BA (hons) Childhood studies - is it worth anything?

Master and commander · 20-07-2011 01:49PM #1

Hi all.
My GF's sister has applied for and accepted a course in childcare studies in WIT just today i heard. Not trying to put a downer on it or anything but is that degree really worth doing in the first place - she is a smart, intelligent person and could do anything she wanted. Got 470 points last year. I was saying to the GF that it's a kind of thing that her sis will never make any real money doing to be honest, i mean when compared to doing something proper like becoming a solicitor or an engineer or something. There are not many career prospects.
My mother was saying just the other day that childcare courses just make you a glorified babysitter.

Is it worth doing long term.?

Nickfro · 20-07-2011 02:44PM

Im saying straight up I have never done the course/will never do it. I have never had to mind a child in my life but looking at it from outsiders perepective I would say that there are plenty of options.

If she had a real drive for looking after and careing for children whats to say she couldnt open her own creche someday? or once she had completed the course go on to do further study into child psychology or something. Bit more than a glorified baby sitter in my opionion. But its just my opinion.

The best advice I was given was do what makes you happy.

kob29 · 20-07-2011 03:40PM

Master and commander wrote: »

her sis will never make any real money doing to be honest, i mean when compared to doing something proper like becoming a solicitor or an engineer or something. There are not many career prospects.

Something proper like being a solicitor or engineer.....I would think that there are a lot more unemployed solicitors than childcare professionals going round today!
Likewise with engineers.

She should do the course that she has an interest in and will make her happy. She may not spend her whole life working in early childhood education, who knows? She could manage a montessori school, do primary teaching postgrad, psychology...........maybe she'll even go to the Kings Inns :rolleyes:

dayshah · 20-07-2011 10:02PM

kob29 wrote: »

She should do the course that she has an interest in and will make her happy.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

Sully · 21-07-2011 03:59PM

Never heard any of the past pupils speak very highly of this course (I know several) or the department its under. But a degree in childcare will help when actually doing a childcare related job, you are expected to be paid better than those who don't.

"Glorified babysitter" is narrow minded. There is a lot of childcare outside of holding a childs hand and bringing him/her to the park.

Personally id do the Childcare course somewhere a bit more competent and if she really wants to do childcare, leave her at it.

Jess18 · 23-07-2011 10:06PM

I'm so glad I found this post, It makes me so angry to hear people refer to childcare professionals as 'glorified babysitters' and ask why they don't have 'proper' jobs!!! :mad:

I am doing this course atm and I can say from my experience that it really is worth doing! You say she is a say smart, intelligent person..if so, then who better to educate the next generation!! People have such low opinions of childcare professionals, without these professionals what would become of our children, the first few years of a child's life is the most critical time in the child's life where they need to be provided with the appropriate care, education and guidance. I think to say that educating and making an impact on the lives of the next generation is not a 'proper' job is very unfair. And as for the 'glorified babysitter' comment, I agree with the comment below that this is very narrowminded, there are so many different areas in the childcare field that graduates of this course can go into. Although a career in childcare may not pay the best money, us childcare professionals are rewarded in many other ways; such as those unexpected hugs from the little ones at the end of a long day, seeing a child complete a task they once found difficult, and watching a child who once had problems socializing with other children playing and laughing with his friends, These are what make our job worth while!!

Aoifey! · 26-07-2011 12:26AM

I am currently doing this course, and there are plenty of different job prospects from it. Some people use it as a starter for Primary teaching, others go into working with children with disabilities or as an Special Needs Assisnant (SNS) in a primary school. There's also the Creche or Daycare type jobs, and that's just to name a few.

The course is not just how to be a "glorified babysitter", it also looks at the Psychology and Sociology aspect of things, which a lot of people don't seem to realise. If she has a genuine interest in this type of course then I don't see why you should push her to do a "proper" course, as you put it. Perhaps she has no interest in being a solicitor or engineer, so if she went for that it would just be a waste of time and money.

