Do you have a good job because of your university education

[zippitippitoes]

like the government says people do?

I have a good, highly paid job where my hours can be flexible if I need them to be.

I own my own house and am happily married with a dd and a bump.

I didn't go to Uni so obviously don't have a degree and I don't think I would have any of the above things if I had wasted my time at university.

I am also considerably better off (both finacially and relationship wise) than most of my friends who did go to Uni.

hurrumph

i do community arts

(I run the outreach and education side of a gallery)

didnt do my degree in it though. But its a good, vocational degree.

No offence meant Enid.... It just tickled me thats all.... the girl doing Law was sooooooo not impressed.

No.

In fact at the moment I am seriously wondering why I bothered.

No-one round here wants to employ a graduate with 10 years marketing experience PART TIME for a decent wage.

But I'm not bitter.

Yes.

My first job required my specific degree (well it required a 2.1 in physiology, pharmacology or biochemistry and I have combined honours phys/pharm so covered both). I worked my way up into a management position in this job so then did management qualifications and started an MBA.

My second job didn't 'require' this degree but because I had it and the pharmaceutical background from my previous job I was paid more than other people at the same level who didn't have a medical background.

I'm now freelance for that employer and earning very decent money for the hours I do - again, I get paid more than many other freelancers doing the same thing because I have both the MR background and the pharmaceutical/medical background.

why is everyone so down on university? Why does Sweetheart think she wouldn't have her house, husband and dd + bump if she had 'wasted her time at uni'. University gives you so much more than just a qualification. I hope my ds goes but if he doesn't want to I wouldn't pressure him, but would feel that he had missed out

I didn't see mine as a waste of time at all. I loved every minute of it (and met DH).
All I was saying is it's not right for every 18yr old. We should offer them a range of credible, respected alternatives that also lead to qualifications. I suspect the reason that female plumber earns so much is because qualified plumbers are hard to come by. Esp. in London.

OTOH, in stark contrast to swotty old me, dh didn't go to uni and has got very few qualifications but has ended up in a job that normally requires a degree, but by making a cheeky application anyway and impressing the interviewers he got in and is now one of the highest billers for the company.

Does beg the question 'why do they 'require' a degree'?!

compo, what do you do (if you don't mind me being nosy...)?

yes I agree with you there homemama. I think apprenticeships are really important too. I met my dh at uni too

Also agree it's not just about the qualification. It changes your whole outlook. I remember coming back after the first term and meeting friends in the pub who had gone to work instead and thinking I had nothing in common with them anymore.

I loved Uni, I just didn't get much out of it apart from a £2,500 debt!

Yes. Theoretically both Dh and I could have started our careers potentially minus a degree, the fact that we both have degrees significantly accelerated our career path, and the fact that we are ex-Oxbridge also gave us an advantage in the jobs market.

roosmoo - I'm an Information Professional.

I didn't go to uni because I didn't know what I wanted to do so as far as I see it I would have been wasting my time.

I wouldn't have my dh because I met my dh when I was at school and if I'd have moved away we would have broken up - and I wouldn't have my dd because I fell pregnant at 18 because I stayed home to get a job and be with my dh.

I also wouldn't have my house becuase I wouldn't have got on the property ladder at 19 years old.

I'm not "down on uni" these are just the facts of my life. The last fact is especially true - I am alot better off than most of my friends who did go to Uni. It's also worth pointing out that alot of people looked down on me for not going to Uni which I find very irratating when you consider everything I have achieved without it!

as an employer, I can say that 9 times out of 10 graduates (in any discipline) are better employees than non-graduates. It's not just the subject you leanr at university, it's things like organisation skills, initiative, quality control of your own work etc.

my job is nothing to do with my degree, but it certainly helps.

I don't think you can generalise on this tbh - I've done very well out of my education and degree and I wouldn't change a thing. Dh and other members of my family have done equally well without one because they happen to be very good at other things.

I would encourage my dss to go to uni, not just for the degree but for the whole experience it offers, but I wouldn't be disappointed if they didn't go - everyone is different.

Myself and my brothers are completely different so I accept my sons may be too - I'm a swotty academic type who ended up in science/medicine, db1 is a graphic designer and db2 a police officer. Two of us did, and needed, degrees and one of us didn't.

When I was doing A levels, a teacher gave us a talk on "why go to university". Her main reasons were:

a) its the easiest way to leave home straight after school

b) you'll meet rich husbands

We hated her, but ohhhh was it true!

I had a fab time at uni. I grew up into me there. The study part was minor...

I wouldn't have been as senior as I am so young without my degree - I manage people 10 yrs older than me. My degree has opened lots of doors. Also had great time and learned a lot about life within the safety net or Uni.

depends on the degree and how much demand there is for the job at the end - just like skilled labour and intellectual type careers - supply and demand.

thanks compo....just asked as i'm also an english grad, have done MA & currently doing phd (tho on mat leave until jan). dunno really whether to go back or try something else??? hmmm.

Wouldn't have got my jobs without my degree in microbiology.

Was a microbiologist for 3 years reaching a deputy lab manager position but didn't want to become a lab manager (too much stress and hassle for rubbish money) so became a Food Safety expert with a major supermarket before becoming a SAHM after having DD.

Technically I say I'm on career break but I don't have a clue what career to go back to. Microbiology jobs v rare in Scotland so will probably have to retrain but as to what???

My job isn't really relevant to my degree but I don't regret doing it. Met my dh, loads of new friends, got oodles of independence and responsibility and having a degree on your CV indicates to lots of employers that you are committed and ambitious. Of course you can do all of these things without going to Uni but it was the best way for me to get them. Having a degree has opened up opportunities for me, which although on hold temporarily while I do the equaully important job of raising a family I can always refer back to.

I am a Uni drop out and haven't got a degree. I have worked in Civil Service and have managed to get quite a few promotions. The Civil Service does value degrees but it is still possible to climb the ladder based on your work and your experience. The graduates who joined often seemed a bit put out by this and seemed to think their degree somehow would get them quicker promotions.

My DP is also without a degree but has managed to get himself a very good job based on his experience. This really irks my sister who was very accademic and can't quite understand that I have been more successfull than her. I have to say that I get a kick out of this having spent years playing second fiddle to her.

I understand what you're saying, but without the current initiative and support to get people to go to Uni I couldn't have gone. It's something I'd always wanted, but had no chance to do.
Plus I couldn't get any further career wise without a degree, I had reached that educational 'glass ceiling'.

I attend a 'new uni' (though I did get offered a very good old one) but that's because it is more family friendlya nd the area more affordable to live in generally.

A lot of people do snigger at the degree though, when I applied nobody could see the relevance to the world that it had. Now, however, people are watching the news and going oh I see.
I am studying Religion (of the Global variety), Global Culture and Politics, and Psychology (the Psychology is an elective, I will get a single honours in religion and Philosophy. I hope!).

And for the peron who asked... yes, at our Uni we do still do assignments / seminars etc.

I think a degree is great when you get a chance to do a subject you are interested in. Unfortuanately I succumbed to pressure to study something I had little or no interest in and gave up a place do study what I wanted to.

I still hope one day to do a degree but not to improve my career prospects more to enhance my knowledge.