to want to strangle anybody who use's the phrase 'university of life'?

[StuckintheBellJar]

There is a woman at work who does this. Any time that somebody mentions something, anything related to their time at uni she trumps up "Well I went to the university of life!" Er, so you've been alive?

Rant over.

Reply "didn't we all love, didn't we all!"

You could be even more direct with "do you want some salt and vinegar for that chip on your shoulder?"

It's a ghastly phrase used by insecure people. Even if she didn't go to university, she probably did some of the same things as you between the ages of 18-21.

All those degrees and a yet still you have a hissy fit over the university of life?

FFS Get a life!!!!

It's a twatty phrase. But then if you are saying things like, 'well that wasn't how my Professors taught me' when discussing the photocopying, on the basis of a third from the former Polytechnic of Arse-end, then she may be provoked.

Katiepoes - I appreciate that you don't have to work in the area that you have a degree in but I find it quite funny that you spent 3 years at University only to do the same work as people who didn't.

I wonder who has the chip on their shoulder .

My bitter step mother used to say similar. I was a boringly clever geek as a child, and she used to say things like "Well maybe you've read sixty billion books this week but you don't know your arse from your elbow when you need to paint a fence properly" etc etc etc... Way to go! Slag off a child! I make her an exception though; she really is quite dim, so doesn't realise how insecure she looks about it. However, perhaps it was the first stage of her awareness, to realise on some base level that she is dim, and betray it by mocking a childs excitement about constantly learning. twat

"Katiepoes - I appreciate that you don't have to work in the area that you have a degree in but I find it quite funny that you spent 3 years at University only to do the same work as people who didn't."

I don't see what's so funny about that. Dh with a good degree from a good university works alongside colleagues without A-levels. A lot of the time- especially in his early years with the firm- they have been doing the same work at the same level, but dh can do more things and is easier to retrain (because more used to reading up on things quickly), so it's easier for the firm to move him sideways when work dries up in a certain area; he has got promotion when his colleagues haven't; and he has survived two periods of laying-off of staff, because it is quite simply easier to revamp his job description and make him pay for himself in new roles.

He doesn't disrespect his colleagues or think of himself as too good to do the same work. But he is aware of the advantage of having extra strings to his bow.

sleepydog you surely don't think an education's only purpose is to end up an x or y job? That it was a waste otherwise?

Please tell me I'm wrong!

I can't claim to have been to the University of Life, but have been to the University of Lunn (formerly Lunn Poly)

Compo - I went to University Number One , formerly know as Mono Poly

it's a bit daft to think people who can 'get in' to university go there and people who don't go to university can't get in, because it doesn't take into account life circumstances, family background, financial pressures, social/peer pressure and so on. I've never been but from what I can gather it's not extraordinarily hard to get in nowadays...

Ynbu. She sounds like a dick with a chip on her shoulder. Ive encountered plenty of people like this.

My dogs better than your dog

Nothing like a bit of mumsnet competitive self promotion.

As you were.

Psst, MeCook - I think you need to borrow the OP's extra apostrophe

Ah I went for the excuse to spend 3 years studying history (big history geek emoticon). I was still living at home and for some reason my parents felt if I wasn't studying I wouldn't be able to sit on my arse reading history books but would have to go out and get a job. Most unreasonable of them!!! Fortunately I learned how to change a lightbulb etc before I went, even managed to pick up a few things about 'life' while I was there. Oh the nostalgia of the long hours studying ignores time spent hard drinking partying and basically whooping it up

YANBU. I'd ask her if she thinks you went to the university of death :o

I went to University Number One , formerly know as Mono Poly

I like it!