College Degrees

LimerickSports

Hi i hope this thread hasnt been started already, and this is the right place to post it.

Im just wondering about college degrees? Is there such thing as a useless college degree? Such as an arts degree etc if you dont end up using it and working in that area of study? Are college degrees needed for certain jobs even if what you studied has very little in common with the job?

Wesser

It spends on what you mean as useless.
If you get to learn about somethiung you love then that is not useless.
In terms of get to g job / making money then more scientific based degrees are definitely better.
While there are exceptions.... on average... Yes you are more likely to get better paid enjoyment after a college degree. But plenty people do.well without a college degree.

amtc

A college degree is good for structuring your thinking. Whereas I work in what I studied a friend qualified as a pilot having studied Arts. Another friend consults in energy having studied history. It's all about training your mind.

amtc

A college degree is good for structuring your thinking. Whereas I work in what I studied a friend qualified as a pilot having studied Arts. Another friend consults in energy having studied history. It's all about training your mind.

Airyfairy12

It depends on what you study and what you do with the degree. I know a few people who have degrees in creative multimedia, one of them works for RTE, most of them do freelance stuff and the others work in pubs and other areas unrelated to what they studied.
I know people with fine art degrees, some of them teach in IT's, one works in an art gallery, some of them are self employed as artists, others are employed in unrelated areas. I also know allot of people with psychology degrees and masters in subjects like neuroscience that work in areas totally unrelated to what they studied.

Theres no useless degree subject. All degree courses take allot of time and allot of work to complete, its 3+ years of dedication and hard work with little to no financial income, you dont sign up for a course and get handed a degree, you have to work really hard for it. Employers generally recognise that and give credit where its due.

If you want to study something that will lead to a high paying job straight of college then you would study something like accounting, computer engineering, Pharmaceuticals and other science related subjects but for some of these jobs youd need to have a masters. Chefs, primary school teachers and nurses are also in high demand although not as well paid.

Some jobs require you to have an education up to college degree regardless of the subject, others dont, most require a particular area of subject, it depends on what sort of job youre looking for. Some employers for jobs that dont require high levels of education prefer to hire staff that dont have degrees as theres less chance the employee will leave when something better comes along.

Having a degree used to mean youd get better pay and better standards of work but that isnt the case anymore for allot of graduates in all areas of study that find themselves unemployed, in seasonal work, unpaid internships, earning minimum wage and up to their eyes in more paper work than actual hands on work in their area of employment. I know allot of people with fetac level 5 and 6 certificates doing better than people with masters and PHd's.

I do think having a higher level of education stands by you, especially if you want a career and it certainly opens a lot of doors but its not the be all and end all.

retro:electro

No degree is useless- but you're not entitled to a job in any specific area by virtue of just having one. I've an arts degree and am starting my social work masters in September. Arts degrees in and of itself are limiting- but they also open a lot of doors for you in postgraduate areas that aren't opened when you study something more specific.

LimerickSports

thanks for such an insightful and helpful reply airyfairey very informative! It makes me feel better as I have 2 level 5 qualificationss and one level 6 qualification , I intend to make the most of them, and I found reading about people you know very intresting, I know a girl who did a masters in art therapy but couldn't get much work in the area , however she still has a good job in an unrelated area , college prepares you for work I think and shows employers your dedicated ;

Airyfairy12 wrote: »

It depends on what you study and what you do with the degree. I know a few people who have degrees in creative multimedia, one of them works for RTE, most of them do freelance stuff and the others work in pubs and other areas unrelated to what they studied.
I know people with fine art degrees, some of them teach in IT's, one works in an art gallery, some of them are self employed as artists, others are employed in unrelated areas. I also know allot of people with psychology degrees and masters in subjects like neuroscience that work in areas totally unrelated to what they studied.

Theres no useless degree subject. All degree courses take allot of time and allot of work to complete, its 3+ years of dedication and hard work with little to no financial income, you dont sign up for a course and get handed a degree, you have to work really hard for it. Employers generally recognise that and give credit where its due.

If you want to study something that will lead to a high paying job straight of college then you would study something like accounting, computer engineering, Pharmaceuticals and other science related subjects but for some of these jobs youd need to have a masters. Chefs, primary school teachers and nurses are also in high demand although not as well paid.

Some jobs require you to have an education up to college degree regardless of the subject, others dont, most require a particular area of subject, it depends on what sort of job youre looking for. Some employers for jobs that dont require high levels of education prefer to hire staff that dont have degrees as theres less chance the employee will leave when something better comes along.

Having a degree used to mean youd get better pay and better standards of work but that isnt the case anymore for allot of graduates in all areas of study that find themselves unemployed, in seasonal work, unpaid internships, earning minimum wage and up to their eyes in more paper work than actual hands on work in their area of employment. I know allot of people with fetac level 5 and 6 certificates doing better than people with masters and PHd's.

