Did you learn anything at uni?

[dwayne]

Alas, no, didn't make the most of it, but a post-grad course did the trick, so studies are very important in your career.

Nah bollocks

 

[dwayne]

Sad to say but it was absolutely crucial. Little short of life-changing, in fact. Seriously.

(And yes I DID drink a lot and cop off with loads of birds etc etc etc. OBVIOUSLY)

My current job, which keeps the wolf from the door, came as a direct related to the extra-curricular stuff I did at uni - writing bollox for the uni magazine I mean, not the pulling etc. Because my current boss also gave me my first proper job 14 years ago with a different employer and they wanted proof that I really wanted to be a journalist. Plus getting a good grade there was a big surprise and very confidence-providing at an age with a lot of uncertainty really.

So have you got the kind of job that someone like LI aspires to get then?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

so studies are very important in your career.

Sometimes.

I never went to Uni but have got a high paid responsible job through hard graft.

I'm not one of those "pah, Uni - waste of time" type people but I do wish careers advisors stopped just pushing uni, uni, uni. There are loads of worthwhile ( and sometimes incredibly well paid ) vocations that do not require attendance at uni.

 

[looney]

Theres two points to this I think.

Can your Degree benefit you in every day life.


Can it benefit your career potential.

In my case yes to both. But depends what courses you do I think.


Mind you if I didn't go I may have been a porn star by now.

Difficult to measure the oppertunity cost it is.

Damn! Yoda grammer! Time for bed methinks.

 

[fatboy]

I think the response here from say Maths or Physics graduates would be different to the response from students of inferior subjects such as Media Studies.

 

[dwayne]

I think the response here from say Maths or Physics graduates would be different to the response from students of inferior subjects such as Media Studies.

yer, you're right maths and physics students are stuck in shit, boring jobs in accountancy/software development/audit etc whilst media studies students are in creative interesting jobs like producing/directing/writing.

 

[fatboy]

whilst media studies students are in creative interesting jobs like producing/directing/writing.

The few that have jobs that is.

The rest of them don't do anything all day or have part time jobs in video shops. Like my flatmate who has done nothing all day except steal my food. The ****.

 

[ali jenkins]

I didnt go to Uni, instead i dropped out of 6th form and decided a life of graft was for me.

My brother has just started uni and now i regret my decision not to go.

May look into going but i dont have any a-levels either so i guess i'll have to do those first.

 

[clapham_gull]

I learnt how to roll a joint.

.. and the taxpayer paid.

 

[clapham_gull]

yer, you're right maths and physics students are stuck in shit, boring jobs in accountancy/software development/audit etc whilst media studies students are in creative interesting jobs like producing/directing/writing.

.. or making the tea.

 

[London Irish]

Nah bollocks

Well obviously I wasn't talking about entry level IT work

 

[Biscuit]

I'm studying now..only been here a month and I've learnt so much you wouldn't believe. Although my course is more preparing people for industry standard than actually pissing about with books. I've been learning the skills to get a good job - which is useful!

I'm loving it.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

When I went to Sussex University in the sixties, the whole ethos of the place was about "education", not "training".

And a fine education it was.

I had to wait until I got a job before any training was available. But the point about those days was that students and employers weren't stupid enough to believe that people graduated from university with work skills.

Over the years, that seems to have changed somewhat. Not for the better, in my opinion.

 

[Biscuit]

But the point about those days was that students and employers weren't stupid enough to believe that people graduated from university with work skills.

Over the years, that seems to have changed somewhat. Not for the better, in my opinion.

I take issue with your there m'lud. A third of my study is devoted entirly to preparing us for the world of work. From team training (new age rubbish) through to more useful hand on stuff. Less talking about how a shot looks, and more running the wires and setting up the studio from scratch.

It's my favourite part of the course. Of course the theory is important, I just believe a fair chunk of an enducation should be training. I think its important to go into a job and say "Yeh, I can do that" rather than "erm.. can you show me again please?". We are also given information about work experience - most of which is taken up. Its learning on the job I suppose.

That being said, of course the actually theory part of my course shouldn't be dismissed. I think its a really well rounded course.

 

[London Irish]

When I went to Sussex University in the sixties, the whole ethos of the place was about "education", not "training".

And a fine education it was.

I had to wait until I got a job before any training was available. But the point about those days was that students and employers weren't stupid enough to believe that people graduated from university with work skills.

Over the years, that seems to have changed somewhat. Not for the better, in my opinion.

Well said

 

[dwayne]

Well obviously I wasn't talking about entry level IT work

Is that the best you've got?

 

[Gully]

Didn't go to Uni, can't say it has held me back at all, most of the things that I know have been either picked up along the way, self taught or learned through trial and error.

I am sure that Uni is great at providing people with knowledge in certain fields, certainly vital if you want to be a professional like a doctor, engineer or lawyer. There are, however, many ways to skin a cat and I don't think a degree can always be a substitute for ambition, drive and common sense.

 

[bhaexpress]

Never went to university but did an HND as a mature student. All I got was a contempt for those teaching me as the college I was at (granted not one of the higher seats of learning) the majority of lecturers were people who got into IT as a hobby. The fool that taught as Business Studies was in fact a retired Civil Servant (one of a committee responsible for the Data Protection Act) who didn't have a clue about real life.

Over 50% of the course dropped out of it before the end and bearing in mind that is was supposed to be Industrial Training over 20% ended up in IT (where I was to start with). The most annoying thing was that various issues about the failings of the course were raised with inspectors from BTEC who totally ignored them.

An utter waste of public time and money.

 

[Gully]

I just think that there are a lot of degrees in non-academic subjects that could equally well be learned in the work place or through experience, no need to spend 3 years running up a huge debt to secure a little piece of paper and some letters after your name...BA in Golf Course Management?

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

I'd like to think I learnt something, although my degree wasn't in the least bit vocational. That said, I can't see I'd have got the job I just have without it.