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Higher education

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

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Original poster

Settle an argument for me - should DS study marketing or an academic subject?

89 replies

Istory · 01/07/2020 20:18

DS is smart but perhaps has always enjoyed having fun more than working hard. Likely to get BBB or perhaps ABB.

He's keen on going to a good but more vocationally oriented University to study marketing. It does seem to set graduates up with good employment options after graduating and I can see it's a solid choice.

However it does give me pause. I didn't really fall in love with my traditional academic degree subject until I went to university and studied it at that level. I don't know who I'd be without it now, I really feel it shaped me as a person. While it didn't give me any clear employment opportunities after graduating it did give me a huge range of options. I did various bits of professional training after graduating and am now a high earner in a profession where I think everyone I've come across did a traditional academic subject at University.

It's DS's decision of course but I just want to give him the best advice possible. I'd prefer for him to study any traditional academic subject at a good university and we'd support him throughout and afterwards if he wanted to do internships or a CIM qualification or something like that. He does enjoy his A level subjects and in my own experience I only really became passionate about them at University.

What do you think?

OP posts:

HappySonHappyMum · 01/07/2020 21:11

I think he should do what he loves best - he's not you. There's nothing worse than studying something you're not passionate about. If he's made the effort to choose a University that offers what he'd like to do then he must really want to do it. I did a vocational degree and it also influenced me massively personally and in my professional working life. It was also not an easy option at all, it was far more intensive than most of my friends who were studying purely academic degrees. I was in lectures and studios every day of the week whilst my friends turned up for lectures every now and then. Do you think he doesn't want to disappoint you by not following in your footsteps with an academic path?

TowelCurtainBob · 01/07/2020 21:13

He should do a vocational degree. My DS has just completed a history degree and what with Covid, he is completely unemployable.

PlanDeRaccordement · 01/07/2020 21:14

He’s made a solid choice. It’s what he wants to do. Employment opportunities are harder to find now compared to when you graduated university. Best thing you can do is express approval that he is making a solid choice that has good employment prospects.

Piggywaspushed · 01/07/2020 22:17

Ahem! My DF is a marketing processor.

He is definitely an academic!

Marketing isn't really a vocational degree as such.

MustStopSnacking28 · 01/07/2020 22:18

I work in a business school and also agree the marketing isn’t vocational - definitely academic!

Piggywaspushed · 01/07/2020 22:19

Professor...

Aquamarine1029 · 01/07/2020 22:19

I think you need to let your son make his own choices and deal with the consequences. His life is not for you to dictate.

My0My · 02/07/2020 01:20

I would suggest that most people do see marketing as vocational. It’s not a degree that leads to a change of career easily. So going into law might be a stretch for example.

You don’t say which A levels he’s taking. That will make a huge difference in choice of an “academic” degree.

Neither am I convinced that everyone with a marketing degree is more employable than someone with a history degree from, say, Durham of UCL. But he will need more than ABB to get into those universities for many subjects.

A very good History degree isn’t a waste of time. Neither is a very good economics degree or Business and Management from somewhere like Bath. Marketing is narrow by comparison and many marketeers don’t have marketing degrees. Any more than every lawyer has a law degree. Some marketeers are employed with a History degree and they have AAA at A level and went to Oxford. There’s competition for the best roles and in marketing it’s not just people with marketing degrees that get them.

jessstan2 · 02/07/2020 01:43

It's up to him what he does. If he wants to study marketing, he studies marketing.

OnceUponAThread · 02/07/2020 01:48

I used to work in similar field to marketing. I had a boss for several years who always said he'd never hire someone who had a degree in the profession (so equivalent to marketing degree) because he thought they were soft options and he wanted someone more well-rounded. Instead he always looked for academic subjects at Russell Group unis.

Not in any way saying he was right in his views!!! But just giving as an example to show that academic subjects from top tier unis will often open more doors and give more choices than something like a marketing degree.

That said, if he knows he wants to do marketing for sure, and the course is a well respected one with good internship opportunities and placement record - then why not.

Above all he should do something he enjoys, because there's no point forcing him to do something he hates, which he may not engage and do as well in.

Frangipaniflower · 02/07/2020 02:05

My child did academic subject at a uni that required three As and decided to do a placement year. Every single placement job required a 'relevant' degree, meaning business and marketing related degree or an extensive knowledge of those areas. It was quite disheartening and made them reevaluate their choice.

cabbageking · 02/07/2020 02:06

He may wish to consider a dual subject degree. If he is unsure then perhaps he needs to see what is on offer. Youngest did a language alongside media and communication, despite having no language qualifications. Wasn't part of her original plan. He needs to do something that interests him. Some Unis offer funding incentives for Masters if you get a good level degree. He will likely get a better degree if he enjoys the subject. He can switch to a different subject for his Masters perhaps?

