Fro
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Getting employer to pay for tuition FTW  
In all seriousness though. They tried to ram University home to everyone at school and for the 6 months i was at college. Uni this uni that if you more money uni is where it's at. (fuck me I just made a cheerleading rhyme  ) But looking at the people who are progressing through uni and finishing they are no better off than I am and they've got a loan hanging over their heads to pay off. and the majority say they havn't learnt much because they picked stupid ass courses.
My sister is currently doing accountancy of some description at colchester and I'm worried she's going to come out of it all with alot of debt and not a well paid job. Mainly because the girl i sit next to at work did accountancy at uni and earns less than what i do and all I have are some crackpot GCSE's.
I would have loved to go uni for the lifestyle but weighed up against the other factors I decided that for me it would be pointless. And it has worked out better for me this way, nice car, partially own a house and no debt hanging over my head for many years.
There are people out there though that it does work for. But it seems like they are the minority.
[Edited on 04-03-2010 by fro-dizzle]
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Paul_J
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Exactly fro... it's all statistics and figures.
At school they made you feel like you 'failed' unless you went to uni.
Reality is, it probably just meant your school got a higher statistic of people leaving and going to uni which turned into bigger government grant for the school. 
As Carl point out earlier, The lifestyle / Friends is the key attribute of it!
Yes, I have a degree. Yes for me it probably did help me get the foot on the career ladder, but from now on - that paper is worthless.
Weighing up the proposition of having to clear £15k and essentially 'wasting' 3 years of life - it makes me really consider whether it was a good life choice or not.
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pow
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Paul, ahem? Ben G, Graham88, 
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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How about 'wasting' 7 years at uni Paul :doyle:
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willay
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I think uni does alot for people, teaches them to think in different ways and how to learn to a specific level.
I kinda wish I'd gone, I could of done with another 3 years of not having a proper job and having a laugh while learning a few things but I was too obsessed with earning some wages and getting the fuck out of school/college.
Not all full of regrets though, I've never been the education type, I've learnt so much through experience and typically most grads I meet cant match up but saying that I've met maybe 1 or 2 grads who are super++++ smart and I look up to them because they posses such a sick knowledge when it comes to computing
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
quote:
Originally posted by Colin
Only one of my mates that went to uni is raking it in, he done chemical engineering & works in Angola finding oil & ways to get to it.
Does he work for a company called 'Sonangol'?
I'm writing some software for them at the mo and they come across super rich, think they do angola oil.
Nah its BP, he does 28 days away at a time & earns around 20k a trip. Seriously loaded!!
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Carl
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
quote:
Originally posted by pow
... I think Graham88 / Ben G are clear examples are the 'right way'... e.g. no uni ... good job... no debt ... money saved.
As said, that is all well and good until they want to make a career change, people don't spend their entire life in the same career these days.
I think the "right way" or "deal" is to go to uni but to take it serious, not pissing money up the wall, attending lectures, working jobs in between for money ideally in the same sector. Even more so if you have a placement year in your degree.
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pow
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Carl you have royally fucked that quote up
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Neo
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This thread makes me so happy I didnt go to Uni
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Fro
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Registered: 20th Jun 06
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quote:
Originally posted by Carl
I think the "right way" or "deal" is to go to uni but to take it serious, not pissing money up the wall, attending lectures, working jobs in between for money ideally in the same sector. Even more so if you have a placement year in your degree.
Definately, too many of them go just for the lifestyle and the 'free' money.
Edit: trying to talk the girlf out of going uni. But she seems to have her head screwed on. She's at college and working 3 jobs aswell whereas her other college mates are bumming it.
[Edited on 04-03-2010 by fro-dizzle]
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Colin
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tbh only the gifted should go to uni, people who excell early on, & it should be free to go, no access courses or do this do that bobs your aunt woohoo im smart. All the micky mouse courses should be wrapped on the head & more apprenticeships and proper trades should be taught in their place. The world would be a better place!!
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Fro
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Colin for primeminister 
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Fucking right i'll soon sort this joint out!!
