Party Time! (What are university degrees worth these days?)

Member Name: moonbailey

Product:	What are university degrees worth these days?
Date:	19/09/01 (174 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You get to meet people and party all night

Disadvantages: Doesn't get you a job.

Working for a degree simply passes the time until you get to an employable age. As for it's worth - I am still very scepticle about that.

I have 9 GCSE's, 6 at grade A, the rest B's.
I have 4 A'levels, again at great grades.
Then a BA(Hons) degree that I studied for for three long years.

I have made about £700 since February, and recieved well in excess of 100 rejection letters. Just because I'm giving it as long as I possibly can afford before taking another £4.00/hour bail-out option.

So what use was that degree? I could have stopped at the GCSE's and been much better off and further up my career path by now, surely?

As far as I can see, the country is so keen to be seen as having an ever increasingly intelligent population that the pass levels of GCSE's and A Levels have been sneakily reduced year by year to give the impression of a clever generation.

Since so many students pass with flying colours - University is now an option for just about anyone that can afford to put themselves through it.

So, now it is not just a mark of education but more a indication of financial standing?

The work I'm trying to get is as a writer for a magazine. As far as I can tell - you can only get a job like this once you have two years experience in the trade. Not a degree - but hands on experience.

It's Catch 22 - but that's another op!

The only employees who I have found appreciate my degree are retailers. Yes, I see them rub their hands in glee as they offer me another minimum wage job. No, they are not thinking - Oh how wonderful - what a wealth of knowledge this girl must be able to offer our customers!

No, they are thinking: A Degree? Great! Speaks well and has a posh wardrobe - let's stick her on the till point. That should impress the punters.

A degree is like saying 'Hey, I can speak English.' If you want a job - you
're going to have to do better than that.

The most successful people I know have poor qualifications but just had the balls to get on with it. They are now managers in all sorts of fields and earning criminal amounts of cash.

I confess that what you study does have some relevance:

Study a non-descript 'business management' course and granted, you can probably bluff your way into loads of jobs.

Go for Geography, Latin, History (mentioned in another op) and become your old teacher.

Naively follow your dream and choose something creative, and join the queue. Unless your the 'best in show' that queue will either be at the dole office, or facing you - waiting to be served.

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