Although granted, WIT probably isn't the best place to do this course. A friend of mine does it in Mary I, it's a 4 year course there and much more intense than in WIT. But again, that's her decision.

magicskittles · 12-08-2011 11:46PM

Why should making money be the first thing you think of when you are choosing a college course?
I did a similar degree in DIT (in early childhood education, not childcare, I think you'd find it hard to find a degree course in childcare), it wasn't my first choice but I have never looked back!
As a graduate you can expect much higher salaries than those with Level 5 or 6. You also have much better prospects in terms of career advancement (for example management, careers with organisations such as Barnardos or Focus Ireland) than those with a FETAC course.
There is a lot of stigma in Ireland about people who choose early childhood education as a career path and many see practitioners as glorified babysitters but it's worth considering that in many European countries a degree is the minimum requirement for working with young children. Also the fact that the Irish government has begun to realise the importance of having trained staff - with the free ECCE year, settings that have staff members with a level 8 (or higher) receive higher grants - can only be positive to those working in the sector!
Finally young children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, many don't have the language or the ability to tell someone if anything bad is happening to them, soley from this perspective isn't it worth putting up with the comments and lack of support from family and friends if it means that one more person who had been thoroughly trained and vetted is working in the area, educating and protecting children?

Happyzebra · 13-08-2011 12:00AM

The fact that so many people think such degrees are worthless is a reflection of how undervalued early childhood is in Ireland.

Sully · 13-08-2011 03:37PM

Happyzebra wrote: »

The fact that so many people think such degrees are worthless is a reflection of how undervalued early childhood is in Ireland.

Or its a reflection of the course itself..

Master and commander · 15-08-2011 03:21PM

well whatever about the content or quality of the course, it just seems that for all the effort put into the 4 year sof college it seems like poor prospects when your basically going to confined to working in creche's or montessoris and the like with no real prospect of achieveing a really good career. I mean theres not a whole lot of networking in those workplaces and i dont think the long term pay would be that good either.

Certainly if i had a daughter i would strongly be urging toward law, accounting, engineering or business as these have better income potential abd better networking and advancment prospects. However if she really had her heart set on it she could do it.

Sully · 15-08-2011 03:31PM

Master and commander wrote: »

well whatever about the content or quality of the course, it just seems that for all the effort put into the 4 year sof college it seems like poor prospects when your basically going to confined to working in creche's or montessoris and the like with no real prospect of achieveing a really good career. I mean theres not a whole lot of networking in those workplaces and i dont think the long term pay would be that good either.

Certainly if i had a daughter i would strongly be urging toward law, accounting, engineering or business as these have better income potential abd better networking and advancment prospects. However if she really had her heart set on it she could do it.

Do you go to most topics and post views opposite to the majority, just for the craic? :S

Unless you have some sort of inside knowledge or experience, you cant really comment on stuff like networking (such a simple term you clearly fail to grasp) and pay.

If you had a child - who looks after it while your at work? Some randomer with no real experience or qualifications, or a creche/childminder who has qualifications and experience in such a field so you can be rest assured she is well looked after and in safe hands.

Aoifey! · 17-08-2011 12:09AM

Master and commander wrote: »

well whatever about the content or quality of the course, it just seems that for all the effort put into the 4 year sof college

Well firstly, the course in WIT is 3 years so you should probably look at the course info a bit more before judging it.

it seems like poor prospects when your basically going to confined to working in creche's or montessoris

As has already been pointed out you are not confined to just that (not that those aren't perfectly acceptable careers), you could also work with children with special needs, or branch out into childcare or perhaps even child psychology.

and the like with no real prospect of achieveing a really good career. I mean theres not a whole lot of networking in those workplaces and i dont think the long term pay would be that good either.

Who is to say what is classified as a good career? I would say being a part of a child's life and helping them develop whilst they are in such a vital stage in their life is very important, I would say that's a good career.

Certainly if i had a daughter i would strongly be urging toward law, accounting, engineering or business as these have better income potential abd better networking and advancment prospects. However if she really had her heart set on it she could do it.

As was said earlier, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

BA (hons) Childhood studies - is it worth anything?

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