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Ojc
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quote:
Originally posted by deano87
I know, that if I didn't go to Uni and just completed my A-levels, I'd be 1) better off financially in terms of my earnings 2) further along the career path.
My MD asked me what I learnt at Uni in a Marketing meeting. I just said "Fuck all" point blank to his face.
I didn't really learn that much (I partly blame the Uni) but also that it was useless in terms of the real world. I have learnt more in 9 months of working than I did in 3 years at Uni.
I put up with the money I'm on now because I think of myself as doing an apprenticeships, and the company I'm in, the possibilities for earnings going up is massive.
I am so pleased people are waking up to the fact that University doesn't automatically mean you are going to walk into 30k+ jobs where people with 10 years of experience are always going to be well ahead of you in the queue.
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Fro
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Agreed, most jobs I have looked at now days require experience and dont really care if you have a degree.
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mwg
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Majority of people I know that went to Uni have no better jobs than me. Some are waiting on in restaurants or have no job.
Always the odd one that goes on to do really well and get a very well paid job & I dont have a problem with them as they have obviously made the most of what they've got. But the others should of got their arse out to work and achieved something instead. I think a lot of people go just because it delays them getting a proper job and want to party every night.
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Colin
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Because so many folk are leaving Uni's after 4yrs 'hard study' and are found out straight away as being usless at the most simple of tasks.
Ive worked with them before, had a guy in for summer job with 2 degrees, was going off to do a PHD afterwards & he couldnt do fuck all, he just could not do the job it was nuts.
Another one had a really bad drink/drug problem, used to come in pissed talking all sorts of oddball stuff & acting very shifty. His demise came when he phoned up at night to the emergency response base screeming that the KG ethylene cracker was on fire, he was in his house out his tits at the time. Waste of space!! :doyle:
[Edited on 04-03-2010 by Colin]
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Fad
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If you have a proffession in mind where you can work towards a professional accreditation I see the point.
However if its a poor degree like American History or Business Studies/Marketing then I can see most people's point as to why are you doing it?
The key to it is basically have a goal for when you come out of uni rather than coasting along.
[Edited on 04-03-2010 by Fad]
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ed
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Tell Labour to fuck off, uni isn't for 50% of the population, save it for the top 10% like it used to be 
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Paul_J
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quote:
Originally posted by Carl
quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
... I think Graham88 / Ben G are clear examples are the 'right way'... e.g. no uni ... good job... no debt ... money saved.
As said, that is all well and good until they want to make a career change, people don't spend their entire life in the same career these days.
I think the "right way" or "deal" is to go to uni but to take it serious, not pissing money up the wall, attending lectures, working jobs in between for money ideally in the same sector. Even more so if you have a placement year in your degree.
Old Myth mate... the 'uni degree is the way up the ladder' - seems not the case any more. At most uni degrees these days are a foot in the door max.
- Reality is, when 50% of the population are getting degrees (and most are pointless ones) it dilutes the market... it's no longer a 'speciality' to have the degree, so they start looking at what is most important beyond that, and that's experience.
As such, as Fro pointed out... most employers rank real good experience highly, and that's generally what guarentees the higher pay.
e.g.
You've just got a degree = 23k
You've got a degree and placement year 25k
You've got a degree and 1 - 2 years exp 30k
You've got a degree and 2-5 years exp 45k
you've got a degree and 5 years + exp 45-60k +
... Point is, if you've already got the 3 years exp where most were at uni, then you're gonna be higher in the food chain above anyway.
Out of interest Carl, are you still at uni? - you're tone sounds very similar to people who are still at uni and expect to walk into a high paid job on graduation day. I was surrounded by these fools when I was at uni.
Once it was possible to walk into a high paid job out of uni, but as deano said, it's less likely these days.
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ed
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I have to say, if I was to apply for a job as an industrial designer they would still require a degree. If I was to apply for a good job as an industrial designer they would require a masters - either an MA or an M Des. Jobs at Phillips Healthcare in their product development departments require either an Master by research or a PhD.
