Useless Degrees

Echelle

Having read about the English college with links to All Hallows in Dublin awarding what amounts to useless degrees it make me think about all those colleges around the country who are now awarding all sorts of diplomas and certs with big lavish conferring ceremonies with Caps and Gowns. Recently an institution in the midlands held such a ceremony. Some "graduates" had at least spent a few years doing their courses but amongst them was a large group who had spent a total of 5 days in the college and they too were conferred in the full cap and gown regalia. Certainly demeans the whole idea of the cap mand gown ceremony in traditional universities. I bet photographers are minting it at these ceremonies. How impressive it must be to have your photo on the wall in full cap and gown,even if you only attended "college" for 5 days.

helimachoptor

A guy i worked with came top of his class in biblical/theological* studies in trinity. When i knew him he was earning good money despite having not having a background of the industry he was working in.

But IMHO pointless degree unless your going to go on and get a doctorate and teach, thus perpetuating the stupid degree cycle.




It may have been philosophy.

FunkZ

Philosophy is a stupid degree!

Dave!

What's the purpose of a degree? What ever happened to education for education's sake? I'm studying Computer Science and History for my degree... Comp Sci I guess is a useful degree in that it gives me a practical skill. Same for engineering, medicine, law, etc. But sure we're not robots who just develop skills and then go into industry. I'm studying History because I like history and enjoy learning about it..... Pretty pointless I suppose when you compare it to Comp Sci! But good stuff none the less.

eoin5

Echelle wrote: »

Having read about the English college with links to All Hallows in Dublin awarding what amounts to useless degrees it make me think about all those colleges around the country who are now awarding all sorts of diplomas and certs with big lavish conferring ceremonies with Caps and Gowns. Recently an institution in the midlands held such a ceremony. Some "graduates" had at least spent a few years doing their courses but amongst them was a large group who had spent a total of 5 days in the college and they too were conferred in the full cap and gown regalia. Certainly demeans the whole idea of the cap mand gown ceremony in traditional universities. I bet photographers are minting it at these ceremonies. How impressive it must be to have your photo on the wall in full cap and gown,even if you only attended "college" for 5 days.

I donno about you but I felt the cap and gown ment precisely zilch. I spent 5 years in college and a classmate took my graduation photos with a cheap digital camera.

Eero New

Echelle wrote: »

Having read about the English college with links to All Hallows in Dublin awarding what amounts to useless degrees it make me think about all those colleges around the country who are now awarding all sorts of diplomas and certs with big lavish conferring ceremonies with Caps and Gowns. Recently an institution in the midlands held such a ceremony. Some "graduates" had at least spent a few years doing their courses but amongst them was a large group who had spent a total of 5 days in the college and they too were conferred in the full cap and gown regalia. Certainly demeans the whole idea of the cap mand gown ceremony in traditional universities. I bet photographers are minting it at these ceremonies. How impressive it must be to have your photo on the wall in full cap and gown,even if you only attended "college" for 5 days.

Whats with you love of the mortar board and gown??

Do you understand the meaning of such regallia?

witnessmenow

what does someone with an arts degree say to you?
"Do you want fries with that?"

NUIG recently replaced toilet paper with roll of arts degrees as there less useful

Hellm0

All degrees are useless by themselves, its what you do with them that counts. I dont even have a college degree yet I earn more than most people who do.

Jack Sheehan

45.

Eero New

Hellm0 wrote: »

All degrees are useless by themselves, its what you do with them that counts. I dont even have a college degree yet I earn more than most people who do.

Theres more to life than money.

Do you measure a persons success on their paycheque?

King John V

I suppose that's the problem with western education. It's more degrees geared towards jobs rather than degrees in things that interest the person. Whether a person has a degree or not isn't the most important thing. It's also the life skills you acquire that earn you a living.

Pherekydes

witnessmenow wrote: »

what does someone with an arts degree say to you?
"Do you want fries with that?"

NUIG recently replaced toilet paper with roll of arts degrees as there less useful

Ah, we must have a Science grad in our midst. Superior intelligence, but less intelligible.

embee

I'm doing a degree in Midwifery - very specific career path afterwards. I started an Arts degree donkeys years ago but it was a load of old shyte so I left it.

When I worked in a call centre, half the people working there had Arts Degrees.

Orizio

I'm doing Arts in UCC now. So should I just kill myself rigth away or wait until they give me the degree?

King John V

It's down to the subjects rather than the degree category. Mine is arts too but my subjects are more science like: maths and psychology.

daauneal

I want to do a psychology degree next year as a mature student, because I want to be . . (guess what) . . a psychologist . but I did hear that I'd need to do a postgrad in something like psychotherapy or psycho-analitical science as well just to get a good job.

ilovemybrick

I study philosophy. In itself the degree is worth little of practical value but it demonstrates my abilities with difficult concepts and various skills such as academic learning, presentation of thought and demonstration of understanding.
This with my extra curricular activities which are facilitated by my degree not being very intensive mean I am easily as employable as someone with a very vocational degree.

