AIBU to feel that some parents just want their children at Uni even if its a BS degree

[DistinguishedSocialCommentator]

Hello
I come from a background/culture where education is seen as very important and going to a university is a must (My parents came to England in 1962)

Yes, more and more jobs are seeking degrees and often even when not necessary. There are many professions where you must have a degree to join the course training

However, what I and my family call BS degrees, to name but a few

Arts
Studio Fine arts
Arth History
Business studies
Exercise Science
Fashion

I cant see what jobs they will get as there must be other routes, less intensive and extensive to get the job they want

When I've talked about mickey-mouse degrees at parties etc and not be aware that some parents children or they may have studied them, they start to defend the indefensible.
The biggest bS degree is 'Politics' - WTH!! Sadly, we know a few people whose children have done that and ended up running the family shop/business - total waste of a degree

There are other degrees just as crappy - they should be banned IMO

AIBU to think these degrees are a waste of time and often do not aid the person into a job in that field?

I used to teach a humanities subject at a UK university where a significant number of the students were first generation university-goers from ethnic minorities, and either their parents or grandparents had immigrated — girls from one or two of the more conservative communities, who were dropped off and picked up after classes by brothers or male cousins, tended to have an arranged marriage soon after graduation. That degree still had value in opening their eyes to aspects of the world they hadn’t previously been exposed to, and gave them a qualification in case they left their marriages, and their daughters would have an educated mother and freer lives.

Yes. Any degree is a huge achievement.

Some people will never get the opportunity to do one.

Children are like butterflies, some fly higher than others but they are all beautiful.

This.

People who see education purely as a means to an end in the job world value employability, not education.

😂😂😂😂😂😂

go to stoke on Trent, Bradford, Liverpool, Newcastle, and other run down on their knee places

I wasn't going to bite until I saw this ^^

Have you ever left your city to visit other UK cities?
Both Liverpool and Newcastle are thriving, buzzy cities. Both have more than one university, including an RG university in each city. I can't speak for Bradford or Stoke, but neither Liverpool or Newcastle are "run down on their knee".

Your posts are badly written with many spelling errors, so I am not convinced that you have enjoyed the benefits of a decent education. Also, your very narrow and narrow minded view of life indicates your lack of breadth of education.

I don’t disagree that there are far too many jobs that request that applicants are degree educated when it isn’t necessary, but writing off all higher education unless it is “worthy” shows a complete lack of understanding of the world today. Also, you don’t seem to understand the term “transferable skills” which is what many degrees confer upon the graduate.

Incidentally, my friend’s DD graduated with a degree in fashion design, did a placement with Victoria Beckham during her degree and pretty much walked into a job at Boden as soon as she graduated.

You do know marriage as a feature of society is in terminal decline, right?

And that the average age for a woman to have her first baby is over 30 now??

Of course , the delightful Miriam Cates would rather young women didn't indeed 'use a degree' that men would be better off with as this level of education may put them off child rearing and thus reduce the desirable population.

Stoke is the centre of the celebrated UK ceramics industry. Plenty of people hanging around with arts qualifications there.

What an absolutely narrow and short-sighted point of view. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. You don’t think women who are raising the next generation might have a leg up in their child rearing efforts by having further education in a subject matter that interests them?

My youngest is in her first year of doing a bullshit degree. She's 30 miles away. We encouraged her.

It's not going to lead to a related job but she aims to improve her skills etc. Meanwhile, her confidence and maturity have increased, her anxiety and solitary habits have reduced and she has grown. I'm massively proud of her and in a couple of years time she will be able to go into the workplace confidently. Last year? A future of dead-end drudgery beckoned.

It's where DH achieved his PhD and subsequently became a world leading expert in his field.

My Mum was the first in her family to go on to Higher Education (teacher training) in the late 1960s. A family friend said to her dad: ‘what if she does all that and then just gets married and has children? That would be a waste of time and money’. My Grandad replied: ‘Well no, because then she is educated and her children will benefit from that. Educating women and girls is never a waste of time/money, even if they don’t work’ (my Grandad was a bit of a feminist, I reckon).

As it happens, Mum worked full-time alongside raising her family. She progressed in her role and had an extremely successful career.

Very judgy. One of my children did a more 'classic' degree. A handful of them found a job. The others went to on to teach abroad or do further education. Another one did what you claim to be a mickey mouse degree, and nearly the whole course found jobs immediately. She is now the highest earner out of my kids. It is such a snobby attitude. Universities (which were the old polytechnics) have degrees to support local industries. Textiles, engineering, etc as well as degrees to newer industries like media and IT.

Thank you and good luck
In my OP I actually forgot to inc 'Media Studie' as the biggest lol IMO

Some will agree with everything in my OP, some with none of it and others with some of it

I'm standing by the fact that it is almost pointless going for a degree that won't help you into a job around you live.

Its easy to say move, but not everyone can afford to move to a job as property prices vary

I'm standing by the fact that it is almost pointless going for a degree that won't help you into a job around you live.

But very few jobs require specific degrees. More jobs require that you have the ability to learn at degree level.

There is no specific degree for the job I do, but I wouldn’t have got it without a degree (and arts degrees are as equally valued as STEM for the job, fwiw - and actually the arts graduates tend to do better in role as they have more relevant transferrable skills). It’s a way to prove that you have the aptitude to learn.

Well then this is your narrow view on the value- the value to you is only on job prospects but others value other aspects of university.

I would not pay £5k to fly a spitfire but someone else would. I don't value that experience to the tune of £5k personally but can understand that someone else would.

My friend, with an arts degree is a tattoo artist. She's earning 90k a year. That's good money. Good tattoo artists are booked up 6-8 months in advance and earn £100's a day, 6 days a week. it's a very lucrative industry!

Did you know that Art used to be in the Olympics?

I'm exactly the same, unless there's a particular career you plan on going into (Veterinary,medicine, teaching etc) then my advice would be apprenticeships all the way

My OH is a plumber & it's definitely something I would encourage my son to think about when he's older, the world would literally be your oyster

I work in Bradford and do a role which supports the health of this city and the research I am involved in will support population health for decades. My role is very well paid. I start my 4th degree (third Post Grad) in September.

Disparaging people's education, geography, culture and social system makes you look like you haven't engaged well with what learning is meant to do...become a critical and curious, open thinker instead of marrying to a fixed hypothesis. I feel very sorry for you.

Definitely. I’m sure a sizeable proportion of people are capable of learning how to use the equipment in a tattoo studio, but actually being able to create designs that people want and will pay £££ for is a different thing altogether.

There’s a world of difference between the studios where you can walk in on the day and choose a design from a picture on the wall; and the types of artists with long waiting lists who create their own masterpieces. My DD is a very talented artist (and loves tattoos) so I’m kind of hoping she’ll consider it as a career!

No degrees are BS ones IMO ,many lead to a well paid job and security.Even if they dont end up in a chosen career, no education is wasted. Very harsh OP!

One of our DC is studying an art subject. They had the grades to study English Literature at an RG university but it wasn't what they truly loved. The connections into industry and the networks they have made at university are priceless and will allow them to start working commercially straight after graduation. Average earning capacity in their sector is £60,000 plus.