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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

nephew is doing a degree where he spends a lot of time watching rugby matches

100 replies

pettywitchinlondon · 29/05/2015 15:34

Some kind of sports degree. Apparently he has to watch them to analyse the strategy. Fair enough if he didn't have to pay fees, but he pays full fees and has just finished the first year.

I know I'm being unreasonable as its his choice, but I can't help but think its a waste of money and its a good example of something that should be learnt practically rather than as a degree.

I can't really say anything as I did a history degree but at least that was highly regarded from a red brick and will still useful for my job prospects.

Am I right to worry he's wasting his money and time?

OP posts:
Annabannbobanna · 30/05/2015 07:21

I know this is really really frowned upon, but I just can't resist, maybe you should of done a different degree OP your not very well educated are you?

Original poster
pettywitchinlondon · 30/05/2015 07:30

Yawn.

There's been over 50 replys here and the majority were personal digs at me as I dare to question the job prospects of someone spending 50k and 3 years doing a non traditional subject.

I'm thankful for the few that sent useful replys and didn't feel the need to attack me.

Hides thread.

OP posts:
andadietcoke · 30/05/2015 07:41

Oh oh oh but but but I was about to contribute something useful about my DH and his Mickey Mouse sports science degree. He has a job and everything. And he still watches rugby 'to analyse it'. Ha. I know all about that old chestnut. Maybe he's just saying he needs to watch it for uni Was this part of a conversation about 'needing' sky sports? Because I had that chat too.

Mashtag · 30/05/2015 07:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CatOfTheForest · 30/05/2015 07:55

I had to spend my degree reading books. Hundreds of the buggers. They didn't cost the university anything and I spent most of my time doing that. All university provided was some lectures (which tended to just repeat what was in the books, so I mostly didn't bother) and a tutorial twice a week.

It was English at Oxford, one of the most traditional and respected degrees you can do. It was on a grant in my day but the same course still exists and costs a bomb. I don't think you can measure a course by how practical and useful the stuff you actually do is.

I could understand if he felt the course was pointless, but if he doesn't, then it's up to him. He's probably as likely to get as job from it as I was from mine (I did, but most people on my course went on to unrelated careers).

SoupDragon · 30/05/2015 07:57

Some kind of sports degree.

You're so concerned you can't even be arsed to know what the actual degree is.

SoupDragon · 30/05/2015 07:58

Without knowing the degree, how can you, or we, possibl? know whether it is a waste of time?

CatOfTheForest · 30/05/2015 08:04

Actually I do agree with Mashtag that it's ridiculous to see university as something everyone should do, and there are a lot of people being pushed towards doing degrees that don't especially help them make the best of their skills and get a good career they're suited to.

That's a slightly different issue though because this individual person might be in the perfect degree for him (maybe he'll become a sports journalist, teacher, manager or referee etc.) and what he's doing could be directly useful.

sanfairyanne · 30/05/2015 08:47

most degrees are not worth the financial investment that 18 year olds are mis-sold, but think of it like this - it is the governments problem not his if he can't repay his 50 000 or thereabouts debt.

sanfairyanne · 30/05/2015 08:49

forgot to add, it is stalkerish bad form to bring up posts from other unrelated threads imo and the highest paid person i know, with the most successful career path, top exec for one of the biggest uk companies, has been made redundant a fair few times in her lifetime so i dont see what that has to do with anything anyway Biscuit

Headdesk · 30/05/2015 08:52

If you're not doing the degree yourself then you won't know all that is involved. I get a lot of shit for doing the degree im doing because people think it's easy... It's not at all.

Stitchintime1 · 30/05/2015 08:53

There was a list somewhere of degrees that have best employment outcomes (as measured by the speed at which graduates secured employment.) They were pretty much all stem degrees. And I think law. Your nephew will probably be fine ie he'll be as broke as most graduates.

jorahmormont · 30/05/2015 08:58

I've just finished a very vocational degree from a very new uni in a very non respected subject. Walked straight into a full time job. Bollocks do we "never make it past interview".

LazyLouLou · 30/05/2015 09:11

Mmm! Let me see, watching and analysing rugby... his degree could easily be any of the sport science degrees, you don't say which. Sports journalism is probably the least likely.

But he will need A levels in Biology, PE maybe, preferably second science.. or a BTEC that had a high science content (so probably not th Sports Coaching BTEC). The degree he is doing probably includes physiology and biomechanics, it will soon add a lot of stats, he will need to use lots and lots of maths to write up his analysis.

Every professional sports team has an analysis expert or three, time and motion, fitness, tactics etc. Lots are attached to universities running large scale, longitudinal studies into sport, exercise and health.

