To ask if there's any education/qualifications you regretted achieving?

[northbacchus]

Did you ever regret achieving any qualifications/educations levels?

I know some people have stories of being overqualified for certain jobs, but I'm wondering if anything would truly leave you disadvantaged.

Only where the study was a waste of my time, even with a qualification at the end of it.

No, never. I’ve done qualifications I no longer use day to day - a PGCE and MA in education but I don’t for a moment regret them!

No. If I was really worried about being overqualified for a job, I just wouldn't list the qualification on my CV. This has never come up for me, though.

Not at all. Even if I don't use that particular qualification at the moment I will have still learned something and developed as a person which can only be a good thing.

My degree. I did it for the sake of it and didn't put any effort in. Now Im older and know what I want to do, I dont think I'd be able to get student finance and I have a family so its no good. I didnt even move away from home or make any friends so I didn't even get the uni experience from it 🤷‍♀️

I have an Oxbridge degree. I have found that as a result people make assumptions about me in terms of my background, politics etc. I find it frustrating but I don’t regret it per se. I had a ball, experienced my first great live affair and still have my 2 best friends from those days.

Latin o level was pretty much a huge waste of time for me. I would have preferred to have done almost anything else instead.

No but I'm really glad I never pursued a PhD. That would have been a ridiculous waste of time and energy for zero return on investment in my field (medicine!)

No, I am over qualified for my current job and have had other jobs where I was over qualified for. I have never found it a hindrance. In fact I think.the opposite has been the case as Ive always been open on my application forms about why I am seeking less responsibility/better work life balance etc. Also in a previous life when I managed a large team and had to recruit to it, I positively welcomed over qualified and experienced candidates. They were often people who knew what they wanted in their role and had the confidence to take a step down.

don't regret my degrees but I do occasionally wish I had done different GCSE options, academic not performance arts. I enjoyed them and wanted a challenge but to be honest I don't have any talent in that area and didn't get brilliant grades. It makes no actual difference though to a 30- something!

No. I wish I’d gone to university at 18 instead of after having my children but I went on to take an MA and a PhD and have a successful career in academia. My favourite GCE that I took was Greek Literature in Translation. I was always asked about it at interviews!

I regret going to university at 18 not 19, but not the qualifications I have.

No, education is always a good thing.

Much of what I learned at school was pretty useless. I scraped an O-level in maths but have never been required in adult life to perform a quadratic equation (and still don't know what they're for, unless you want to hand down the torment and become a maths teacher). How many hours of boredom was that? Although Latin has been quite useful.
I have never - not once - been required to produce proof any exam or degree.
Wish I'd known that as a teen!

I did a TEFL course once which I never used. In one way it was a “waste if time and money” because I never used it, but I learnt a whole load about grammar which has stood me in good stead, and I made some connections with people whonlive overseas now. And who
knows, one day it might come in useful yet. I also read some great books on the train to and frim college every day!

I did the Chartered Institute of Marketing postgrad exams and got their PgDip.

Has been utterly pointless for me.

@katy1213

Much of what I learned at school was pretty useless. I scraped an O-level in maths but have never been required in adult life to perform a quadratic equation (and still don't know what they're for, unless you want to hand down the torment and become a maths teacher). How many hours of boredom was that? Although Latin has been quite useful. I have never - not once - been required to produce proof any exam or degree. Wish I'd known that as a teen!

On the other hand, without these qualifications you'd be disqualified from many jobs. Particularly the Maths. Many jobs/further study these days expect basic (GCSE level) English and Maths. If you have never been required to produce proof of exams then you've been fortunate - and it's rare. I wouldn't be telling that to teens as a way of suggesting that they don't need qualifications.

For what it's worth, I've been in a profession for well over 30 years and every single interview I've had has required to see proof of my qualifications and status, so we've clearly had different experiences.

(Agree with you about the Latin though. I quite enjoyed mine)

I have never - not once - been required to produce proof any exam or degree.

That's quite rare. Every single job I've ever had has required proof of qualifications. Also, when I've been involved in recruitment proof of quals was essential.

Not in terms of being overqualified or underqualified but if I had a TARDIS I would go back and change one of my GCSE subjects because the subject I did had a massive coursework component that didn't suit me.

I wish i had stick by my conviction and did the a-levels that I wanted to do - not what the college pushed me into doing as they thought my choices weren't a good combination.

I have never - not once - been required to produce proof any exam or degree

I think I may have done once when a (US based) employer asked an agency to check everything.

And I had to take my GCSE certificates once to prove I had Maths and English despite having a Masters degree!

@Neolara

Latin o level was pretty much a huge waste of time for me. I would have preferred to have done almost anything else instead.

Interestingly if I had my TARDIS I would go back and choose Latin instead

I wish I'd taken different GCSEs as I took ones I enjoyed rather than ones I was good at and I didn't get the best grades but it has in no way hindered me long term and I'm exactly where I wanted to be.

I am currently on a course that I'm considering giving up but If I do and I come away with 2yrs of study and no qualification I won't regret it because I have learned so, so much that I can apply elsewhere.

I wish id gone to art school and finished my zoology degree.

I did a whole PhD because my abusive ex told me that he would break up with me if I moved to a different town to pursue my career.

I then spent 4 years working as a computer programmer because I didn't want to be an academic and my ex said I needed to earn proper money because I was a "spoilt Princess" who didn't know how the real world worked.

I'm not sure that I exactly regret all of this, because I learnt interesting stuff and working in software paid well enough for me to do a master's degree that got me back to the career I originally wanted, but dear lord what a fucking waste of time.