To think people are overeducated in the UK?

[Watdidusay]

I am raging about this too be honest and I'm not sure why.

One of the mums at the school apparently lost her corporate job 8 months ago. Found this out today when I ran into her in Lidl in the next town - she was working as a manager there.
We ended up talking later in the day and turns out four of the staff there have masters degrees or above (one has a PhD). Apparently this is a common thing people are doing now as they cant get jobs in their fields
AIBU to think we are completely over educating people in this country now?

Feeling angry I think as DS (18) tried so hard over the summer to get a job like this but am finding out now they are all being taken up by people with lots of degrees!

Lol. If anything, it's the complete opposite!

Back in the day just having a degree was rare and made you employable even if it was Ancient Greek. A number of Prime Ministers for example held degrees in Classics for example. Now people tend to specialise earlier so if you want to be a journalist you do a Journalism degree, if you want to go into Publishing you do a Publishing degree. I don't think degree skills are seen as transferable as they used to be and perhaps that is valid.

It's called qualification inflation - not over educating specifically but jobs requiring more education than is really needed to fulfil the role. It's definitely "a thing".

I have a degree and have never earned over 30k
wrong job choices, health issues causing fatigue, the area I live in… lots of choices/missed opportunities
the job I am in now uses my brain every day, but it’s stress free and close to home

People need to earn money, and yes it does make it hard for someone else to compete, but qualifications surely aren’t top of employers list for a supermarket job. I’d rather have someone who will stick around longer.

🤣🤣 if I think of all the problems we have in Britain today, overeducation would not be the first or second, or third thing that comes to mind.

If they're a talented illustrator get them to check out Harmony Toonboom, you can usually get free trials and there's loads of online tutorials (including on Harmonys own website) it's a really great package for both hand drawn, key frame animation and "cut out" rigged animation. Xx

Also something I always tell budding illustrators/animators, is to do as much figure drawing as they can, just quick gesture drawings of people (and animals) in a sketchbook (or digital tablet) it really gets their eye in, especially with weight distribution.

If they don't have it already buy them the book "animators survival kit" by Richard Williams.

Good luck to your teen! Xx

I don't think this a new thing. We all got sold the thing about having a degree meaning you will earn lots more than people without degrees.
Many people with degrees end up working in jobs that have nothing to do with their degree. I knew someone who did law, who ended up in a call centre selling private pensions to people.
DB has a degree, and is a cleaner.
I was a Band 1 NHS employee, and a lot of my colleagues had degrees... and they had been working there for over a decade.
DM has a cleaning company and wont interview people with degrees, because she wants long term and reliable staff... not someone doing it as interim until they find something better. But she gets loads of graduates applying because the job market right now is awful.

They would, and that is why you have posters on here saying their bright young graduate child can not even get a supermarket job.... because the supermarket does not want you to leave after a couple of months to go to a better job.

DM has her own company and wont even entertain graduates with an interview because she knows their flight risk and she hates having to train up new employees and everything that goes with that.

AI will destroy illustration as a career.

Why pay a human when you can prompt a computer to do exactly what you want for a fraction of the price

It's really shit but that's the way many creative roles are heading

thats true , ive already used it to take a photo of an idea and then it adds edits etc and its free

Pahahahaha, 10 minutes with the gammons on Angry Twitter or the comments section in the local rag demonstrates that we all need a LOT more education. It’s astounding how many people can’t even string a coherent sentence together.

Perhaps one of the reasons employers are giving jobs to over qualified but experienced people is that they dont want to risk it with entitled youngsters who think they know everything at 18! If I was looking to employ someone in my business it would not be a school leaver or a new graduate. I would probably go for an older person who is winding down to retirement and looking for a part time job where basic admin skills and reliability were appreciated. I dont want someone who experiences stress when answering the telephone or who cannot word a basic email to a client.I want someone who turns up for work on time, does the hours they are paid for in a competent manner and does not bring their private worries into the office. This is more likely to be someone with past work experience who can pick up the job quickly and be left to get on with it.

its the fact that many dont want to learn or study is the issue, these days with youtube, goggle and wikipedia etc

Empty vessels make the most noise.

To be honest OP your posts don’t make sense and your logic is invalid.

They don’t need a post graduate education to work at Lidl. It’s quite likely that Lidl has not put a degree requirement on the job ad.

