AIBU to feel that some parents just want their children at Uni even if its a BS degree

You're probably right @Runnerinthenight. It must be nice to be so superior to everybody else (in their own head, anyway!).

I think too many people go to university because they don't know what else to do but I don't think a degree needs to lead to a job to be valuable. I can certainly think of more 'useless' degrees than the ones cited. I have a law degree and for various reasons now work on minimum wage, zero hours in a warehouse. My eldest studied medicine- she was thinking of doing a Fine Art degree but was worried she might not make enough money with art. I would still have supported her if she had gone with the art as she is very artistic. Dd2 and ds both did/ do engineering at university but it was totally their decision. I wouldn't be surprised if dd3 ( year 11) decided to study politics or philosophy but a lot of jobs nowadays just need a degree so it might as well be something they enjoy!

Business studies is definitely not a bullsh!t degree. Covering marketing, finance, economics, HR, managing people. A good based for anyone wanting to ho into management, or specialise in any of the other areas.

Or maybe some of us actually understand the graduate labour market.
You advice is actually pretty poor.

Jobs and apprenticeships are for people who have a very clear career idea. An apprenticeship is training you to do a specific job and employers are looking for people who know they want to work in that particular sector.

University can be great for the 'undecided' as it is an opportunity to find out what you enjoy and what direction you'd like you career to go in and you have an entire team at your disposal helping you! Not to mention the wide range of skill you develop which are valued by graduate employers.

I agree that there are plenty of degrees with low quality curriculum that aren't worth the money. However be aware that the best apprenticeships are very competitive now so your children still need very good GCSEs and/or A levels and clear motivation/work ethic.

Hard work and initiative is still necessary for success, there is never a simple route to wealth and accomplishment.

And where are they getting these apprenticeships, pray tell? I haven't exactly seen a plethora of them!!!

And who are you anyway to criticise someone's degree as "bullshit"???!

They probably are given short shrift, and that's why they have so much time to spend on writing ill-informed, nonsense posts on MN!!

I agree OP, so many bullshit degrees, and I expect most of the people giving you a hard time on this thread either have bullshit degrees themselves or their DC are doing film studies or other such nonsense. University is an industry now though, so some people are making a great deal of money out of bullshit degrees.

i’ve told mine, unless there’s a very specific career path they want to take or they want to do a good solid STEM subject, to not bother with university and get a job/apprenticeship. If they start after school or college on a decent apprenticeship, by the time their mates have left university with shit degrees not worth the paper they’re written on, and are working in Costa with £60000 debt they’ll never pay off, they’ll be on good money with even better earning potential.

Seriously you couldnt

no one gives a shit how you and most of your family feel though mate

For many of them, it is nothing to do with their degree subject. It's their network, their family networks, their school networks and the stupid clubs like the Bullingdon & the Oxford Union and the like which they were part of at uni. That's how most of the top guys got into power.

This is something my son is interested in. May I please private message you? Thanks

My goodness @DistinguishedSocialCommentator - everything you've written on this site in the last week just smacks of you think you know everything better than anybody, ever! You don't. In fact, you simply come across as somebody who is smug. Do you actually talk to people in the real world like you do people on here? If so, I'm really surprised you're not given short shrift!
Your comments on the Royal Family and what others believe about them, your comments on education, doesn't matter what the subject is, you simply think you're better than everybody else.
I wonder how you manage to walk through doorways when your head is so big.
Stop being a snob, stop boring everybody with your pointless views and, basically, just take some time out to consider why you feel the need to educate people (who haven't asked to be educated by you!).

How utterly rude and uninformed!

Do you think there are a huge number of STEM jobs out there and a huge shortage of jobs for them? Only a tiny percentage of jobs are STEM type jobs and it can actually be harder to get a corporate type job with one of those degrees as there is a perception you’ll leave and try to get into your field of subject at some point.

There are FAR more STEM graduates compared to STEM jobs out there. I did a Maths degree and struggled for years to get a basic office job. So my degree was pretty “useless”.

You don’t “value education” you value the status certain degrees can bring. It’s elitism, it’s snobbery and it’s uncalled for!
Just for context I have a degree in forensic psychology and a degree in mental health nursing - both of which I use in my career. Someone who has a degree in politics or business studies works just as hard to gain their just as valuable qualifications as someone who does a degree in something you think is ‘valuable and worthwhile’

And so what if they are? Some people will be 'successful' in the traditional sense and some won't. What about personal enrichment and fulfilment? Or is it just all about the money?!

Well done, you’ve managed to insult anyone reading this who happens to have one of these degrees. Who the hell are you to say that some degrees as Mickey Mouse?
I do agree that a degree in itself isn’t necessarily everything and plenty of people will be successful without one. But that doesn’t make a degree pointless

it's a long life, you may have a better chance of training for new career if wanted if you have a degree to start with. degrees open up options.

There's this bloke called Jurgen Klopp and he took a degree in sports science. From what I've heard, he seems to be doing OK.

@DistinguishedSocialCommentator could you tell me where you are getting information on the graduate labour market seeing as though you speak so confidently about it?

It doesn't seem to tally with my sources of information.....

Would you mind if I messaged you privately. 17 year old son wants to study this at uni? . Thanks

Well spotted! So the OP doesn't even have a degree... figures!

'What's the point of massive debts with no job at the end of it?'

Depends if you are meaning from an individuals POV or a UK taxpayers POV?