to think my degree is as good as anyone elses?

[SecretSlattern]

I started off in 2004 doing a NVQ 3 in Early Years Care and Education, 3 months after having DD. I qualified 9 months later, with 2 level 3 qualifications and worked for a bit in day nurseries, pre-schools and after school clubs before studying a Foundation Degree in Early Years Childcare and Education.

At the start of the second year of my FD, I discovered I was pg with DS but continued on anyway and had him 2 weeks before the end of the course. I graduated from Uni in 2008, six weeks after having DS.

I finally went back to finish the last year of my BA (hons) in Early Childhood Studies. I now have 2 DCs, one of which is constantly in and out of hospital, and have now discovered I am pg with DC3. The timing is pretty shit, but there you go. DC3 is due in May, the same month that I am due to finish my degree (although will still have to write my dissertation, which I have done before so am confident I can do it again).

However, when telling a friend of mine what I was up to (hadn't spoken in a while), she sniffed, pulled a face and basically said it wouldn't matter if I didn't finish my degree because it isn't a proper degree anyway. "What can you do with a degree in kids?" was the question I was asked.

I actually intend to go on in the future and do a PGCE in primary, specialising in early years. AIBU to think that just because my degree is "in kids" it doesn't make it any less of a degree? I still go to uni, still have to do a mahoosive amount of work, same as any other undergrad.

re gasman's post i would say that CPEs/LPCs and PGCEs can be studied for anywhere without any stigma as they are completely standardised qualifications - your choice of institution is pretty insignificant and the info does not really form part of your CV. my silly cousin who had a chip on her shoulder about being rejected from Oxford four years ago, recently went through the hassle and expense of doing her PGCE at a teaching college affiliated to Oxford (even though she lives in London and there were plenty of providers here). she has now been telling people that she is an 'Oxford postgraduate' IMO as a means of misleading them - this is vain and incorrect (not to mention extremely irritating).

But gasman if I in eht 1970s could take myself off the library and look things up about courses and where it is best to go surely any student however poor if they are clever can go on the internet and look into any of these things. It's much easier in theory even if the state schools are feeding them a load of rubbish about everyone being equal on the planet in the socialist republic of new Labour.

"It is sad that children today aren't being given guidance as to what degrees are marketable for future employment." Hopefully some are but I do think parents can help a lot even if the state schools aren't too good at it. Teenagers jsut have no idea that in some jobs can earn £1m a year and others you'll be on the minimum wage from age 20 - 65.

But when my parents (revealing roots now) went of to University in the 70s most degrees led to a decent job as there wasn't the huge proliferation in providers/ courses available.

I know that parents can steer children I've seen it in action. Clued up families are also able to help teens prepare for the application process better.

I don't think the emphasis on things like interviews/ extra curricular stuff was there in the 70s either. If you were bright and wanted to do Law/ Vet/ Medicine you just applied. Now there is a hidden extra curricular requirement too - work experience (much easier to arrange if your Godfather is a Vet), reading round ethical issues (much easier if someone passes you on the medical comics which get sent out by the colleges t members).

Anyway I may be talking out of my arse but my sister does lots of equal access stuff for our old University (RG) and the tales she comes away with are sad because of the opportunites lost/ hidden inequalities seen.

But maybe I'm just being utopian. And I agree as a teen I didn't consider future earnings at all yet when I look around my university friends I am eternally grateful I chose my nice vocational degree... which got me a job which I happen to enjoy very much.

Anyway I've moved the debate, Sorry.

OP I think your friend was being an idiot. Mature students (especially those with kids) make me feel very humble indeed regardless of the degree subject. I also have experience of family members doing OU again it is an enormus ammount of work. Far more than most spotty 18 year olds manage even at the most illustrious universities.

PS: I'm not an Oxbridge graduate - I'm too thick!

Xenia absolutely prents can steer, I hope I will get the chance one day.

My parents however had to be fought foewn just for me to be allowed to do A Levels; a degree had to coem much later.

I saw so many students strugglewith aprents- kids not eating hecuase they couldn't get a job and parents wouldn't stump up the agreed contribution; terribly sad but not everyone cares about their children post 18.

Dh had a differnet aprent issue- back in the dawn of the IT era he got a palce to study it (was priobably called computing or somesuvch then). However, for his alst year of studies before ahnd he was working FT to pay the rent his parents demanded (market rate), studying FT and getting A's (you can see the issue alrady...) and his Mum had her own business needing transport but wopuldn'tdrive so would wake him at all hours insisting onlifts- oftern he'd get ion at 3am from a shift and she'd wake him at 5am.

Clearly the sensible thing would have been tomove out but he was desperately trying to save for that university place; he ended up having a nervoud breakdown and being unable to go.

Now he much prefers the degree he is doing now anyway so there are pluses, but parents can hinder as much as they help.

When I went 15% of children went and my A level grades were unusually good and only one third of those 15% get a 2/1 degree at a decent place. So 5% of 18 year olds got a 2/1 degree. Now it's more like 2/3rds of the 50% who go and stick out the course so it's harder to stand out I suppose and obviously graduate job prospects often mostyl depend on the state of the economy at the time. My 110 applications were partly because of the recession when I was applying for jobs.

Interestingly in Scotland (and in England if your parents are divorced) there is a right to parental support at university post 18 but not in England so it's very unfair if what the state provides is based on parental income at all.

It's certainly hard for parents too speaking as a parent who has supposed three children through university some of whom are still there very recently. One reason for women to try to pick well paid careers so they can help their own children in due course.