Tertiary and Continuing Which degrees are useless/useful?

[AG]

Is it? I'm just giving advice I got given in year 12 in 2004. So it could be useless now. There was a massive boom in the industry a while back so my advice was probably off the back of that. Well I'm pretty sure accounting is still a safe bet, I hope.

I'll delete my other post then.

 

[treefingers]

I'm more interested in the project management/businessy side of IT. A Bachelor of Business Information Systems / Commerce degree is what I'm interested in doing in a few years when I finish VCE.

 

[FootyJunkie]

not a degree but i am pretty sure that if you win 'so you think you can dance?' you get to stand behind the ranga and the samoan in the good guys ads

after the 1st year, you still get to be at the GF Pre-game festivies if TEN are showing it

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

If you want to talk mickey mouse courses, Commerce is far and away on top of the pile.

It's the course that attracts the most internationals; and to keep that sweet international money flowing, the unis have to ensure that the failure rate isn't too high.

With the exception of Actuarial Studies subjects, any other "knowledge" gained from a commerce subject can be easily self-taught over a weekend. The same cannot be said of many Arts and Science subjects.

edit: Comm. is still more "useful" in terms of employment prospects obviously, unfortunate as that may be.

I agree. Also, at the expense of offending some on BF, most commerce students are w***ers. I am not talking about the international students, who just get on with studying, but the local students.

 

[Tzatziki_Man]

I'm currently doing an Arts degree at La Trobe in Bundoora and find it to be a very fun thing to do. I agree with most that on its own an Arts degree can't get you as far as other degrees, but it is only a three year course. Most courses are four years, so if you add the additional year of postgraduate study *graduate diploma* it works out well for you if you want to get into social work or psychology or teaching.

Plus you get two pieces of paper to put up on your wall

But I'd say overall, if you are at university and you are doing your work well, you have a lot to look forward too.

 

[TheSaviour]

I reckon an Arts degree is worth more than a Sicence degree. I'm Yet to see anyone who did a Bsc do anything with their degree. Some guys with BA's have managed to be successful from what I've seen.

Commerce is a good degree (I didn't do it) Of course many people do it now and it's devalued but you can also add Law into that category as well. Law and commerce may not get you a good job half the time but you will get opportunites somehow and what you do with this depends on your enterprise and not education. That's the difference between people who are successful out of uni and people who are not.

 

[raskolnikov]

I've got a BA and am currently earning $80,000 a year so I didn't find it too bad.

 

[rick James]

I've got a BA and am currently earning $80,000 a year so I didn't find it too bad.

You're a teacher. You deal with kids. Pass.

p.s. just kidding mate, I'm sure you're an excellent teacher to be on that sort of coin - I would hardly say the degree itself is the reason you're on a good wicket though, would you?

 

[raskolnikov]

You're a teacher. You deal with kids. Pass.

p.s. just kidding mate, I'm sure you're an excellent teacher to be on that sort of coin - I would hardly say the degree itself is the reason you're on a good wicket though, would you?

Well, I do have a Masters Degree and two Graduate Diplomas but I started off with a BA.

 

[rick James]

Well, I do have a Masters Degree and two Graduate Diplomas but I started off with a BA.

Well technically you started off with kindergarten, maybe you should have mentioned that instead of the BA?

 

[Tzatziki_Man]

Teachers all get paid the same I think. They start off at 55,500 and their salary increases every year for 15 years until it gets to 90,000.

You could just get into teaching with a BA and Graduate Diploma In Education. Which would be four years, so Arts is good, I know thats what I'm doing! What kind of teacher are you Raskolnikov? Do you enjoy your job?

 

[C4[2]Yo`DooR]

I started with a Bsc and then went onto Med.

Worst.

 

[burto]

With the exception of Actuarial Studies subjects, any other "knowledge" gained from a commerce subject can be easily self-taught over a weekend. The same cannot be said of many Arts and Science subjects.

Have to disagree. Learning the fundamentals of bond pricing, market dynamics wouldn't be easy to learn without doing some sort of basics at uni. There is actually a fair bit to it.

Plus the value of a comm degree is that you can earn $180k first year out of Uni if you get into one of the IB's.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

Plus the value of a comm degree is that you can earn $180k first year out of Uni if you get into one of the IB's.

Could you define IB for me mate? I'm a newbie with this stuff, in year 11 currently.

