If you went to university what courses or degrees would you say are worth it and what is pointless to study?

[Cupcakeicecream]

Whether you went to university or would start over and go back to university what would you study.
How many of you actually use the degree you got is it actually relevant to your life or a complete waste?
What degrees would you say are absolutely pointless to study and why.
If you had the chance to change your career what would you study.
Or would you bother going to university if you had your time again.
What degrees are worth it either getting you into a job with work life balance good salary job prospects ect

Oh here we go, psychology is pointless. Well it's the career I want to go into so I'll actually need it yanno?

My first degree is in early Medieval history. I haven't used it since the day I graduated. However, I had a LOT of fun as an undergraduate and I have many good anecdotes about the Vikings.

Since then I have studied more useful things that I have built my career on.

If I could choose right here and now, I would become a plumber.

Sueellen I'm referring to your previous post. I assumed you were talking about graduate scheme jobs.

And I didn't say I was going to tell me children to do a vocational degree. I said was going to recommend they do a vocational course. I will support my children with whatever career paths they choose. My children are both in primary school, so I'm years away of having serious career discussions with them, anyway.

A vocational qualification in a shortage skill occupation could open so many doors for them in terms of career progression, opportunity's to work abroad etc.

Equally, they may want to just go out to work, consider an apprenticeship or start their own business.

My point initial point was that whilst a non vocational degree is a great achievement in itself, they are potential going to be saddled with £30000 plus worth of debt and so they will need to think seriously about this.

After doing slightly useless A level subjects, I ended up working in a supermarket for 8 years. I decided I was going to return to education and choose my subject based on career potential - I opted for cyber security. Honestly the best decision I ever made. I've not even graduated yet and I'm already in a job with a 30k salary and an amazing work life balance.
There's so many jobs in this field the career prospects are excellent, and I can't see the demand for cyber security professionals going down any time soon.

Absolutely empress it's not a decision to be taken lightly.
I just get frustrated with the trend of pushing vocational degrees ( In general not specifically pointing the finger at you) as a preferred route when there is a place for a wide range of subjects.

Vocational courses are great ( I run one - training careers advisers) if you have a clear idea of career direction. They're generally training you to do a specific job and while those skills are transferable to an extent you are still narrowing your options. Not a problem is you have a clear career idea but not great if you're undecided.....which many young people are.
Many non vocational subjects also offer excellent employment prospects in a wide variety of sectors. That's what should be taken into consideration.

Sueellen my ideas about vocational courses come from my specific experiences, not because of trends.

I did ancient history at Uni and I had a great time with it. My year was the first year that tuition fees were introduced, but I think we only had to pay about £1000 a year, so pretty cheap. When I left Uni, I applied for loads of jobs but it was the old 'not enough experience' issue for a while.

Working in HR, staff tell me they are graduates, struggling in low paid jobs and are finding it difficult to progress. They are often doing the same types of jobs as people who haven't gone to uni.

I am concerned about my children's futures - housing costs, uni debt, increase in gig enonomy/unstable roles, erosion of pensions.

In saying that, the world of work is changing and there will be lots of exciting opportunities for them. They don't have to stay in the same career their whole working lives (and probably won't).

I guess, I like the idea of them having a career safety net.

But did you seek out experience while you studied? Your time at university is what you make it.....yes of course employers expect experience as well as a degree which is why many universities offer work experience, and not just in vocational subjects. However, It's up to the individual student to make the most of opportunities available to them.

What if your children get to 18 and don't have a specific career idea? For those type of students a vocational degree might not be the best option. What people need are career management skills not necessarily job specific skills...... employability is embedded in university curriculums now.

Graduated in Earth Sciences, don't work in it. I still think it was worth doing. But then I got in when tuition fees were about a grand a year. Now they're nine times higher the equation might change.

That said, IMHO worth it: Most STEM degrees. Professions where a degree is required such as medicine and law. Maybe worth it: Traditional humanities and arts subjects. Not worth it: Degrees specific to a profession when professional qualifications count for more in it, trendy subject-of-the-decades, anything to do with video games because of shocking working conditions in that industry.

Maybe it's unrealistic wishful thinking, but over the past couple of decades I've seen the goal of education shift towards it being advance training for work, and I really think it should be more than that. Getting funding for a degree is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Make it a subject that will make you a better person not just a better worker.

I studied Linguistics and have used it in all my jobs, unusually I think.

My degree is similar, but unfortunately I’ve never had a job that made much use of it. What kind of jobs did you use yours for?

Any degree might turn out to be useful. DSIS studied music, but decided that a career as a theatre musician was too insecure and irregular for her. She went into an unrelated field, and her degree helped her to get a sought-after EA job which gave her great opportunities to progress. The boss thought highly of music graduates, and the previous post-holder happened to be one.

