign of quality... I wouldn't know... but people recruiting for top positions still like to see them on CVs. That is for certain.

My wife keeps getting pushed to do one but she sees little point. Experience and career history trumps any qaulification.

There's probably some that are good and worthwhile, but the facts have got to prove that mostly they're not.

They became a trendy thing off the back of new 'wealthy stars' having Harvard MBA's, so if your wife is being pushed to get one, you can be sure that it's coming from someone who became aware of the trend but not where it led (which gets to show that person's stupidity).

I'd advise her to do the opposite of everything that person says.

[Ed209]

I've never had any time for MBAs, mostly because the people I've met doing them have usually been brainless bellends who think wearing an expensive suit and having a convertable makes them a better person than you.