I guess it just depends on what you want to do. I think the normal thing to happen for people with decent degrees is to get a job in a graduate programme and earn £20-£22k. You only start earning real money when you get experience.
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RichR
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Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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I could not do what I do now without my degree plus with more people retiring out of my industry than coming into it (less than 20 people per year qualify to do what I do) getting a job wasn't difficult at all. I walked in on £25,000 which has gone up significantly year on year since I got here.
The reason I couldn't do what I do is that you can not practice without association to the professional body and you can not get that without a degree qualification from a recognised course.
However, I stand by the fact that uni was only the beginning and gave only the basics - in reality you step it up a gear when you start to work and everyday is a school day.
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a_j_mair
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i payed around £20 pw finished paying it off last october time
mine was only couple £k though
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Carl
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Registered: 9th May 04
Location: Jimmy Bennett's la la land.
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
quote:
Originally posted by Carl
quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
... I think Graham88 / Ben G are clear examples are the 'right way'... e.g. no uni ... good job... no debt ... money saved.
As said, that is all well and good until they want to make a career change, people don't spend their entire life in the same career these days.
I think the "right way" or "deal" is to go to uni but to take it serious, not pissing money up the wall, attending lectures, working jobs in between for money ideally in the same sector. Even more so if you have a placement year in your degree.
Old Myth mate... the 'uni degree is the way up the ladder' - seems not the case any more. At most uni degrees these days are a foot in the door max.
- Reality is, when 50% of the population are getting degrees (and most are pointless ones) it dilutes the market... it's no longer a 'speciality' to have the degree, so they start looking at what is most important beyond that, and that's experience.
As such, as Fro pointed out... most employers rank real good experience highly, and that's generally what guarentees the higher pay.
e.g.
You've just got a degree = 23k
You've got a degree and placement year 25k
You've got a degree and 1 - 2 years exp 30k
You've got a degree and 2-5 years exp 45k
you've got a degree and 5 years + exp 45-60k +
... Point is, if you've already got the 3 years exp where most were at uni, then you're gonna be higher in the food chain above anyway.
Out of interest Carl, are you still at uni? - you're tone sounds very similar to people who are still at uni and expect to walk into a high paid job on graduation day. I was surrounded by these fools when I was at uni.
Once it was possible to walk into a high paid job out of uni, but as deano said, it's less likely these days.
No I'm not at uni, finished 2/3 year ago. What I'm saying is that your thoughts are blinkered to a person only having one job/career. Most people these days change careers. IF this point comes and you work in the car industry and decide you'd like to be a teacher or something that your experience doesn't carry transferable skills to, you can't. Having that degree as a foundation means you can. It shows you can study to a certain level (albeit diluted these days). YOur mate who might be on 5k more than you because he has 3 years on you is then stuck going something he really doesn't want to be doing.
I went back to college and then to uni as I was stuck in a dead end job and I knew that I was able to study further with ease. I still don't know what I want to do, infact the only goal I have is to emigrate, and it is only recently I've decided to focus on this as a motivator rather than going from pillar to post thinking about what the hell i'm going to do as a career for the rest of my life, that I might enjoy. I had no motivation to do well at uni either with no career to aspire to. BUT even these shit degrees and mickey mouse unis open up oppertunities for those that know what they want and are willing to work for it.
Basically, there is more to life than money, and I know that having a degree will ultimately never do my job prospects any harm. So therefore it is better to have one, so what i'f I missed 3 years of earning. Going back to my initial post at uni I made some good friends, I grew as and individual and I wasn't stuck in a shit job, to me them things were more important than having money to have nice cars etc, I also used my overdraft to go spend the summer in Ibiza, made a load more friends and had some of the times of my life all while my mates were stuck on some building site somewhere shite, (yeah my best mate is now knocking 1k a week out with his own building firm but that's life.)
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Half Pint
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i didn't go to uni which i really think i should have but now in a good job where my employer is sponsoring me to do a degree in the field that i am working so although i'm doing it late its a better outcome as i've a well paid job and will get the piece of paper....
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