Useless Degrees

Lr158

After 2 years of a media related degree, which I'm quilified and got excellent results, I've decided to go back to College.

Its not the industry I want to be in as its long hours and ****ty pay just to say you work in tv or the movies...

What other useless degrees do you know of.

'm glad I got out when I did but there's peopel doing some seriously pointless degres out there..

PS There is no real area in the Edu section for this so I'm putting it here

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Leisure Managment????

Pighead

http://www.hootingyard.org/archive/threedegrees.jpg

These chancers were pretty woeful if truth be known. Although it would be a harsh critic who didn't admit "When will I see you again" had a certain charm. Apart from that though they were useless.

Nightwish

My degree - Geomatics. Pointless waste of years of my life. No-one knows what it is.

Gone West

Theres aquatic science in GMIT which is actually fish farming

Baggly

Nightwish wrote:

My degree - Geomatics. Pointless waste of years of my life. No-one knows what it is.

you guys check if ground/earth is ok to dig in/on, right?

Nightwish

Eh, no. Nothing of the sort actually.

InFront

"Nothing of the sort" is a bit misleading; "sort of", would probably be more accurate.

OT, no degree is useless if you can apply what you learned or the methods that you used in studying it to real life employment or research.

[Jackass]

Degree in Law!

Because you can't actually do anything with it and to practice as a solicitor or barrister you need to pass bar exams which don't require you having a degree in Law! (although you do require a degree in anything afaik).

And no one would hire somebody with a Law degree for that reason alone, beause if you wanted a legal specialist you'd go through a Solicitor!!

Sorry Law grads and studyers!

Nightwish

InFront wrote:

"Nothing of the sort" is a bit misleading; "sort of", would probably be more accurate.

I don't do that, and never have. We measure land (surveying) and do mapping. A geologist would see if ground is ok to dig.

humbert

InFront wrote:

"Nothing of the sort" is a bit misleading; "sort of", would probably be more accurate.

OT, no degree is useless if you can apply what you learned or the methods that you used in studying it to real life employment or research.

I'd say one of the most worthwhile reasons to do a degree is out of personal interest with it's practical application coming second or even not at all.

brianthebard

I don't know what I'm going to do with an English and History degree-The HR woman who hired me in Londis last year told me that's what she studied :eek:

DonkeyStyle \o/

My nut-scratching degree from the university of life is going to pay off BIG any day now.

snickerpuss

I had a minor stroke when at my 'Careers for Art History' graduates night we got a sheet saying what people did when they left.
Alot seemed to work in O Briens sandwich bar...:(

robinph

snickerpuss wrote:

I had a minor stroke when at my 'Careers for Art History' graduates night we got a sheet saying what people did when they left.
Alot seemed to work in O Briens sandwich bar...:(

I think with history of art you are kind of limited in choices, it's either O'Briens or second in line to the British crown though. Could be worse I guess though.

InFront

brianthebard wrote:

I don't know what I'm going to do with an English and History degree-The HR woman who hired me in Londis last year told me that's what she studied :eek:

Why don't you want to be a HR woman, Brian?!

Originally posted by humbert
I'd say one of the most worthwhile reasons to do a degree is out of personal interest with it's practical application coming second or even not at all.

That's true, and you probably won't perform if you don't have the personal interest either.
But I do think practical use should be taken into account. It's good to study a subject that motivates, but preferably one that motivates as well as being employer/ industry friendly.
Anyway, I think most degrees are employer friendly, really.

brianthebard

Yeah personal interest is important, but at some stage you'd like to be employable!

deisedolly

Lr158 wrote:

After 2 years of a media related degree, which I'm quilified and got excellent results, I've decided to go back to College.

Its not the industry I want to be in as its long hours and ****ty pay just to say you work in tv or the movies...

What other useless degrees do you know of.

'm glad I got out when I did but there's peopel doing some seriously pointless degres out there..

