Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Your Degree

61 replies

TurkeyDinosaur · 02/01/2024 12:25

If you went to university, what subject(s) did you study?
Is your degree relevant (essential, even) to your current career?
If you had your time over, would you choose the same again, or something entirely different?
Did you enjoy your uni days or were they a total waste of time and money in hindsight?

I had a great time at uni, really enjoyed it.
Moved away from home and felt really independent.
No real regrets, other than maybe going for a sensible (career enhancing) subject - economics, rather than history which is my first love!

Last question - would you consider being a 'mature student', if not one the first time round?

OP posts:
quarrelmerchant · 02/01/2024 13:01

Why?

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 02/01/2024 13:05

Don't want to say what I studied as it was quite niche but no, it isn't relevant to my job now. The critical thinking skills that it helped me to develop are relevant though. And yes, I enjoyed my time at uni and yes, I would choose the same again.

I subsequently did a master's degree (MBA) as a mature student, which is somewhat relevant to my current role, but certainly not essential.

I don't think I could face being a mature student again if that involved combining part time study and full time work. It might be different if I was going to have the luxury of being a full time student again!!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Higher education
GymWhale · 02/01/2024 13:16

I was classed as a mature student. I started my degree (Psychology) at 25, after 9 years of full time employment. Because I was older and had my own flat, I studied at a local uni and worked part-time alongside my full-time course. This meant that I didn't have the typical "uni experience" but that suited me. I enjoyed my course and don't see it as a waste of time at all. However, it didn't lead to a job directly linked to my degree. If I had my time again, I may have gone for something more likely to lead to a relevant career, like Social Work.

HoldMeCloserTonyDancer · 02/01/2024 13:22

Literature. Not relevant to any employment. Wish I’d done nursing

APurpleSquirrel · 02/01/2024 13:22

I studied practical media at uni; I loved my time there & met my DH there too, so I wouldn't change it if I did it again. It is somewhat relevant to my job.
I also did an OU degree about 15years ago spaced out over 6 years - it gave me the opportunity to pursue courses for pure pleasure & interest but was a time commitment. It was also very cheap in comparison to now.
I would do another degree (I work pt) but only if I could afford it, which we can't atm.

Mathsbabe · 02/01/2024 14:33

I studied maths. It was heaven. I benefit from it every day. I trained as a chartered accountant and worked as an academic

ComtesseDeSpair · 02/01/2024 14:37

History. Not related to my career. But I’m not sure it’s possible to make a real-time assessment of whether it was worth doing or whether I should have done something else because had I not done it, my life would have turned out differently and I’ve no way of knowing whether I’d be more or less successful now. All in I’m very happy with the choices I’ve made and where I am now and wouldn’t make any active changes.

The mature students I know seem to be either people who are actively studying with a career goal in mind and those who have floated along in life with no goal and still don’t really seem to have one, and this is just another stage of the endless search. I can see the appeal of both sides, though a degree is an expensive gamble nowadays.

TheSnootiestFox · 02/01/2024 14:59

First degree Hotel and Catering Management. Used bits of it almost every day since. Was hacked off to see it dissed on here recently in relation to hospital managers 'only' having hospitality degrees by some fuckwit who clearly didn't understand that 75% of that degree was business management and the rest was being taught to manage big buildings full of people in beds that need feeding regularly without giving them food poisoning, letting them perish in fires or freeze if the heating broke down (we were even taught basic plumbing!) and the NHS actively recruited from my cohort for that very reason 🙄

Would have done PPE in hindsight as I didn't realise I was bright and politically astute until I was nearly 30.

Currently am a mature student but in agriculture. Uni was the best time of my life and I only regret not doing a Masters when I was younger.

muddyford · 02/01/2024 15:08

First degree chemistry at a Russell Group university. Loved all of it and it enabled me to get a job in a very competitive field. Then later I did an MA in a totally unrelated discipline but got a job involving that.

JustanotherMNSlapperTwat · 02/01/2024 15:08

My degree is utterly irrelevant to my job, I didn't enjoy it or the career. I regret doing it as ironically I nearly chose an IT degree and now several years later work in IT

I did a masters 2 years ago in computer science. It's not entirely necessary for my job but it does look good on my CV, and employers tend to like it. I was made redundant part way through doing it from my old role and even the fact I was doing it even though I hadn't finished went down well with interviewers.

I did it part time distance learning whilst working full time though so it wasn't like being a student again

GreyDayGrey2 · 02/01/2024 15:32

Arts based degree

Essential to career ?
No
However, my degree opened opportunities into a good career

Would I choose the same degree ?
Yes, because you cannot change the past
However, the internet has changed the world & there is more information & choices now

Did I enjoy my time at uni ?
Yes, absolutely

Would I consider further education as a mature student ?
Possibly when retired

Piggypiggyoinkoink · 02/01/2024 15:44

Degree in chemistry which has no bearing on my current role unless you count our HSE team phoning me whenever anything “chemically” comes up 🙄

No regrets on what I did, but looking back I’d probably have been better suited to, and may have got a better grade in, a maths degree.