Fightthebear · 02/07/2020 02:27

Looking at my nephews who both did engineering degrees, in terms of employability there’s a huge benefit to a course which includes an industry placement. That would be a factor in terms of deciding on a marketing degree if it’s the area your DS wants to work in.

sendsummer · 02/07/2020 05:04

With his predicted grades his degree choice sounds a sensible choice for early career opportunities. However even without really loving a particular subject, degrees are for stretching academic capacity, gaining a wider perspective than is possible in an office and to build flexibility and choice into future professional pathways. Eighteen is very young to be restrictive. Ask him what are his reasons for not applying for a marketing apprenticeship. As a PP said a combined degree perhaps business with an another subject such as a MFL and then a MSc in marketing with relevant internships would tick more boxes for flexibility.

SeasonFinale · 02/07/2020 07:44

As you said his life, his choice.

His grades are not that high so if he were to enter a job market with an academic (not job related) degree he would be competing with people who had better A level grades. Do not listen to people who say A level grades do not matter when you have a degree. They are very much looked at amongst a sea of 2.1s.

As to the pp who said her son with a history degree is unemployable that is nonsense.

MarchingFrogs · 02/07/2020 08:00

Or he was concerned that they would be 'smarter' than him in his own field...? Just a thought.

Also a thought as to what the person spec must have looked like - Essential: must not have studied the subject of this business at degree level?

Piggywaspushed · 02/07/2020 08:04

Recruitment into marketing actively looks for certain experiences and traits but there are also unis held in long regard for their courses : Lancaster, Strathclyde and Bath are three . They do have high entry requirements.

There is rather a glut of marketing graduates these days though as so many unis offer the subject. Employment stats for marketing degrees are very good, that said.

May I point out at no point did OP say her DS was in two minds!

okiedokieme · 02/07/2020 08:30

It's higher education, he gets to decide. But I would suggest that a better university opens more doors after graduation. That said if they don't like the course they won't succeed

Piggywaspushed · 02/07/2020 08:45

I think 'better university' in marketing is different from what many of MN might suspect!

It's a very specialised, quite niche field. I do know a fair amount about it OP if you want to PM me.

Piggywaspushed · 02/07/2020 08:48

What is a similar field to marketing ??

Piggywaspushed · 02/07/2020 08:51

Don't overlook also what frangipani says above. Detailed knowledge of marketing, advertising and the industry is seen as really important. Gone are the days when a young man who went to the right school can just walk in, look a bit confused, make the boss coffee for a while and then land a top job. The field is too competitive and sharp elbowed for that.

thesandwich · 02/07/2020 09:07

What does he know about marketing? Any work experience?
Certainly agree look for courses with placement opportunities and look at where grads are employed.

OnceUponAThread · 02/07/2020 09:35

@MarchingFrogs

Or he was concerned that they would be 'smarter' than him in his own field...? Just a thought.

Also a thought as to what the person spec must have looked like - Essential: must not have studied the subject of this business at degree level?

It wasn't in the spec. He just would tend towards interviewing people with academic or traditional degree backgrounds.

And also was fine and glad to have someone with a masters in the area, which many did. Just not as an undergrad degree.

Also he definitely wasn't worried about people being smarter than him in the subject area. That wasn't an issue.

To be fair, at the time this particular degree option was quite wishy washy (not marketing, but similar) so that probably fed into it.

I have since moved careers into a different area (but again tangentially related although less so) and the rule of thumb in this area is either: academic degree followed by masters in the profession OR work from the ground up through a very specific apprenticeship-type approach).

Anyway, as I said, I'm not agreeing with his approach. Just pointing out that there can be a lot of prejudice against certain non-traditional subjects. In part, that is actually prejudice against the universities because RG tend not to offer them at undergraduate level.

The other issue, choice wise - is that if he decides not to go into marketing, he's going to struggle with such a niche degree to break into another field. Of course he could later in life with some work experience under his belt, but if it turns out he hates it after undergrad he's going to find it hard in a way that he wouldn't with something more academic and broad.

I think people above who suggested dual subjects are making a good suggestion. Alternatively looking at a marketing masters post-undergrad could be an option.

If he's 100% he wants to go into Marketing though. Then no reason for him not to do it. As I said in my first post the most important thing is that he does something he is engaged with and loves.

OnceUponAThread · 02/07/2020 09:40

@Piggywaspushed

What is a similar field to marketing ??

Well for instance, public relations, advertising, journalism, social media management, copywriting etc.

titchy · 02/07/2020 10:06

Marketing with a year in industry. But check the quality of the placements they offer.

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