I do think having a higher level of education stands by you, especially if you want a career and it certainly opens a lot of doors but its not the be all and end all.

LimerickSports

hi just in an unrelated topic I was wondering so masters degrees always cost a lot of money Like thousands of Euro+ I was wondering if you had back to education allowance and susi paid for fees etc can you get a masters paid for by social welfare or susi

anna080 wrote: »

No degree is useless- but you're not entitled to a job in any specific area by virtue of just having one. I've an arts degree and am starting my social work masters in September. Arts degrees in and of itself are limiting- but they also open a lot of doors for you in postgraduate areas that aren't opened when you study something more specific.

silverharp

flippantly I'd say yes there are useless degrees, but a lot of it depends. How well off is your family?, will you have debt at the end of it? is it a good use of your time? what do you expect to do after the degree? for example there is nothing wrong with doing a degree in Philosophy even if your plan is to become a lawyer, it might take you longer but it might make you a better lawyer at the end of the day or just a more rounded individual. On the other hand I'd be suspect of degrees like Journalism or Communications on the basis that its higher risk to turn into a relevant career at the end, you might have spent your time better elsewhere. Or I know one of the neigbour's kids did a degree in Fine Art or History of and he is gainfully unemployed and stressing his parents out, well duh!

retro:electro

LimerickSports wrote: »

hi just in an unrelated topic I was wondering so masters degrees always cost a lot of money Like thousands of Euro+ I was wondering if you had back to education allowance and susi paid for fees etc can you get a masters paid for by social welfare or susi

The majority of Postgrads aren't funded, unfortunately. If you did a HDip or a PME you would get government funding but the rest you will have to pay for yourself. Usually around €6000 a year.
However, if you meet certain criteria, you can apply through the Student Grant Scheme and if you meet the threshold, you may get some/all of your tuition fees covered.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/third_level_education/fees_and_supports_for_third_level_education/postgraduate_student_grant.html

baby and crumble

Like others have said, no degree is "useless" if you leverage it properly.

By that I mean you make it work for you. There's 2 broad types of degrees as I see it, the first being a "professional" degree- that is you end up qualified for a job right out of the gate. Engineering, primary teaching, social work, nursing etc. You are studying to be a "something", so there's a path already mapped out for you.

The other type of degree is one where you slightly have to make your own path up. My undergrad is an arts degree- in philosophy with a geography minor. On paper, that qualifies me for nothing. However, having that degree has allowed me to train at a higher level for jobs that aren't available for someone with a basic degree in any subject (currently I work in research & policy development for a charity).

Now, I will put in the caveat that I have 3 postgrad qualifications and i'm about to start a 4th (long story) but my somewhat "broad" degree has allowed me the freedom to make a few changes as a work and get experience in different things, which I couldn't have done if I went in and studied a degree with a fairly pre-determined path. Well, I could have but it would have been much more difficult.

The one thing I will say, is that if you have a passion or interest in something- anything- don't dismiss studying and exploring it further because it's not a "sure thing" to get a job at the end of it. No course is a sure thing these days, and a huge amount of people find themselves having to do further study at some point. Yes, you mightn't use it directly in what you end up working in, but that's ok. Skill development is just as important as knowledge development. I don't use the knowledge of philosophical constructs and famous philosophers arguments in my daily work but my degree taught me how to formulate an argument, how to pick apart other people points and build my own case. Those are invaluable skills in my current line of work. It's the foundation of what I do every day.

But studying something you have zero basic interest in because you're more likely to get a job easily is no reason to commit yourself to a career path for 40+ years. A degree like computers or software development might get you a job straight from college in a startup, but if you don't even like it and would prefer to be a teacher then what's the point? You'll always feel a bit regretful you didn't follow your passion. If deep down you want to be a writer, don't study nursing. THAT would be a waste of 4 years, and a useless degree, even if you do get a job at the end of it. Do you know what I mean?

LimerickSports

Hi guys ive been meaning to write back, but have been busy and heads been a bit all over the place. i appreciated reading everyones replys tho. baby and crumble i found your reply very helpful, i have currently accepted a social care course, but im not fully sure if that is my passion or not, although i know i do have an interest in it. and i know what you mean if your interested in something you should do it, if i was younger id probably have done art, or finished my course in sports management, but know im thinking more about the job i will get afterwards. but i know what your saying it is a waste if you hate the job. it can be difficult to choose i just hope i make the right decision. thanks for the reply. it made alot of sense to me as i had thought about jobs where i could make more money but realised if im not good at the job and dont like it, it wont be worth the extra money.