It’s just that your son was not competitive.

It’s simply that people with multiple degrees/post graduate degrees likely interview better than someone like your son on the basis that 2 degrees gives them more experiences to talk about vs 1 degree? Or that their work experience was more directly relevant and useful than your son’s? Most people are more confident at the end of post grad vs end of undergrad?

I’m not sure why you’ve therefore come to the conclusion that people need a maths PhD to work for Lidl when clearly, it was a desperation move for the woman you mention to keep finances afloat! Her degrees were likely not relevant or required but she was able to spin transferable skills and impress them.

The other side to this, is that your son’s application wasn’t good enough. It’s not about his education when it comes to a job at Lidl, so in that scenario he’s not at a disadvantage for not having a PhD.

overproduction of elites
AI Overview
Elite overproduction is a sociological concept describing a society producing too many potential elite members (highly educated, ambitious individuals) relative to available high-status, influential positions. Coined by Peter Turchin, this phenomenon leads to intense intra-elite competition, frustration among "elite aspirants," and, ultimately, increased social instability and potential political breakdown.
Key Aspects of Elite Overproduction:
Definition: It refers to an oversupply of people expecting elite status (power, wealth, high status) who cannot be absorbed into the elite structure.
Root Causes: Key factors include the massive expansion of tertiary education (e.g., in the UK) and a growing population of over-qualified individuals.
Societal Impact:
Increased Competition: A "game of musical chairs" where too many qualified people vie for limited, influential positions.
Counter-Elites: Frustrated, ambitious, and highly educated individuals who are denied elite status may become "counter-elites," organizing against the existing ruling class.
Instability: This often leads to political violence, social unrest, and, historically, has preceded periods of fragmentation.
Historical Context: It is frequently cited as a driver of instability in complex societies throughout history, often preceding crises.
Modern Relevance: Critics of the theory often cite that the number of "elite aspirants" does not automatically mean they are underemployed, and note that the theory may overemphasize labor supply while ignoring demand.
Elite overproduction is considered a major, measurable factor that can help identify periods at risk of political upheaval.

Indeed. I see a lot of that on facebook groups, especially the political groups, the media headline ones and those peopled by the elderly, mourning the passing of the 'good old days' which didn't exist but are remembered fondly. They then go on about people and issues of 'nowadays'. I am elderly so I at least fit in age-wise. Most of it is written with poor grammar and syntax.

I wonder if some of them ever actually went to school even though they moan enough about education 'nowadays'.

I would say it’s down to transferable skills.

Graduates in the course of their degrees have to develop good time management, ability to learn new things quickly, stick at tasks until they are complete, balance competing priorities, etc.

They will also have greater maturity, potentially better soft skills / people skills.

No, we are undereducated in the UK. We could do with having more people who are capable of critical thinking. Education can teach you to think critically.

or you can self study to learn critical thinking

Sometimes I wonder if some people would prefer to live in a totalitarian state where people work where the state needs live bodies.

The idea that fairness is part of capitalism is bonkers.

100K debt?! “So many years of not working”?!

A PhD IS working. It’s not a taught programme. Depending on your discipline, you could be working in a lab all day, with an industrial partner funding you. All my cohort were studentship holders, none of us paid any fees and we were getting paid a generous stipend. Those who had industrial partners topping up their stipend were even better obviously.

PhD competition or not, how would your 18 year old son get a managerial role without any experience?! Presumably he’s only just finished school about a year ago?!

@LBFseBromits interesting isn’t it, I’m 64 and the Facebook comments on local stuff ( and I live somewhere pretty nice) are full of the rose tinted glasses brigade and my feed is full of people who on one hand bemoan the cost of living or any positive things the gvt might initiate but on the other hand appear to be in Tenerife/majorca/Turkey- wherever about 5 times a year minimum - it would be more honest if they said ‘I’m doing nicely thanks’ and their cost of living increase is partly down to their changed habits of non stop trips and £100 concert tickets to see big names.

It's not only education but attitude and work ethic. My BIL works in IT and his team are increasingly all Indian. He said you can't compare their attitude and work ethic to the local competition, who often feel work is beneath them and that they are overqualified for certain tasks. In in interviews there is a stark difference. I'm hearing from several people in managerial roles that younger employees will just phone and say they are having a mental health day so aren't coming in and what that translates to is I just want a day off.