PS There is no real area in the Edu section for this so I'm putting it here

I'm going to end up in the same situation as you, ah shir theres only 2years left in my sh*tty media degree I might as well have fun while I can

humbert

InFront wrote:

That's true, and you probably won't perform if you don't have the personal interest either.
But I do think practical use should be taken into account. It's good to study a subject that motivates, but preferably one that motivates as well as being employer/ industry friendly.
Anyway, I think most degrees are employer friendly, really.

It's certainly an advantage and a nice reward for time spend studying but I don't like the way the focus of universities is moving from being primarily academic to providing someone with a qualification for a job.

Binomate

A degree in anything ITwise is pretty useless these days, since the whole IT industry will be dead in a few years. I should have done basket weaving instead of Comp Science.

dcarroll

you can do a degree in applied pornography somewhere in england, and a 3rd level course in the "history of darts"

Webmonkey

Binomate wrote:

A degree in anything ITwise is pretty useless these days, since the whole IT industry will be dead in a few years. I should have done basket weaving instead of Comp Science.

That all depends how good you were in computer science and how much of an interest you had in it.

I'm in a similer course though have a networking advantage and a lot of the people are scraping through not having a clue what is going on. What employer would want something like that?

And there will always be computer jobs - everything done on computers these day. Its just matter of going out and finding a job and getting experience and working hard. A lot of people i know done computer science and hated it but still got through. They working in shops now. No wonder if you have no interest during college - you are hardly going to be bothered or wanted out in industry.

Smellyirishman

{EDIT} nm, I guess he is a very sarcastic guy.

Binomate

Webmonkey wrote:

That all depends how good you were in computer science and how much of an interest you had in it.

I'm in a similer course though have a networking advantage and a lot of the people are scraping through not having a clue what is going on. What employer would want something like that?

And there will always be computer jobs - everything done on computers these day. Its just matter of going out and finding a job and getting experience and working hard. A lot of people i know done computer science and hated it but still got through. They working in shops now. No wonder if you have no interest during college - you are hardly going to be bothered or wanted out in industry.

I though I lost a lot of credibility when I implied that the basket weaving industry was growing faster than the IT industry, but apparently not.

Webmonkey

Just because it isn't growing doesn't mean there arn't jobs there. Apparently was it 14000 free vacancies last year in the IT sector - no - one to fill them. Doesnt' surprise me when only a handful of IT people do courses these days and half that come out don't have a clue either.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=50&si=1765712&issue_id=15184 (There but can't log in )

Binomate

Webmonkey wrote:

Just because it isn't growing doesn't mean there arn't jobs there. Apparently was it 12000 free vacancies last year in the IT sector - no - one to fill them. Doesnt' surprise me when only a handful of IT people do courses these days and half that come out don't have a clue either.

Dude, I was taking the piss. Surely "since the whole IT industry will be dead in a few years" would have given it way.

Webmonkey

Didn't see it that way. Guess tired

Edit - but i still stand by my points that a lot of idiots coming out of courses not known crap. Amazing how much you can pass by just learning definitions and not being able to program etc.

Saruman

Went to my high school reunion recently 10 years on and one guy did a philosophy degree... now works for customer service at BT Another did some sort of environmental degree and ended up being an apprentice electrician.

Well at least the second guy has a career and some day will make good money!
Philosophy though? I mean how many people get paid to daydream? Well as a job description i mean

Mrbrianmolko

I wish (actually i dont) that I could say my degree was a load of crap. But I cant. I didnt even really want to do it at the time I wanted to do something crappy(like Arts (no offence)) but i landed out of college with my degree the year before last and straight into a 37k a year job that is totally stress free most of the time. Love my job, the best "mistake" ( i thought thats what it was when i started doing it) that i ever made. I thought i would have no intrest but i learned to love it.

it was actually an environmental degree like the above.Bad choice going to be an electrician if it was a move for a good career,enviornmental grads are really sought after and its an area that isonly going to increase in importance.