King John V

Go for it Daauneal. The road to the top of the pecking order is admittedly a long one but it is also a very enjoyable one. After your bachelors you could do an ABA course and work with autistic kids. You could work in research in just about any area (a lecturer in my college specialises in body image and sexuality) or you could work towards clinical, the area dealing with mental illness.

Feel free to PM me if you want any more info from my modest experience.

Jay P

A law degree is the biggest waste of time ever, it doesnt even mean anything, unless you do it with something else, even at that though...

unreggd

A girl I know just got a degree in Pharmacutical Science

she wasnt even hired to work in a chemist in Oz!

And she said Lab work will be borin and repetitive, and that the pay is crap


I think Philosophy is the most irrelevant course out there, as you just learn it to teach it!

"Hi, I'm hear to apply for the Philosopher position"


..............

someuser90

theology is the most useless load of shjt i ever heard of... might as well study astrology or scientology


all my bosses care about is: what did i learn that can save us time and money, and can i explain it simply within 30 seconds?

+ if you have done nothing but learn jokes in college, thats time well spent

daauneal

someuser90 wrote: »

theology is the most useless load of shjt i ever heard of... might as well study astrology or scientology


all my bosses care about is: what did i learn that can save us time and money, and can i explain it simply within 30 seconds?

+ if you have done nothing but learn jokes in college, thats time well spent

Ha ! unless you have 250 thousand euro to waste you'll never be able to study $cientology . (not formally anyway, the teachings are free on the internet)

Black Swan

I'm into the arts, so I've had a few "hard" science types say what I am taking is useless. I'm a drama & film major, I've had my parts and will again in the future. Why degree? Love stage and trying to break into film. Going to USC's School of Cinematic Arts (George Lucas's school*) teaches me new things, but also comes with connections to land parts. My agent likes the prep and network, so poo poo to the "hard" a*ses!

Lucas donated $175 million recently.

witnessmenow

Slow coach wrote: »

Ah, we must have a Science grad in our midst. Superior intelligence, but less intelligible.

ah come on , you got the meaning! "They're" there does that make you happy. Its too dear to buy two deer when you want by to cook by candle light for many. I can not bare to see three bears sitting by the tree thats near the sea. I pause to exam the paws of each bear. You were right, so i decided to write this.

mmm homophones are fantastic.

and don't insult me, science pifft!

[gets on my high horse]
engineering actually

Creature

unreggd wrote: »

A girl I know just got a degree in Pharmacutical Science

she wasnt even hired to work in a chemist in Oz!

And she said Lab work will be borin and repetitive, and that the pay is crap

Yeah I've got one in pharmaceutical chemistry. It's only really worth something if you've got the grades to do a postgrad.

What did you mean by "she wasnt even hired to work in a chemist in Oz!" though?

iFight

witnessmenow wrote: »

what does someone with an arts degree say to you?
"Do you want fries with that?"

NUIG recently replaced toilet paper with roll of arts degrees as there less useful

That they studied something that they enjoy? That they want more from life than to make money? That they are presumably skilled in their field?

witnessmenow

witnessmenow wrote: »

[gets on my high horse]
engineering actually

Your only jealous because you have 4 times the workload, a year longer in college and in the end you'll probably be paid less.

Rb

No degree is entirely useless.

witnessmenow

paid more? i'd imagine the average pay for someone with an arts degree is quite a considerable amount lower than that of a person with an engineering one. I'm sure theres exceptions, I'm just talking in general

As for the work load, i would be slightly envious of the the arts life style i'll give you that. Most art students do more than 3 years as unless you specialize in something (do a H DIP or something) 3 year art degree aint worth all that much.

@ifight: arts student perhaps?

Senna

rb_ie wrote: »

No degree is entirely useless.

Completely agree, just the experience you get from a few years of college is worth it.

Xavi6

Did a journalism degree, now working as a journalist. My degree served its purpose, plus the three years of college were the best craic ever. All good really.

D

The problem is these days is that a degree now is worth as much as the Leaving Cert was 10 years ago. I have an undergrad and postgrad in engineering and I am still having difficulty getting a job in the field I want. (Lack of experience)

Unless you are in a course where there is a shortage of workers, (acountancy, chemical engineering, medicine) I feel that further study is worth it to get the job you want.

the dee

I have a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy and a Masters of Philosophy in Gender Studies. I have absolutely no trouble finding work. Since I finished college I've worked in the public and private sectors - earned enough to spend 8 months in Australia.

