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?

You do that at school, parties, when out, at work etc or even college for further educ/training/apprenticeship

As I said, there are crappy degrees and I'm standing by that
For many that go to uni and end up I debt, no job then no job I what they went to uni for, they'd been better off not going

Yes, some parents still want kids to go to uni and have little understanding of the subject their kids have chosen or what the job opps are where they live as most cant afford to move

There are jobs that are very limited.

The gov had to step in and consider putting a cap on certain degrees, why is that?

As a recently retired Uni lecturer, I’d like to ask you the same questions that I used to ask my students-
What are the sources for your assertions?
Where is your research?
Can you give examples from real organisations?

Without these you have failed to support your argument.

You will wait a long long time for anything resembling sense or verified fact from this OP. A long time. Make sandwiches and get a good book for the wait.

Maybe there’s a peer-reviewed JSTOR resource called ‘Sage Sayings of My Family At Parties’ of which those of us who teach at universities are unaware.

I’m starting to wonder if OP is related to the poster who comes on here occasionally to argue that academic children should be made to do vocational qualifucations. There’s about the same level of reasoned thought to the arguments.

🤣🤣 I’m still laughing!!

As I said, there are crappy degrees and I'm standing by that

Evidence please!!!

For many that go to uni and end up I debt, no job then no job I what they went to uni for, they'd been better off not going

This doesn't even make sense. I can't even work out what you are tryign to say here.

Yes, some parents still want kids to go to uni and have little understanding of the subject their kids have chosen or what the job opps are where they live as most cant afford to move

And? The parents aren't studying the subject. I have a degree, masters and PhD and my dad couldn't tell you anything about what I've studied!
All the research shows us that parents knowledge of the job market is out of date. That's why there are professionals.

There are jobs that are very limited.

Again, this doesn't make sense. Yes, there are jobs that are competitive but we also have a very buoyant graduate labour market. There are more job vacancies then there are graduates. This is sector dependant but some of those sectors might surprise you. For example, marketing.

The gov had to step in and consider putting a cap on certain degrees, why is that?
hahaha you got this information from the Daily Mail and clearly have no idea of the wider policy reforms that this misleading headline was taken from. The Government haven't stepped in and done anything!

Not in the same way you don’t Due to catchments for schools.

University students can come from all backgrounds, international students, other types of education. This should absolutely be encouraged.

There are some BS apprenticeships...

Definitely. Particularly the ones that allegedly train you to do a job that you can actually learn to be reasonably competent in over a couple of weeks - just an excuse to pay lower wages.

The thought had occurred to me too!

I work for a teacher training company. If you want to be a Secondary School teacher, we are specifically looking for degrees related to the subject you want to teach - including but not limited to Arts, Business Studies, and Sport & Exercise Sciences.

University is also about a lot more than what you learn academically.

Your horse is awfully high.

I think the importance of the arts and humanities is actually underestimated in modern society. As we progress, technology, AI and automation are going to change our social and economic landscape permanently. As well as people qualified in the ‘traditional’ professions, we will desperately need highly educated creative minds and critical thinkers. And far from being ‘useless’ many of the skills attained from those subjects are extremely flexible and valuable for many industries, rather than being restricted to a particular vocation or field.

Doing a degree is not for everyone, and that’s fair enough, but it’s not really about the subject and more about the quality of the degree itself and the individual’s suitability for that area of study. To say that arts/humanities degrees are ‘BS’ is just plain ignorant and shows a deep lack of understanding of social and economic dynamics.

(From a ‘BS’ Politics & Sociology graduate and a ‘BS’ Business Studies graduate DH who have both benefitted from having flexible degrees to become high achievers in our chosen careers)

So at 17 or 18 kids should not only know the career that they plan on doing for the rest of their lives, so they can plan a degree that matches this perfectly, they should also be planning said career based only on the industries in their home towns? Your world must be very small.

I agree.

So at 17 or 18 kids should not only know the career that they plan on doing for the rest of their lives, so they can plan a degree that matches this perfectly, they should also be planning said career based only on the industries in their home towns? Your world must be very small.

Totally agree. We put too much pressure on young people to make a career decision at 16/17 and we frame not knowing as a bad thing. The reality is that being open minded and willing to engage in a wide range of opportunities is actually the best thing you can do. Hardly anyone is in a career they had thought of at 16 but lots of people discover their passion and a whole range of careers they hadn't even heard of at university.

Not read the thread, but what is a BS degree is in the eye of the beholder.

People like to slag off things like media studies and politics degrees, but we'd be in a better state if we had more people with a better understanding of both.

If I had my time again I would study geography or data science, or both. But I imagine other people would have different ideas of what is useful.

I think the importance of the arts and humanities is actually underestimated in modern society. As we progress, technology, AI and automation are going to change our social and economic landscape permanently. As well as people qualified in the ‘traditional’ professions, we will desperately need highly educated creative minds and critical thinkers. And far from being ‘useless’ many of the skills attained from those subjects are extremely flexible and valuable for many industries, rather than being restricted to a particular vocation or field

It's worth noting that the creative sector employs more people in London than the financial services sector does. I was really surprised by that.

Employers need people with creative skills and find them difficult to recruit and retain.

The GDR used to require this. If you wanted eg to study (their version of) history, you had to do a vocational course too like bricklaying.

It would have been useless for me, because I am completely impractical and would have made a hash of the bricklaying, so probably wouldn't have been allowed to do the degree unless I was the child of a very high up Party person, I suppose.

You are beyond rude and arrogant. To study anything at degree level takes a lot of effort, and you are just a snob.

I have four degrees but have always fancied learning plastering and am learning drystone walling.

So just for that you go to uni and possibly end up with an almost worthless degree as you cant get job and to add to the burden, possibly a massive debt of 30k - all for what

If you are going to uni, go for something you know can be utilised in other sectors and many jobs around with super pay scales

In your opinion op what is a worthwhile degree and career?

How would you measure success?

Am I success as I studied a stem degree? Or a failure for not going into stem? (Even though I use the skills I gained in my degree in my job)

When they were 30, the two in IT and guess what, by then they had their own property, no uni debts and when they went to the next level, the company paid their time at their standard rate and paid for the degree courses and most of the costs towards books etc. Unlike many that go to uni, no work, end up with a degree that cant get them a job and a massive debt to burden them even before they have started out in life

Even if 2 of the three kids did not get a degree, they were being paid well over 80k and perks - , no uni debts and working from the age f 16 and first propties bought in London aged about 22, not bad, eh?