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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Which Degrees are pretty 'pointless'?

334 replies

DreadLock · 05/09/2013 14:51

Just starting to look at courses with DS. So many choices. BUT I am sure there are some which are not particularly going to lead to much. Employers - what do you look for on a CV and what would you avoid?
And any other 'views' are welcome.
DS not even sure if he wants to go to UNI so we are having a good look into stuff.

OP posts:
Mumzy · 05/09/2013 19:56

Years ago you could do a 'useless' degrees and it would be ok because:

i) it was free
ii) since only 10% of the population went to university even a graduate with a 'useless' degree had a certain rarity value and you could get onto a graduate training programme or a conversion course to pursue a professional career.

These days with 40% heading to university I would not advise my dcs to do a non vocational arts, languages or a pure science degree unless:
i) they had an appitude for and significant interest in the subject
ii) could get into a top 5 university
iii) get at least a 2i in the subject.

pertempsnooo · 05/09/2013 20:06

History of Art here too. Sadly. I LOVE the subject and am thinking of doing an MA. Yes I am MAD.

mathanxiety · 05/09/2013 20:10

If he likes maths and history maybe he should set his sights on economics in a very good university. You need reliable advice on what constitutes a very good university.

Engineering is another career where being good at maths is important. Is he doing physics?

And computer science also requires maths.

thereistheball · 05/09/2013 20:13

I haven't read through the whole thread, but did work closely with a brilliant in-house recruitment person for a subject-specialist consultancy firm. Her brief, from management, was to ignore all of the hundreds of applications we received unless they were from Oxford, Cambridge, or about three non-Russell-Group universities that had stand-out degree courses (I think Aberystwyth was one of them). My point is that many (lazy, busy or overwhelmed) recruiters rely on universities to do their sorting for them. So if your DS doesn't have a subject he is passionate about, and does decide to go to university, and cares about what he does afterwards, he should aim for the most prestigious establishment he has a shot at. Good luck!

SunnyL · 05/09/2013 20:19

I have a degree in zoology. It was very interesting but there aren't many jobs for zoologists out there. However a science degree from a red brick uni is a good route to employment. Lots go on to work in various industries if not zoology.

I still use my degree but I'm not a zoologist.

furfoxsake · 05/09/2013 20:27

My DB did law at a great university because he thought it would look good on his CV, and he passed his A-levels to get in with little effort.

He put even less effort into his degree and scraped a third after a whole dropping-out drama. If we ask him anything about law now he hasn't a clue, and 16 years later he struggles to hold down a job in IT.

So doing a pointful degree at a good university doesn't necessarily do you any good at all!

Snog · 05/09/2013 20:32

DP did history at Oxford (uni not poly!) - 2:2 hons and it hasn't been useful to him in employment
Fortunately he didn't have to pay for it as he is old. But he did enjoy it
maybe too much
Grin

littlemisswise · 05/09/2013 20:47

DS1 has just turned down his place to do History and Politics at Loughborough. He only applied because the school said he should. He did really well in his GCSEs, he did really well in his A levels but his heart isn't in it ATM.

He knows what he wants to do, which is join the Forces. He has applied for that this week. He wants to earn money, buy a better car, live life a bit. He worked out how much debt he will have from Uni and it doesn't interest him for now.

I would rather he would follow what he feels is right for him, than go half heated to Uni because I know he won't stick at it. He'll drop out before the end of the first year. If he doesn't get in to the Forces he will look at a different degree course next year.

YouveCatToBeKittenMe · 05/09/2013 20:50

Which pubs in Bevois valley did you frequent? - we have almost certainly met

Talkinpeace I am quite old Grin
I was there from 1987 to 1990
I can't remember the name of the pubs

Talkinpeace · 05/09/2013 20:57

Kitten
You're younger than me!
Crown and Sceptre, Hobbit, New Inn, Bevois Castle, Dorchester .....

Andcake · 05/09/2013 21:03

Have to admit I'm a bit of a snobbish recruiter. Not sure what Russell group are exactly but I tend to discriminate against ex polys, degrees with the word studies in etc
I also for some roles prefer more academic degrees than business as well rounded thinking is more valuable.
Ou- absolutely fine - as its about circumstances.
I suggest a gap year work combined with any travel if he an afford it.
Then a history degree if he is keen - but 3 yrs plus the debt is a lot if you don't love a subject.

YouveCatToBeKittenMe · 05/09/2013 21:16

I think I remember the Bevois Castle

We used to go to the town centre nightclub, there was a fatal incident outside it not long after I left iirc.

SunshineBossaNova · 05/09/2013 21:26

I've recruited people for a number of roles within my old team. (I'm a mature English undergrad at a 1994 group uni at the mo - I love it.)

I didn't employ people on the basis of their degrees. I was looking for people with intelligence, relevant experience, enthusiasm and aptitude. In my first team our administrator had a first. She's now managing the team, and she'll be much better at it than I ever was :)

Blueberryveryberry · 05/09/2013 21:46

what do you think about Birkbeck? Be honest please.