 

[mdc]

Have to disagree. Learning the fundamentals of bond pricing, market dynamics wouldn't be easy to learn without doing some sort of basics at uni. There is actually a fair bit to it.

With all due respect, bond pricing is a cinch for anyone with decent maths fundamentals.

Market dynamics, portfolio theory, etc etc might take longer than a weekend...but you won't convince me that the lectures+tutes add any value whatsoever c.f. a good textbook.

Plus the value of a comm degree is that you can earn $180k first year out of Uni if you get into one of the IB's.

Sure, if working 80+ hour weeks is your idea of fun. Not to mention the odds of landing IB with straight Comm are very thin.

 

[mdc]

Could you define IB for me mate? I'm a newbie with this stuff, in year 11 currently.

Investment Banking

 

[burto]

With all due respect, bond pricing is a cinch for anyone with decent maths fundamentals.

Market dynamics, portfolio theory, etc etc might take longer than a weekend...but you won't convince me that the lectures+tutes add any value whatsoever c.f. a good textbook.

I agree, but going by that theory, the only degree worth doing is Medicine, which you learn best by cutting up dead dudes and doing clinical rounds.

Sure, if working 80+ hour weeks is your idea of fun. Not to mention the odds of landing IB with straight Comm are very thin.

True, one would typically need to do an honours year in finance (unless they did comm/law). 80+ hour weeks are tough, which is why most grads limp to the end of their first 12 months, get their bonus, and quit

 

[burto]

Could you define IB for me mate? I'm a newbie with this stuff, in year 11 currently.

Investment bank - Macquarie, Goldmans, UBS etc.

Ideal if you enjoy 20 hour days, cocaine, and hookers!

 

[mdc]

I agree, but going by that theory, the only degree worth doing is Medicine, which you learn best by cutting up dead dudes and doing clinical rounds.

Meh, I've had a few lecturers in Maths and Arts subjects where I've learnt from that lecturer far beyond the scope of the course. Mind you, they're sporadically interspersed amongst a sea of duds, but still.

 

[burto]

Meh, I've had a few lecturers in Maths and Arts subjects where I've learnt from that lecturer far beyond the scope of the course. Mind you, they're sporadically interspersed amongst a sea of duds, but still.

I actually started actuarial at uni so was doing tonnes of maths, and now that you mention it I do remember the best lecturer I've ever had was this eccentric maths guy who never worse shoes or any clean t-shirts. Learnt a huge amount beyond the scope. Can't comment on arts however.

 

[rick James]

Investment bank - Macquarie, Goldmans, UBS etc.

Ideal if you enjoy 20 hour days, cocaine, and hookers!

I've worked for two of those three companies, and didn't get the hookers or cocaine. Sounds like I got ripped off.

 

[Ellis2WeightsRoom]

I've worked for two of those three companies, and didn't get the hookers or cocaine. Sounds like I got ripped off.

Can you elaborate on your IB experience? And explain why you would possibly want to go from IB to Deakin law? Do you have a commerce degree?

I ask because I'm interested in going in the other direction and getting into IB, specifically M&A. Have completed internships doing M&A in the big4 acc. firms but want to take it to the next level.

 

[raskolnikov]

Teachers all get paid the same I think. They start off at 55,500 and their salary increases every year for 15 years until it gets to 90,000.

You could just get into teaching with a BA and Graduate Diploma In Education. Which would be four years, so Arts is good, I know thats what I'm doing! What kind of teacher are you Raskolnikov? Do you enjoy your job?

I'm a primary school teacher. I love it. There are times when I think I must be mad but I seriously couldn't see myself doing anything else.

 

[Power King]

Plus the value of a comm degree is that you can earn $180k first year out of Uni if you get into one of the IB's.

lmao and in reality the proportion of commerce grads going into IB is....

not knocking the degree, just the statement you made

 

[yeah_nah]

I am currently 2nd year Commerce student and I got a job at the start of my first year (first year out of School) at a small accounting firm that deals with mostly tax.
So jobs in Commerce, especially accounting aren't too hard to come by at all!

Having said that Commerce is an absolute joke. I think they could probably condense the whole first year into about 6 weeks.

Whoever said that most local Commerce students are douchebags is right. Most of us have way too much time on our hands, 12 contact hours a week leaves us with not a lot to do, particularly those who don't work. (I work 20 hours a week on top of 12 uni hours). End result = douches hanging around Uni for no good reason.