Webmonkey

Mrbrianmolko wrote:

I wish (actually i dont) that I could say my degree was a load of crap. But I cant. I didnt even really want to do it at the time I wanted to do something crappy(like Arts (no offence)) but i landed out of college with my degree the year before last and straight into a 37k a year job that is totally stress free most of the time. Love my job, the best "mistake" ( i thought thats what it was when i started doing it) that i ever made. I thought i would have no intrest but i learned to love it.

Jees tell us what it is!

Saruman

I never finished college, never actually started.. after school i did a part time programming course but hated it and left after 6 months.
Got into hardware support with Gateway and never looked back! I do not make that much money... little over 30k but i love my job and im bloody good at it Get a company jeep, fuel card and expenses too Drive around the city and country installing servers and firewalls etc.
I used to train people in Gateway fresh out of college with their computer science degrees and MCSE's etc and they rarely showed me an ability to turn on a computer. Made me sick thinking about all that time wasted and they cant even figure out what a start button is.

Webmonkey

Saruman wrote:

I used to train people in Gateway fresh out of college with their computer science degrees and MCSE's etc and they rarely showed me an ability to turn on a computer. Made me sick thinking about all that time wasted and they cant even figure out what a start button is.

Exactly - That is my point. Only a small minority that come out are any good. You need to at least know the basic working of computers, be able to build them - do general maintence etc if you going to do anything with computers. Some courses dont teach these basics.

Pherekydes

Saruman wrote:

Philosophy though? I mean how many people get paid to daydream? Well as a job description i mean

Is that what you think of it? :rolleyes:

No wonder the Ents got the better of you.

DEmeant0r

arts

Dudess

Lr158 wrote:

After 2 years of a media related degree, which I'm quilified and got excellent results, I've decided to go back to College.

Its not the industry I want to be in as its long hours and ****ty pay just to say you work in tv or the movies...

I'm hearin' ya. I did an arts degree - enjoyable and interesting but doesn't qualify you for anything. Then I did a media masters because a) it was of interest to me and b) it was hands-on and practical and, therefore, more career-focused. All well and good but there are so few bloody jobs in the media! Bits of freelance radio and writing freelance articles is all I can do. Otherwise I have to temp in offices and it's not always easy to juggle the lot. And sometimes I have to turn down media work that I really want to do if I've already committed to a temping job.
That said, I don't regret doing the media masters one little bit. What I'd regret would be NOT doing it, so in that respect, I don't think any degree is "useless" if it's what you want to do.
But yes, it's a tough industry and the hours and pay are supremely sh!te. I've no plan B though, apart from admin work, so I'll just have to stick this one out.

Saruman

Slow coach wrote:

Is that what you think of it? :rolleyes:

No wonder the Ents got the better of you.

Yes thats what i think... are you telling me you know people who walked out of college with a philosophy degree and then got a job relating to that degree?
Philosophy is a stepping stone maybe... do that then go back to college and do something that will actually give you a career at the end of it.

Its useless on its own unless im missing something?

funktastic

Do a doctorate in Philosophy/ join Civil Service.

FranchisePlayer

Webmonkey wrote:

You need to at least know the basic working of computers, be able to build them - do general maintence etc if you going to do anything with computers. Some courses dont teach these basics.

Yeah thats so true when my brother got his first class degree in computer systms management he said half of the class didn't even know the main parts of a computer.
My brother actually built his own P.C which I am using now:D

Kojak

dcarroll wrote:

you can do a degree in applied pornography somewhere in england, and a 3rd level course in the "history of darts"

Well the porn degree might be useful if you want to become a Porn star or Porn director

I heard of a "degree" in the States where you can study the simpsons, and when you graduate you will be classed as a Simpsons "expert"

aequinoctium

science degrees are by far the most useful/rewarding

legs11

MICROELECTRONIC ENGINEERING IN UCC
is shyte.......