You may feel it is a waste of time and money but please, don't presume to dismiss the science content of such degrees. If you tale away the word 'sport' you get a science degree, not really so mickey mouse! Odd how 'sport' is so looked down upon. Much of the rehab/medicine we now take for granted has been explored/developed in sport, psychology included.

So yes, YABU, snobbish and uninformed!

forago · 30/05/2015 09:22

my friend did a sports science degree back in the day, when it was really considered worthless and "mickey mouse". Now a senior producer at sky sports on a healthy six figure salary. Mad about sports. as someone who has spent a successful but boring 20 years in an office job I think k it's great to study something you are really interested in. Far more likely to be good at it and hence successful too I think.

Someone who works in admissions once told me that the " best" courses out there I terms of employability and future success were two niche courses somewhere, one on golf management and one on motor sports management as there are only 20 odd students on them and they are all snapped up by formula one and golf tours the minute they graduate, every year. The FI ones do extremely well apparently.

IPityThePontipines · 30/05/2015 09:22

It is very bad form to bring up previous threads and makes the person doing it look bad.

There are wider questions about if a degree is good value for money, particularly as it's such a huge investment. I do think far too many young people are going to uni because it's the done thing, rather than decide if it's actually going to benefit them.

I know quite a few people who would openly say they achieved very little with their degree except a load of debt.

Sports studies can be a very useful degree,but IME the universities running these courses often have massive intakes for them, producing a big oversupply of people with those qualifications.

angelos02 · 30/05/2015 09:27

YANBU. I did a degree not dissimilar to your nephews & it was a waste of time. Same for most of the people I've kept in contact with from there.

5YearsTime · 30/05/2015 09:34

Think about how many billions of pounds annually are spent/made/invested in sport. Not saying that's a good thing but it's a major industry!

Mrsjayy · 30/05/2015 09:40

My dd did a degree with honours ,where 1 of her projects was listening to scary music put together a research to see what effect it had on people is that a waste of fee money. Your nephew is doing sport science or something where he is analysing sport i am sorry that doesnt please you your busom must be up to your neck with all the hoicking

Mide7 · 30/05/2015 09:41

If he was to get a top job in rugby, for example, he could earn a a lot of money, travel the world, meet some very interesting people all the while doing something he enjoys. Doesn't sound bad to me.

Or he could finish his degree In sport and get a get a graduate job in something completely unrelated like a lot of people( who do none Mickey Mouse degrees) and also do something he enjoys.

Szeli · 30/05/2015 09:45

At a risk of outing;

DB1 2.2 in business studies earns around £65k before tax
DS2 3 in Sports Studies earns around £45-50k after tax and travels the world for free (holidays as well as work)
DB2 2.2 in Maths is a barman on nmw or slightly more
DS2 2.1 in Business and Management earns £16k before tax

That little field study suggests maths is a poor choice and sport is an excellent one Grin you have no idea what your nephew will do but if you encourage him he will do far better than if you discourage

fascicle · 30/05/2015 09:50

Some kind of sports degree. Apparently he has to watch them to analyse the strategy.

OP, it sounds like you don't know much about your nephew's degree/may not be very interested in sport. What is the title of the degree and what does he hope to do afterwards?

I'm thinking that a sports related degree might be increasingly useful these days, with growing public interest in certain sports for leisure/fitness purposes. Even if your nephew ends up doing something unrelated to sport, a degree with a sports management/psychology element might be useful for other areas. I recently read about a school principal who runs a secondary school graded as outstanding by Ofsted, in a disadvantaged area of London. He did so borrowing performance management methods used by Dave Brailsford (GB/Sky cycling team):

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/11591616/How-Team-Skys-philosophy-transformed-a-school.html

noddyholder · 30/05/2015 11:03

I think its ok to bring up previous obtuse posts if you suspect the thread has been started to get a bunfight going which I do

Anniegetyourgun · 30/05/2015 11:19

But is it Rugby League or Rugby Union he is required to watch? This makes all the difference.

Capricorn76 · 30/05/2015 11:19

I don't understand why the OP is being attacked in this way. She's right to worry about her DN's future. A few years ago people would raise eyebrows at a degree involving a lot of TV watching. The stakes are higher now as he will be in a lot of debt and the cost of living is high these days.

A value for money test must be applied. I'm assuming it's a popular course and only a few make it. There are only so many senior exec positions at Sky Sports.

I'd be concerned if my DD wanted to do Media/Sports or any form of entertainment studies. Yes a lot of you have anecdotes about relatives doing media/sports degrees and doing well but for every success there will be 30 also-ran's who'll be pursuing 'careers' in retail whilst struggling to rent a flat and pay off a massive student debt.