To think people are overeducated in the UK?

There's definitely a middle class jobs crisis that has got worse in the last year or two. I'm very aware of it, as we've had two waves of redundancies at my place. I work in software. The first time, three years ago now, everyone found another job fairly quickly. But in 2024, word was that it was much tougher, and in 2025 very hard indeed to get a job in tech or some related role. I go on LinkedIn a lot, and people there seem to be getting more and more desperate.

Yep but what about the 65- 70% who didn’t go - it wasn’t compulsory - presumably lots of those chose not to go and build things ,

Education is valuable in and of itself. I know that some people go to university hoping to find a good job when they graduate, but the sad truth is that these days there are not so many graduate jobs around.

That is nothing new, sadly. Career opportunities come and go. For instance I spent most of my working life in It - I had no degree and computer jobs did not exist when I was doing my stuff with careers officers. My son, who also went into It needed his First in Computer Science to get his first job. The firms would not look at anyone with a lower result or a different subject. Several years later, he tells me that they are not even recruiting graduates with firsts. There are far fewer opportunities now, because AI is limiting the entry level jobs.

This is life these days. Being well qualified does not guarantee a well paid professional job these days. Education however, benefits society. Children of well educated people do far better than those without. We should keep encouraging our young people to pursue their interests into academia, if that's what they want. What happens afterwards is down to the vagaries of the job market. This is just one more thing that makes life difficult for today's young people. I would not like to be in their shoes these days.

Nail on the head. He may not have meant it, but that's the message he gave.

Having a degree doesnt preclude you from doing other jobs, theyre as entitled to the jobs as everyone else your DS isnt more deserving

I think so too. When she eventually leaves, no doubt Lidl will be sorry to lose her (all things being equal of course, that she's a decent person to work with, etc).

Not sure of your choice of words but yes thanks to Blair and his stupid fucking policy of "everyone has to go to university because otherwise you're a useless worthless thicko piece of shit" there are lots of people with unnecessary degrees and debt and no one that can actually physically do anything useful. Like build things.

I do not understand why you need a PhD in mathematics to work in Lidl

Of course you don't. But why should the fact that you happen to have a PhD in maths mean that you can't work in Lidl? In the case of the school mum you mention, I imagine there are plenty of skills from her corporate job that will be useful in her new role - certainly more than a new graduatd would havr.

I’m an academic and intrigued by your point about Chinese applicants taking the jobs. Which jobs are you referring to? Perhaps you’re in STEM and it’s different. I’m a humanities lecturer and there are no jobs, for Chinese people or British.

Intriguing that you preferred retail too! I worked in those shit jobs as a student and hated it. So many customers are demeaning.

Yeah, I mean I’d happily give up the job I’m hugely over qualified for so that an 18 year old can have it instead, but I’ve got to feed my family somehow!

Would you prefer that highly intelligent people starve instead?

And if graduates who can’t find work in their field don’t take jobs in shops etc they are accused of being scroungers and thinking they are too posh to work.

The popularity of a party that wants to strip workers rights, charge for health services, destroy consumer protection and says the working class "have never had it so good" would suggest your analysis was / is wrong. Nope definitely NOT over educated

The push to send so many to university means that graduates are in all areas of work and have been for decades, strange you only just noticed

"...sheer [number] of young people who can't read, write or talk properly.."

She has since clarified but it wasn’t obvious. She also said it was her DS, not DD, if we’re criticising reading comprehension.

Exactly.

Being a store manager is quite a 'big' job. It's not just 'working in Lidl', which often means stacking shelves, working on till if lucky.

Good for the mum who managed to bag a job like that, probably fairly local.

I do not get why you are 'raging'. Your daughter wasn't looking for a management job.

I think it is certainly an issue where people haven’t been educated to a point where they can see an issue with the problems many people are pointing out with the leftist agenda

I got rejected for Lidl’s trainee manager programme last week! I’m a teacher so I have a degree, but I want to change career. I don’t think you can blame educated people for your 18 year old not getting a summer job. It’s not like Lidl is especially busy in summer. Maybe he should try nearby holiday resorts?

I think spending 3 years in a diverse university campus can be quite radicalising for some! Young men in particular

The problem is the lack of expectations about people. We need to be more educated, not just formally, but, from an early age, we should be encouraging kids to learn about the world. Rather than celebrating celebrities, influencers, we should be celebrating people who have worked hard and have talent.

My son recently looked after a Chinese exchange student - he was so impressed with his attitude and intelligence. This is what we need to be aiming for with our young people, excellence.

instrad for years we’ve allowed bullying and ostracisation of individuals who think differently. Heck we keep trying to medicate. Out the individuality, the creative thinking. All the things which have made Britain great.

we should stop all migrant visas except for the most skilled jobs no one in the IK can possibly do. Young people should be able to pick up many of the jobs, learning skills. We need to get rid of this sense of entitlement many young people have. I’ve seen it in graduates we employ.

Less than 5% of the UK population have a masters and 1% a PhD. Try again OP.

In a country where people vote for Reform and are openly racist , homophobic, xenophobic and against vaccines of any kind , I seriously doubt overeducation is the problem.
Job market is pretty tight at the moment. Everyone who has financial responsibilities is desperate to either keep their own job or find any job that pays bills.

I don't think you can be over educated but do think that some companies ask for ridiculous qualifications for some routine jobs.

Example 1 - I used to work for a very large company as a PA. One boss left and another was not starting for 2 months so I didn't have much work to do. At the same time they were recruiting another job so asked me to fill in. All good. This job was to checked that what was delivered to the company was correct. Correct amount of goods relating to purchase order, had all been delivered and where we charged the price quoted. Simple. I am not a trained accountant. The person they wanted to recruit to do the same job was required to have some sort of accountancy or business studies degree. Why? It was a simple job and they couldn't understand why all these graduates kept leaving after about two months. They were bored rigid.

Example 2 - When I was 19 I worked in local government. I eventually worked my way up to running the maintenance and repairs for council properties and did most of the lettings. All without any specific qualifications and I was always being complimented on my efficiency. This same job is now being done by my friend's daughter who couldn't apply for the job without a degree. However, her degree is in art. Again, why? It is a simple task of getting the plumber or whatever to go round and do a repair or to let a property to the person with the most need/points.

Based on the number or people who seem to think following the USA down the rabbit hole to the Far Right and Reform, no, people are not overeducated in the UK. Dim, dim, dim.

There's menial, badly paid work but few are willing to do it- understandably!
The consequence of steering large numbers of young people into university degrees (in order that they can be milked as cash cows) is that there are fewer people who can be railroaded into the shit jobs that no-one wants to do.