Has your degree helped you get ahead in life?

[Nick F]

I am coming to the end my of uni degree. After doing nearly three years studying psychology I am wondering if it is all worth while? I am not to sure what I really want to go into as long I can make some good money.

Is it just a case of being in the right place at the right time or actually depending on your education.

I have tried to add a poll to this thread as well, I hope it works.

[Kezzer]

lmao! Ok i realise you haven't seen the big picture at the end of that sentence.

What's with it and people only doing their degree 'cause they want good money? Wasn't there a time when people wanted to learn because they enjoy it?

[Nick F]

I like learning, I really do. I find all the topics I cover really interesting but the sad fact is that only 15% of psychology students actually end up in psychology related jobs. I have applied for quite a few graduate programs though. One thing uni has done to me though is develop the way I think. Everyone wants to of course make money to buy the things they want. At the end of the day university has given me a well-rounded experience.

[ERU]

I can honestly sat no but it did help me think about things fairly - was that worth £15k of dept? I have no idea, ask me in 20 yrs!

[Nemeliza]

Wasn't there a time when people wanted to learn because they enjoy it?

THERE WAS?!....WHEN???!!!!

I must have missed that party

[Proplus]

I'd say yes and no. No as in I did BSc Computer Science but now own my own restaurant. But yes as in it prepares you for the 'real world'.

Apart from your studies, there are so much more you learn whilst being in university: social skills, meeting deadlines, time management, self-discipine, etc. and it all helps in the 'real world'.

[0iD]

I have to say mine was totally & utterly poinless. Don't use any of it & have forgotten a good proportion of it anyway.

[Aaron]

Well, I ended up in a graduate job so the piece of paper was useful and my employer was impressed with the industrial placement I did during my degree so the answer is yes.

Do I use any of the stuff I learnt? Well, there's not much call for quantum mechanics in software engineering but I did learn some transferable skills and gained a lot of confidence.

There is a large degree of luck involved though.

[Nick F]

I would say that the social skills, deadlines and time management skills are the most important aspect of uni. I am sure I will forget all my psychological knowledge when I get into a job in another field.

My debt is gonna be £12k and £2k in credit cards, lets just hope I get a job quickly

[ERU]

My debt is gonna be £12k and £2k in credit cards, lets just hope I get a job quickly

I left over two years ago and i'm still just shy of 16K owed

[Vimeous]

An emphatic YES.
I did Mech Eng with Auto Design, learnt loads and proved to myself that although I enjoyed bits of it I only excelled in some areas.
I discovered I prefered IT and have just landed a job working for an automotive manufacturing firm doing their entire MS based IT.
Despite my degree not being in a related subject it shows I have a high level of basic ability. I can learn on my own time and organise myself to a level of competance needed for whatever type of work I move into. Previously I habitually ignored the Honours part but it turns out many employers value the fact that it shows you stuck out the course and didn't take years more than is expected to complete the task.

A good friend of mine got a first in her Psychology degree and yet still despared about where she was headed in life. She had no idea what to do and after a few failed attempts to get work she enjoyed (on-the-road sales work etc) I believe she's now doing social research projects for the EU. She decided to stop messing about, worked out what really mattered to her and went looking. With her natural ability and paper proof she is a brain on legs she realised if she wanted the job enough she'd get it.

[Byatt]

What's with it and people only doing their degree 'cause they want good money? Wasn't there a time when people wanted to learn because they enjoy it?

I'd say that debt swiftly removes a lot of enthusiasm towards studying your subject as much as you'd like at university. But that's a rant for another day.

[realm]

I say yes even though i have not got my degree yet. I am doing my HNC at the mo moving onto my decree this year doing it all as night course so not costing me loads. I recently got a job doing IT in the area i wanted and they were very interested in my college background.

[Nick F]

There is loads of research to say that graduates get on average 40% more pay than non-graduates though!

[headbrace]

In some cases they do, providing they can get the job in the first place. Which is becoming harder as more and more people are pushed in to university purely because they thing that they will earn more money by going.

I myself have yet to go, fingers crossed after A-Levels I shalt be off, and whilst I'm looking forward to it, the debt wont be much fun.

[Kezzer]

I'd say that debt swiftly removes a lot of enthusiasm towards studying your subject as much as you'd like at university. But that's a rant for another day.

Fortunately my government give me over £10k a year so i'll never go into debt. In fact, since i've been at uni, my money has been going up and up. Currently i'm £800 in the positive zone which will last me a good while.