Talkinpeace · 05/09/2013 21:50

they tend to do well on Universally Challenged Grin

iclaudius · 05/09/2013 21:57

i agree it is the establishment more than the degree course
often a dicky degree course can only be found at a dicky establishment

Dackyduddles · 05/09/2013 22:14

History? Earning? Spending? Cars?

He's a baby banker. Ha ha! Seriously, has he looked at the Banks?

He should.

SlumberingDormouse · 05/09/2013 23:02

I beg to differ - many people don't know what they want to do at 17/18, and no amount of careers advice would change that. I would say that IF you're academic enough to get into a good university, do it anyway, work hard, and give yourself more time to think about what career you want. If you don't have good grades, don't bother. Go for an apprenticeship or an entry-level job.

I didn't decide on my career until I was 21. It's true that my degree isn't related to my career, but without my degree I would not have been able to progress to the further study I'm doing now.

nbee84 · 05/09/2013 23:28

Eve mentioned golf management studies near the beginning of the thread.

My dd did the PGA Applied Golf management Studies at Birmingham. Her Dad and I were concerned that others would see it as 'Mickey Mouse' degree and even worried ourselves that it would not be of much benefit in the workplace. She did this degree because she knew she wanted to work within the golf industry (though wasn't entirely sure where or what) and she knew she would enjoy the studying and work involved as golf and business were her passion.

Pleased to report that, only 3 years after her degree finished, she earns more than either of her parents and is a higher rate tax payer.

manicinsomniac · 06/09/2013 01:20

I don't think any degrees or unis are 'pointless' per se but some are less useful than others, less well regarded than others or pointless to an individual.

I have a traditional academic degree with a 2:1 from Durham University. I wanted to do a performing arts degree at Aberystwyth Uni. My parents were horrified and talked me out of it, thinking I couldn't possibly do anything useful with it.

Obviously they were wrong and I could have become a performing arts teacher with a performing arts degree. But the choice that they I made was the better choice - I would not have got a job in such a good school without a degree from a top ranked uni and top ranked unis tend not to offer subjects like that. Also, had the performing arts idea not worked out, I wouldn't have had much else to fall back on. Whereas my very academic degree could have led me on to other things.

So, although performing arts is not, imo, a pointless degree it is less useful in life that a more adaptable, well regarded traditional degree.

Beastofburden · 06/09/2013 03:01

All unis have to publish their employment statistics by degree now. You can search them on Unistats. Google it, or just go to any Uni web page and any course and there will be a link from there.

Stats show that most employers have opinions on five to ten British Unis at most. The other Unis they can't remember if they are any good or not, and so at that point the employability thing depends on the reputation of that individual course, which itself is very often linked to the quality of work experience.

Pick a Uni where he has a fighting chance of a 2:1 because if he gets a 2:2 it is going to be hard to get a job.

The other thing you should look closely at is drop out rates. Don't touch anything where it is over 10 per cent. Oxbridge has 1 per cent.

Chunderella · 06/09/2013 08:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CarpeVinum · 06/09/2013 08:12

I see Southampton Solent is being named as an example of a not so good uni.

Ack! cos my 13 yo CodeAcademy addict was all excited when this popped up on a search

Would the name of the uni itself be an automatic turn off ? And how do you access is all that info rolling around at the bottom of the screen? Is 60% OK or outstandingly awful? And why does it keep moving so I can't read it without going crosseyed ?

He is only 13 so no firm decisions to be made any time soon, but he is fascinated and wildly excited by the sheer range of subjects Britain has compared to the far far tighter (and more traditional) choices where we live.

Generally speaking is it more advisable to do a HNC/HND at a "good" college than a degree at a "bad" university ?

Thank god I have five years to get my head around all this with him (while no doubt he changes his mind fifty squillion times Grin ). There is so much choice in Britain, which is fabulous, but spoiled for choice means a lot more ground work to work out what's what.

Abra1d · 06/09/2013 08:23

'
Media has had a lot of stick over the past 5 or so years, but if you want to go into this type of work you are disadvantaged without one.'

I don't know any BBC journalists or journalists on quality broadsheet newspapers who have Media Studies degrees. They seem to be historians or English graduates, or linguists.

slev · 06/09/2013 08:44

Can I just object to this bit - Poledra - yes... a lot of the people who got low degrees when I did my chemistry BSc went into accountancy.

As an accountant, I'd point out that the expectations are still that you have a decent degree - particularly if you want a graduade position with study support etc. - a 2:1 was a minimum in most of the graduate schemes I applied to. But the subject isn't necessarily that relevant - my degree's in languages so hasn't helped me a bit with being an accountant. However it has taught me to be articulate, given me confidence when speaking and a lot of soft skills that you can't really get a degree in but are vital to being a professional.

I'd heartily recommend doing something you enjoy - if you're doing it for 3/4 years you're going to get very sick of it if you do something just because you think it will look good. I'd also say that university helps you grow and gain independence and that's invaluable - worth going for that as much as the degree.