Unless you want to do a job that absolutely requires a certain skill, then any degree will get you ahead in the jobs market. You've demonstrated an ability to learn and commit to and see through major projects. It shows that you're intelligent and can handle pressure.

I was really interested in what I studied, had a lot of fun in college. Don't let anyone put you off doing a so-called 'useless' degree if that's the area you're interested in. Go for it. No degree affects your career prospects negatively.

tallaght01

There are some bollocks degrees out there. I remember being at uni with people studying all sorts of rubbish that had no real career prospects.

Now, I have no real problem with that, as education is no burden etc. But I do feel that a lot of uni prospectuses are less than honest about your chances of getting employment in your chosen field.

I know a LOT of people who I went to uni with that are now working in jobs that they didn't need a degree for.

Having said that, a degree will give you some transferable skills. I know a guy who did his degree in sports science. I shared a flat with him and he went out on the lash pretty much solidly for 4 years. But he's earning more than I am in the city now (got on to some graduate finance training programme with a big company).

Most of his class are doing nothing with their degrees though, in fairness.

the dee

I don't like the idea that you have to 'do something with your degree', as in work in that specific field forever. How many jobs to you see posted for 'philosopher'? Zero. How many employers will hire someone with a philosophy degree? Thousands.

Having a degree starts you off in a good place on the employment ladder. After that, as any employer will tell you, it's about how capable you are, how fast you learn and how much 'real life' work experience you have.

A general degree means you can work in almost any industry and sector. You're not tied down to a job description like 'engineer' 'accountant' 'lab technician' etc.

Ekancone

the dee wrote: »

I have a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy and a Masters of Philosophy in Gender Studies. I have absolutely no trouble finding work. Since I finished college I've worked in the public and private sectors - earned enough to spend 8 months in Australia.

Unless you want to do a job that absolutely requires a certain skill, then any degree will get you ahead in the jobs market. You've demonstrated an ability to learn and commit to and see through major projects. It shows that you're intelligent and can handle pressure.

I was really interested in what I studied, had a lot of fun in college. Don't let anyone put you off doing a so-called 'useless' degree if that's the area you're interested in. Go for it. No degree affects your career prospects negatively.

Agreed, if you can get a first class honors in a degree you have proven yourslef to be a capable employee for any company. There are many people out there who have arts degrees and have a mundane job, but ask them what grade they got in their degree and many of them got a 2.2. Not worth the paper it is written on unfortunately.

Ekancone

witnessmenow wrote: »

what does someone with an arts degree say to you?
"Do you want fries with that?"

NUIG recently replaced toilet paper with roll of arts degrees as there less useful

I knew you were an engineer before i read your response below. I bet you are one of those guys who says: 'Why would anyone study philosophy'?

:rolleyes:

witnessmenow

daithifleming wrote: »

I knew you were an engineer before i read your response below. I bet you are one of those guys who says: 'Why would anyone study philosophy'?

:rolleyes:

There is no mathematical equation there so that question must not be for me!:p

I'll let the philosiphisers answer that question!They'll get back to you after the right their essay on "If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?"!

Philosophy degrees are very useful. You need one to become a priest.

Ekancone

witnessmenow wrote: »

There is no mathematical equation there so that question must not be for me!:p

I'll let the philosiphisers answer that question!They'll get back to you after the right their essay on "If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?"!

Philosophy degrees are very useful. You need one to become a priest.

So the only reason for studying a degree is to get a job? You engineers really have trouble thinking outside the box, don't you? True to form!

daithifleming

daithifleming wrote: »

So the only reason for studying a degree is to get a job? You engineers really have trouble thinking outside the box, don't you? True to form!

Exactly. Why think outside the box? The box is obviously big enough as is!

In all seriousness, I agree with rb_ie.

Pherekydes

daithifleming wrote: »

So the only reason for studying a degree is to get a job? You engineers really have trouble thinking outside the box, don't you? True to form!

Unfortunately, most people think that way. Most of my family or my wife's family asked me what the degree qualified me to do. It's difficult explaining to such people that a degree is not a qualification. I did mine for my own personal satisfaction.

One woman I used work with asked me did I always like Art (when I told her it was an Arts degree).

4Xcut

There has to be a balance. There's no point in studying something interesting if it doesn't benefit you career all that much. You could study it yourself without college. Likewise, there's no point in picking a degree that you have no interest in or very little interest in just to get a job.

The idea of arts degrees being pointless is one i had up untill i decided to do one. Picked an interesting subject and a more grounded one. College isn't just about the degree you get either. Its about doing an assignment that's supposed to take a month in a weekend and still getting a good grade. Where else prepares you for deadlines like that. Its about balancing a social life with academic commitments. Its about all the experiences that you get along the way.