Fully expected to see Sociology here. It's not a money maker degree and I also went to a left leaning university.

If I had the time again, I would have done English (my passion). The same/more jobs would have been open to me.

I don't know if I 'use' it but I apply it/skills I learned.

If I had a chance to change my career...it's not so much that I would do anything different but I would have cracked on sooner.

I didn't apply to any grad schemes as I did not feel good enough/thought it was too competitive for me. I was so unconfident.

I temped for ages after Uni, then did more jobs underusing my skills, before eventually giving myself a chance to look at what I enjoy/am good at/opportunities, and going for it.

I think Uni is a good choice. Jobs with work life balance- that is the million dollar question. I think you have to make work life balance but some careers are better than others. Essentially, at some point you have to get more technically specialised, or get more generalist managerial skills, to progress. It helps to look for careers with structured pathways for progression.

Probably a solid English or humanities degree or a science degree will get you furthest.

Several degrees, such as Psychology and Law have young people doing them believing they will become lawyers and psychologists. For the latter, very few training posts exist and most degree holders have to find some other career. Ditto lawyers. Around 26,000 students enrol each year for a law degree. There are around 6000 places to train to be solicitors and around 450 to become Barristers. Both are open to grads of other disciplines and previous grads. The idea that law is purely vocational doesn’t hold up when the stats are considered. Any law or psychology grad has to be flexible and have transferable skills.

Economics grads from the best universities earn the most. Followed by medics and engineers. So if you want the money, go for the top universities and work in the city or become a Dr.

English degrees are not high in the earnings league tables. See attached. Male law grads do better than female ones.

Architecture here. Only worth it if you love it really. Long training, long hours, fairly low salary if you’re not Norman Foster quite high up in the practice.

Medicine. Worth it in terms of job security and job satisfaction (in the right specialty/healthcare system)....

To be honest it's quite an easy degree, there's nothing creative about it, you learn the knowledge, you apply that knowledge, job done. Then onto the careers escalator and go on autopilot.

Medicine is worth it. Guaranteed career if you complete it but only worth doing if you think you would enjoy it.

BA Sociology 2:1 (from a good university)
Law Conversion course from College of Law London
MBA.

Would anybody like to guess what I do for a living ?

I have degrees in history and computer science. I work in a techy IT role. My computer science degree gets me the interviews, but I reckon I use the skills from history more - the ability to process loads of information, research, analytical skills and writing. I do use specific technical skills, but most of those I have been trained in while employed, though obviously my computer science degree gives me a solid understanding of how things all hang together.

We have a few historians in technical departments. I think it's good to have a broader background than tech only, and there are a lot of analytical and communication skills needed.

But you do need to do something you have some interest and aptitude in. Not everyone is suited to being an economist or mathematician or philosopher or...

I did nursing (back with a full bursary) and can’t say as it’s worth it if you plan to stay in the U.K. being a nurse is hard and you’re not appreciated.

There are interesting roles with the likes of the WHO, MSF etc but these tend to require a masters too and lots of prior experience in A&E/Sexual health environments.

Apparently Australia is good for a nurse!

Interesting that language grads are so high in earnings. What jobs do they do?

I suppose the one good thing about being in a career that's in demand (data/statistics) is that you get treated very well in the workplace. Companies don't tend to overwork you, and all offer flexi-hours/WFH, because they know that you have the option of MANY other jobs (I get several LinkedIn messages a week) that will treat you well. They know that if you leave it will take them months to recruit anyone suitable. My husband works exactly 36.5 hours a week, 1 day WFH for 50k. I work 37.5 for 35k. Easy life.

As opposed to super-competitive industries like fashion, where they can pay you nothing and work you 12+ hours a day, because they know that if you leave, about 100 other people will be queueing up to take your place.

The minus side is those "competitive" careers tend to be pretty cool and enjoyable, whereas a lot of "in-demand" ones are dull so no-one wants to do them.

And the "if there's a shortage, there's great working conditions" doesn't seem to apply to teaching!

An accountancy degree is pointless. Anyone I have ever worked with that has one has had to go on and do a chartered qualification anyway- all that student debt for nothing

I have a social sciences bsc and MSc. I've never used them in any job but I don't regret them. They were interesting and shaped who I am and how I think. I also met some of my best friends through them and had a great time at a good university.

I'd love to say if I had my time again I'd go stem, but I really sucked at those courses in school. You need to know from a young age if you want to go that route.

But other times I think how amazing would it be to have done conservation of ancient artifacts?? Or making period costumes! I wish I'd entertained the weirder courses rather than the traditional academic courses but I didn't know any adults that could help me navigate that world of unusual cool careers.

*BA Sociology 2:1 (from a good university)
Law Conversion course from College of Law London
MBA.

Would anybody like to guess what I do for a living?*

I think you're a commercial lawyer or you work in a coffee shop.