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Higher education

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

Original poster

If you have a university degree

66 replies

Crackerofdoom · 20/02/2021 18:20

Do you have buyer's remorse for the subject you studied?

If you were doing it now, would you study the same thing?

I did a joint honours degree in history and French.

DH never went to uni but is really passionate about history, constantly reading books and watching documentaries and he really enjoys discussing history.

I realise I don't have a fraction of his passion for the subject but love languages and if I was going back now I would definitely study another language instead.

Just wondering if it was just me really.

OP posts:
Original poster
Crackerofdoom · 20/02/2021 18:22

I guess when I am thinking about the debt university will probably mean for my kids, I would really want them to study something they are passionate about if they decide to go

OP posts:
NiamCinnOir · 20/02/2021 18:22

I'm quite similar to you, OP. My degree was in English and French, and although I loved both subjects (still do really), if I was applying to university again I would apply for a joint degree in two MFL, which might have led me down a totally different career path.

Covidcorvid · 20/02/2021 18:26

I kind of do for my first degree. I mean I had a great time but it was fairly useless.

I went back to uni in my 20s and did another. Wouldn’t say I loved it but it was vocational/led to a career.

I’d love to study something like politics or history....something I could be really interested in.

Covidcorvid · 20/02/2021 18:27

I do think when I retire I might go back to uni and be the oldest undergrad in the lecture theatre!

MyGhastIsFlabbered · 20/02/2021 18:27

Definitely. I wanted to study astrophysics but my dad told me he wouldn't support me unless I did a 'proper' degree. I did biology and don't use it at all now. I squandered my chance and I'm still annoyed about it nearly 30 years later.

Gufo · 20/02/2021 18:28

I did joint MFL - in hindsight would have lived in those countries for longer and learnt the lingo for free, and then done a degree in something more vocational like Law. I'd be so much richer Grin, but I really did follow my heart and academic passion at the time.

askmeagainin5 · 20/02/2021 18:28

Funnily enough I did joint honours MFL and have gone the other way! Have absolutely no interest in using my languages in the workplace and much preferred the history, literature and culture modules to the language ones.

kittlesticks · 20/02/2021 18:30

I did English. No regrets at all. I love to read and the art of writing, loved to learn in those days.
I think certain degrees like English and history show that you can think critically to a high standard.
I got a job that I thought would be a stop gap while I made other bigger plans. But I ended up fitting right into the job and loving it. I've been there ever since. I'm now a manager heading up a small department. I have huge flexibility and room to be creative. I feel that what I do makes a difference to others as I work for a charity.
I think that my degree didn't get me the job but it just showed that I can think and write. I'm still the person known for creating fast content and mainly I get given the complicated email responses or the press statements.
No regrets at all about English but in hindsight I do sometimes wish I had done a one year vocational course afterwards eg teaching or something. But if I had done that I would have a different life path now.

On a separate note, I'm studying for a qualification now in my spare time which is thin on the ground and it's hard hard work. I think it was a huge luxury to go to uni and study something I enjoyed with only study to worry about! Studying and having fun, that was basically it. So I think uni should be enjoyed and studying embraced as you are never going to get the time, if you enjoy learning, to embrace learning on its own again.

titchy · 20/02/2021 18:30

I did a very fluffy social science and wish I'd done maths!

Ragwort · 20/02/2021 18:31

I did my degree over 40 years ago (Politics & History), I loved it at the time, had a great four years at Uni (including work placements) but can hardly remember anything I studied and honestly don't think it has helped at all with any understanding of current affairs etc ... and it has had no impact - positive or negative - on my career. During a lockdown clearout I have found my old exam papers and can't even understand the questions!

But a wonderful experience and because of my age no fees and a full grant Blush.

itseasybeingcheesy · 20/02/2021 18:36

I do.

I did an arts degree and by end of second year I knew I didn't want to have a career in that area but I didn't want to waste two years so I finished the degree and worked to save some money. Looking back I should have quit then and tried to get into midwifery but I was sick of being in education and being skint.

Years later I'm still skint, working in the field of women's care and birth but not as a MW and have three kids. I'm considering going back to uni in 15ish years when kids all grown to do midwifery then.

