Is getting a degree worthwhile re: jobs?

[buzybee]

The government is always talking about upskilling and saying that college education is the passport to a good job, and that graduates are less likely to be unemployed etc.

I often hear of people who have degrees and don't get work relevant to their degree. They might get factory work or general office work where you need no degree. You would wonder whether getting a degree is really worthwhile, given that it is very expensive and time consuming.

I know that going to college and studying for a degree is of benefit re prioritising work, time management, writing skills etc, but a lot of employers don't seem to recognise this.

When I went looking for jobs after college, it was very hard to get 'professional' jobs. When I tried to get the more ordinary jobs, a lot of the employers in shops/bars/general offices didn't want a person with a degree because they felt that we wouldn't stay in their job long term. I finally got a job doing general office work, but I had to use a contact even to get this.

Even now, I have a job that I could have got with no degree. I have a more senior role because of my experience.

I think college graduates are less likely to be unemployed because a lot of them are highly motivated and will go to the 'ends of the earth' to get a job. A person who goes to college will ofteb be very motivated especially if that person is from a working class background (like me) where college is not the norm, and is seen as a waste of time.

 

[z104]

Yes.

 

[huskerdu]

It's a false argument to say that a college education is not worth it because you know graduates who can't get a job. There is a recession on. Sadly, lots of people cant find work at the moment. You have made such a sweeping statement that it doesn't make sense.

Actually, I dont really agree about the benefits of a college education wrt time management etc. I know so many people who left college without these skills,

So, why go to college ?

For many people its because you want to be a <insert career aspiration here> and you can't get a job in that field without qualifiactions.

There are many, many jobs that are only open to those with a further qualification.

Also, many jobs, like entry level positions in banks officially are open people straight from school, but when they have more applicants than jobs, they immediately reject all the applicants with no further qualifications.

Sorry if you are disillusioned. You give no hint that you know what you really want to do. Maybe you need to work this out, and look at what you need to do it get there.

 

[buzybee]

I have always known that I wanted to do accountancy. I studied this in college. Then I couldn't get an apprenticeship even though I got an honours degree. Later I found out that classmates with pass degrees were able to get apprenticeships. I also know that some of these definitely had connections to help them get the job.

I had to take a general office job after leaving college, and I was even lucky to get this. I had to just hope that I would get to work in accounts eventually. I was able to build on experience and get jobs eventually but I would have got the same type of jobs with no degree.

Sadly it can be a case of 'its not what you know, it is who you know' particularly when people are starting out on a career.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

Sadly it can be a case of 'its not what you know, it is who you know' particularly when people are starting out on a career.

I think that this factor is very overrated in getting jobs.

Even if it is a factor, someone with connections and an honours degree and good personal skills will get a better job than someone with connections without an honours degree and without good personal skills.

You can also improve your contacts by being active in college societies and the community in general.

Brendan

 

[z107]

From my experience 'who you know' is a massive factor when it comes to employment in Ireland. The solution is get to know people, or move country. I suppose, different people will have different experiences. Maybe 'who you know' has a greater impact in different sectors. I don't fancy my chances of ever becoming a TD for example.

With regards to the degree, some people do these because they enjoy learning stuff. This is a very worthwhile pursuit.
Some places won't even look at people without a degree. It's an easy way to filter CVs.

 

[BoscoTalking]

yes but the "who you know" can be increased if you go to college and meet other people to "know".

 

[truthseeker]

yes but the "who you know" can be increased if you go to college and meet other people to "know".

Excellent point - you make contacts in your area of interest in college.

Personally I see education in two ways - one is learning for the sake of learning - which is a wonderful thing, but doesnt pay the bills.

The other is a means to an end - ie, better career prospects.

There is no doubt in my mind that someone with more education is going to have a better chance of a job in the grand scheme of things. What it does not guarantee though is earning power in the long term, as many degrees are only door openers into fixed ceiling pay jobs. And a skilled tradesman could be making a lot more because he had the initiative to open his own business.

Degrees can go out of date too, and relevant work experience can be more important on a CV.

 

[z104]

If you cannot get in directly to your chosen profession then you can take a lower position in the company and wait for an opening.

Many companies advertise internally before the go extrenally.

 

[schmile]

It depends on the degree.
What if everyone suddenly stopped getting medical degrees.
Would you still go to the doctor ?

 

[Latrade]

It depends on the degree.

+1

"Graduates" is a very general and loose term. Some areas are a struggle such as anything to do with finance and construction at the moment, but there may be an argument they were oversubscribed and the volumes of jobs in those sectors was unsustainable.

However, some sectors like Pharmachem are still crying out for graduates.

I think the traditional (apologies for the next term) "real" honors degrees will always look well on a CV. I know for a fact that even with a simple BEng Hons, I've had more doors opened than if I didn't have it.

In a similar way to construction related degrees, mine was a bad choice in doing Mining Engineering and graduating at a time when the mining Industry in Western Europe was drying up considerably. But I was able to get doors opened and other positions on the strengths of having the degree.