dont do this unless you are confident of getting a 1h and want to spend 2 yrs extra doing a masters.

fcuk all work

NO one of my class who did it is working in microelectronics a yr after graduating......

dcarroll

aequinoctium wrote:

science degrees are by far the most useful/rewarding

but they have a few too many hours of classes for if your the waster sort

McSandwich

aequinoctium wrote:

science degrees are by far the most useful/rewarding

Especially Physics which can be applied to just about anything. I know physics graduates working in IT, engineering, financial services, meteorolgy, but strangely not (pure) physics (as in science) - there doesn't seem to be any jobs in that area in Ireland.

Rhyme

The Scientist wrote:

Apparently there used be diploma course in Tralee Institute of Tech. in 'Fish Farming' that required 75 points to do...

Business Studies was 50 points in Roscommon the year i sent in my CAO... i'm pretty sure they do a basket weaving diploma too.

brianthebard

aequinoctium wrote:

science degrees are by far the most useful/rewarding

Oh yes definitely the most rewarding, I can't tell you how rewarding it is for me to study a topic that doesn't interest me at all. :rolleyes: I mean why would I want to study something I enjoy??

simu

Newsflash #1: A degree does not entitle you to a job, well-paid or not.

Newsflash #2: Most degrees are not a form of vocational training.

IRLConor

simu wrote:

Newsflash #1: A degree does not entitle you to a job, well-paid or not.

Corollary A: Just because a person has a first class degree in something doesn't mean that they're any good in that field.

Corollary B: Just because a person dropped out of a degree in first year doesn't mean that they're non talented in that field.

simu wrote:

Newsflash #2: Most degrees are not a form of vocational training.

Corollary C: Steer clear of the degrees that try and make you think that they are vocational training, as far as I can tell they're not as good. A good, non-vocational degree should leave you with the ability, training and confidence to learn with ease the vocational skills you need.

D-Generate

legs11 wrote:

MICROELECTRONIC ENGINEERING IN UCC
is shyte.......

NO one of my class who did it is working in microelectronics a yr after graduating......

Hardly, my brother is a graduate and had a position secured in microelectronics before he even did his final exams and as far as I know nearly all that class was employed bar one or two that decided to do postgrads.

nesf

Saruman wrote:

Went to my high school reunion recently 10 years on and one guy did a philosophy degree... now works for customer service at BT Another did some sort of environmental degree and ended up being an apprentice electrician.

Well at least the second guy has a career and some day will make good money!
Philosophy though? I mean how many people get paid to daydream? Well as a job description i mean

Actually from a raw low level skills point of view philosophy isn't actually that bad. If you are good then you'll come out of it with the ability to take complicated problems and concepts, and analyse and explain them in relatively simple language. This is actually a surprisingly useful and rare skill to have. If you combine it with another field etc you might actually be very employable, if you are good.

The guys who come out making things more complicated than the absolutely need to be didn't learn anything and are similar to the guys who get through IT courses and can't actually program etc.


What the vast amount of people forget is that you and not your degree is what is hired. A company won't care if you have a 1H or a pass degree compared to who you are when you really get down to the issue (excluding Engineering et al). Do what you are interested in and you'll be better off than doing a more "employable" course that you dislike.

Jesus Wept

Kojak wrote:

Well the porn degree might be useful if you want to become a Porn star or Porn director

I heard of a "degree" in the States where you can study the simpsons, and when you graduate you will be classed as a Simpsons "expert"

I think I could pass that now

Maybe even teach it.

---

Managers of McDonalds outlets in the U.S are required to get a degree in Hamburgerology from Hamburger University...



[SIZE=-1]Sample Question: Why is coca-cola nutritious?
Answer: Because it is "providing water, and I think that is part of a balanced diet".
(David Green, Senior-Vice President of Marketing, McDonald's USA.[/SIZE])

---

Still likely more useful than a degree in 'communications'....

I have no idea what that means.