Meredithgrey1 · 20/02/2021 18:36

I did psychology. I don’t use it at all, but equally it’s not (I don’t think) had any negative effect. I work at a big 4 accountancy firm so maybe maths would have been useful, but plenty of people I work with don’t have directly applicable degrees, and my job doesn’t require anything close to actual degree level maths.

I did what I was interested in, (and nearly did a maths degree) and have no real reason to regret it.

Newgirls · 20/02/2021 18:38

I did English and it absolutely is relevant to my job. Was also the only thing I was good at!

queenofthelamas · 20/02/2021 18:44

I did a history degree. At the time I wanted to do law but didn't think I'd meet the entry requirements so panicked and changed to history (as it happens I would've made the entry requirements no problem).

When I started my degree my plan was always to convert to a law degree or do a PGCE I was naive enough to not realise they would cost money and wouldn't be covered by another student loan!

So I graduated with a good classification and fell into the first job I could find. I've progressed in it but it's nothing that I wanted to be doing and the pay isn't great. I am only early 20s though so I guess there's time but with a child and a house/mortgage I very much doubt it

lunar1 · 20/02/2021 18:46

I'm a nurse and did a degree course so it was funded, I also only had to pay a portion of the total for my masters as well.

I shouldn't think this way, but I regret that it was my only option due to money.

Finance was assessed on my mum and stepdad's income, I was the first on any side to go to university and they wouldn't help with the required parent contribution.

mids2019 · 20/02/2021 18:47

Did physics and have had physics related jobs. Problem with a lot of STEM to have a huge impact on your field you really need to be at the genius level of the spectrum.

I suppose the question may be rephrased which degrees/universities open doors??

WildOrchids67 · 20/02/2021 18:50

I did psychology, but lost interest towards the end of third year, so decided to graduate rather than stay on for 4th year, so I don't have Hons, just BSc. I'm now doing criminology with the OU which hopefully will stay interesting to me throughout!

Original poster
Crackerofdoom · 20/02/2021 18:56

@mids2019

Did physics and have had physics related jobs. Problem with a lot of STEM to have a huge impact on your field you really need to be at the genius level of the spectrum.

I suppose the question may be rephrased which degrees/universities open doors??

I had an amazing time at uni but none of that was because of the academic part.

I guess I am really questioning what the purpose is of a degree. If you need specific qualifications to pursue the career you want to then that is clear, likewise if you are really passionate about the subject. But I wonder how many of us study for neither of those reasons.

I loved drama at school but was strongly discouraged for doing it even at GCSE level because it wouldn't help me get a job. I wonder if I didn't factor that in at all, whether I would have ended up doing a totally different subject

OP posts:
Spillanelle · 20/02/2021 19:12

I studied microbiology, a bloody useful degree in hindsight, shame I didn’t actually use it to go into science.
Although I do think it’s somewhat helped in my career, even though my job is completely unrelated, I think having a science degree teaches you a particular analytical way of thinking that helps in lots of situations. It also gave me the academic background to go on to do a business related masters that is more closely linked to the job I’m doing now.

Munkeenut · 20/02/2021 19:17

I studied psychology which I continued in a specialist branch of psychology and it's what my job is now but I wish I'd done illustration. Sadly though universities are getting rid of 'passion' topics over employability Hmm

Lobsterquadrille2 · 20/02/2021 19:17

I really wanted to read English but was persuaded that something maths or accounting based would be more useful (I knew I wanted to be an accountant). I left university and, with a large number of others, joined one of the big eight (as they then were) to find that masses of the intake were doing a graduate conversion course, and had read all kinds of different subjects. Entirely my fault as I should have done my research better.

museumum · 20/02/2021 19:23

I did Big Bang theory type subjects and they were really really really hard. I wish I’d done something easier that I could have got a better class of degree in.

Suzi888 · 20/02/2021 19:27

I did at the time, wanted to study psychology but a Pavlov dogs with rats kind of experiment was compulsory so I didn’t opt for it. Did business operations modelling or some other wishy washy degree instead.Sad

Bainne · 20/02/2021 19:36

English and French degree, and subsequently a DPhil in English literature on that used my French also. No regrets whatsoever, I never considered studying anything else, and my career requires that pathway — having said that, all my degrees were funded by scholarships. I never paid a penny for any of them.

BackforGood · 20/02/2021 19:43

My degree was training for the job.
I didn't have a passion for a subject, I just needed to complete the degree to be able to start work.
So no, I have no regrets.

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