What are university degrees worth these days?

The short answer: nothing without work experience. The long version... Decades ago, degrees were only obtained by the elite and the lucky ones who had the opportunity and money to attend further education. Even with ever increasing tuition fees, people are choosing to scrimp and save for the valuable degree that will make them stand out from the competition. The workplace is brutal, so you need to do whatever it takes to stand out from the rest. A degree, work experience, RELEVANT work experience in your chosen field, voluntary work- 70% of employers look at voluntary work- and extra-curricular activites and/roles e.g. president of karate ...  Read the complete review

I graduated last summer, and when I was looking for a job I found that employers had mixed feelings as far as my degree was concerned. I was looking for a job in something vaguely related to my degree course (English) which probably helped, and I had nterviews for things like technical authors, web related writing stuff in general, proof reading and copywriting. Some employers were interested in finding out what kind of things I'd covered in my degree, how the course was divided, what I'd written about. One even wanted a copy of an essay I'd written. However, others didn't even mention the fact that it said on my CV I had a degree. I don't know ...  Read the complete review

I went to Newcastle University in 2003, and left 4 years later with a BSc in Geography and a MSc in Town and Coutry Planning. If I didn't have the MSc I would not be able to be professionally qualified in my current job, and if I didn't have the BSc I couldn't have done the MSc. So for me, I think I could argue university was priceless. However the Government's target of 50% of people through university is madness. The vast majority of these are taking degrees which do not lead to a specific career, and simply delay having to enter the real world for 3 years so they can party. Many employers now simply state by rote 'a degree' is required for a post, with no ...  Read the complete review

Are degrees worth having these days? I'm not sure as the degree I have has no relation to the job I currently do. I work in sales admin yet have a degree in fine art and design studies! I did well at school and really enjoyed art which was noticed by my parents and teachers who obviously pushed for me to attend college. I made the decision to attend university as I believed it would lead to better career prospects, instead I ended up in debt and struggled to find work at the end of my course. Numerous interviews and careers advise did nothing except leave me feeling despondent and wondering if spending 3 years of my life back in the classroom had been worth ...  Read the complete review

I agree with another of the views written, University is totally worth it if you choose the right course. I started a nursing degree straight from school. In first year, I met tons of great people, had tons of fun but never done much work. In second year I was struggling greatly and realised I loved my social life but did not like the course and definetly did not want to be a nurse. I made excuses for not handng in essays and failed lots of exams :( I talked to my parents and stupidly listend to them saying that I should stick it out until I got my degree. In third year I struggled even more and after discussion with my tutors and some of my peers I decided to ...  Read the complete review