Did I enjoy uni? Hell yes, I went from a small island to the biggest city in the country, and it was amazing! Plus, there were no mobile phones around to capture what went on 🤣

Would I consider further education as a mature student? Maybe, but not to enhance my career prospects. My friend who retired last year is considering another degree to give him something to do, I would consider similar.

LeviOsaNotLeviosaa · 02/01/2024 15:54

Education Studies. Currently in teacher training so pretty relevant ;) That said, Education Studies is very much NOT teaching.

I went as a mature student, with children. Loved every second and would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm glad I went when I did, if I'd gone as a teen I would have wasted it. I was too busy having babies anyway. I would do the same subject again, despite also being a History lover. I have a CertHE in History, so could have combined disciplines, but decided I didn't want to kill my love of History by having to write essays on it!

Came out with First Class Honours and considering a Masters next year to top up my PGCE credits.

PersephonePomegranate23 · 02/01/2024 17:12

I loved university and my degree. It's not particularly relevant to my career but it does make me a more attractive candidate for the prime roles and some companies do request an undergrad degree from certain institutions.

I had an idea of what I wanted to do after uni, but changed my mind. Luckily, I always saw FE as more of a personal development opportunity, so I didn't feel that my time (or money) was wasted.

CurlewKate · 02/01/2024 17:17

English at St Andrews. Not specifically relevant- but being a graduate has been important in my working life.

Daftasabroom · 02/01/2024 17:22

A branch of engineering, I work full time in that branch of engineering.

TheIsleOfTheLost · 02/01/2024 17:24

I have a generalist degree and value a lot of what it taught me around critical thinking and analysis. I did it back when fees were much lower and am not now doing a job with a degree requirement. I can't imagine I would go to university now if I was leaving school, unless it was specifically to get into a particular field. The fees are so high and couldn't really imagine doing something like English or History if it didn't lead to a better employment salary outcome.

Trisolaris · 02/01/2024 17:30

I did an Arts degree which is not relevant to my career but has also definitely helped me get jobs as having a good degree grade from a top ten university. (Not so much now but when starting out).

I don’t think I would choose the same subject again but I don’t regret it.

I would absolutely consider being a mature student (if there was something I wanted to study). I learned more doing my professional qualifications as I had the life experience.

Chiaseedling · 02/01/2024 17:33

Don’t want to say what I studied, but it was in the humanities field.
My postgraduate diploma/work experience generally has been more useful, but I needed the degree to get on the postgrad. I don’t work in that field anymore though. Def not relevant now & i’m not in a graduate role any more.
I loved my uni days, had an amazing time socially but wish I’d worked harder. I was there over 30 years ago when far fewer people went & there were no fees!
I’m not sure I would’ve gone ‘now’ although both DCs are at uni doing v different subjects. One nurturing a creative talent, and the other because they’re a brain box! Neither really knows what they want to do afterwards. However, most people have degrees nowadays so it’s harder if you’re in direct competition with graduates.
I wouldn’t go back as a mature student now unless it was to retrain for a specific career and that’s not gonna happen!

blueismycolor · 02/01/2024 17:36

I did Law. Then realised I didn’t want to practice it. But I work as a buyer and deal heavily with contracts so yes it has helped.

I changed professions at 30 to become a buyer. I love it, I’m doing the equivalent of a second degree right now and it’s tough to balance that with work and having a social life.

ErrolTheDragon · 02/01/2024 17:39

I did chemistry, undergrad and PhD
Both essential to my career
I'd do the same again
Yes, I enjoyed uni

DH did the same degrees as me, though a different area of chemistry for his PhD and then a very different career path. He quite often says he wishes he'd done something else. But that's partly because he was set to have a good career in ICI before it was torn apart and the non pharmaceutical parts flogged off.
Whereas I by luck went into a new area of scientific software development.

Kazzyhoward · 02/01/2024 17:43

My degree is accountancy and I've been an accountant for 40 years!

Degree is completely irrelevant to my day to day job as a small business practising accountant. I could have done in a degree in anything else. My professional body only required 3 A levels, one of which had to be Maths - whether I had a degree or not was irrelevant. My colleagues during work training had a variety of degrees such as traffic management and some didn't even have a degree - they just joined the firms I worked at straight from sixth form!

Son has a very relevant degree to his job as an actuary - he got a First in Financial Maths. He needed a First degree in a STEM subject to get through the application stages for his employer. None of his graduate colleagues at his employer have anything other than Maths or Physics as his job is so heavily Maths related. He says there's a couple of people who've been there a few years who had Business/Economics/Accounting degrees who failed their actuarial exams and are now just biding their time as they can't progress in the firm.

MaidOfSteel · 02/01/2024 17:55

I didn't go to university at 18 as my parents couldn't afford it back then.

I would love to become a mature student now, though I think my health & disabilities would work against me. I'd love to do something like history, genealogy or horticulture. Just as in interest.