Ekancone

4Xcut wrote: »

There has to be a balance. There's no point in studying something interesting if it doesn't benefit you career all that much. You could study it yourself without college. Likewise, there's no point in picking a degree that you have no interest in or very little interest in just to get a job.

The idea of arts degrees being pointless is one i had up untill i decided to do one. Picked an interesting subject and a more grounded one. College isn't just about the degree you get either. Its about doing an assignment that's supposed to take a month in a weekend and still getting a good grade. Where else prepares you for deadlines like that. Its about balancing a social life with academic commitments. Its about all the experiences that you get along the way.

I disagree. I know an engineer who is doing a social sciences degree as we speak. He fully intends to go back to engineering and he only did the degree to broaden his range of thinking. He is in his final year now and he is delighted with his decison. So it doesnt all have to be about a career. Some people do a degree when they retire to take part in something that intellectually challenges them. There is more to doing a degree than just some myopic career path, its about challenging yourself and expanding your mind.

4Xcut

I said that it WASN'T all about career but rather that a balance had to be struck. He is doing as degree that he is interested in now and that's good. But he also has a more employable degree which he intends to go back to.

the dee

Any degree will get you a job. You only need a specific degree if you want a specific job that you need that degree for.

Dudess

embee wrote: »

I started an Arts degree donkeys years ago but it was a load of old shyte so I left it.

When I worked in a call centre, half the people working there had Arts Degrees.

LOL so true! I was the same as you, embee. I started an arts degree straight after school and just couldn't see the point in learning about postmodernism and post-structuralism. I was of the view at the time that a course should serve a practical purpose. I felt I was wasting my time so I dropped out, got an office job and did a couple of night courses in computer skills.
But for the next few years, while I was part of the "rat race", I started to feel something was missing. Suddenly I craved learning, so I went back and finished my arts degree - only this time I absolutely loved it. I was of course older and more mature and I was willing to learn and acquire new knowledge simply because it was interesting, not because it would necessarily lead to a career path. During this time, I became interested in the media and got involved with the college radio station and newspaper. Then I did a masters in journalism.
So while an arts degree won't always get you far in terms of your career (well an arts degree comprising any subjects besides computer science and economics!) it's good as a foundation - you can always use it to do a postgrad in a more specialised area.

witnessmenow

if your sole purpose of doing a course is to broaden your thinking and because you enjoy learning thats fine by me , in fact its great. But do you really need a piece of paper at the end accomplish the above?

Well no, you don't, and if it doesn't make you more employable it doesn't have much use does it? Quite a useless degree! Which is what this thread is about.

You'll have to quote me where i said that it was a useless course, or a waste of time.

I'm still in college, and I enjoy what i do. I get some money of my parents to go to college (e.g rent) now if your in the same situation as me and you can justify getting money off your parents to go to college to learn a degree that does not boost job prospects , good for you. And If your paying for yourself to do the same better for you again.

Mr. CooL ICE

A guy I know finished 2nd in his class with a Computer Engineering degree last year, and now lives and works in Luxembourg as a stockbroker!

Dudess

I have heard of a number of people working as stockbrokers after doing computer science and electrical engineering degrees - they're not that far apart.

witnessmenow, a "useless degree" often will boost your job prospects though. Simply having a degree (whatever it's in) on your CV can make a person more attractive to an employer.

Plus, while a degree in philosophy and sociology doesn't have much practical value on the face of it, who says you have to stop there? You can always use it to do a practical post-grad.

I have heard anecdotally that the masters in journalism I did is held in higher regard than the degree in journalism at the same college - I suppose the fact that it's a postgrad, which requires a high mark in the degree.
Yet I did a "useless" undergrad - a BA in English and Sociology.

Ekancone

witnessmenow wrote: »

if your sole purpose of doing a course is to broaden your thinking and because you enjoy learning thats fine by me , in fact its great. But do you really need a piece of paper at the end accomplish the above?

Well no, you don't, and if it doesn't make you more employable it doesn't have much use does it? Quite a useless degree! Which is what this thread is about.

You'll have to quote me where i said that it was a useless course, or a waste of time.

I'm still in college, and I enjoy what i do. I get some money of my parents to go to college (e.g rent) now if your in the same situation as me and you can justify getting money off your parents to go to college to learn a degree that does not boost job prospects , good for you. And If your paying for yourself to do the same better for you again.

Because you don't get challenged when you attempt to study something on your own. Its only when you are pressured into acheiving grades and writing essays/reports that you truely engage with the subject and gain real knowledge of it.

Im really suprised you can't see this, why are engineers always so closed minded?

the dee

witnessmenow wrote: »

Well no, you don't, and if it doesn't make you more employable it doesn't have much use does it? Quite a useless degree!

An arts degree, any degree makes you more employable. No degree is useless.