Tertiary and Continuing Which degrees are useless/useful?

[manboob]

Lol all the med/dent students are laughing at the amount of Arts vs Law debate going on here -.-

Still gotta stick your fingers in someone's mouth all day. Gross.

 

[Affidavit]

Too many dentists nowadays. Same as a law degree.

 

[jinny1]

Still gotta stick your fingers in someone's mouth all day. Gross.

And GPs gotta do prostate exams? And lawyers got to bend over and take anything their boss/superiors force them to do

Too many dentists nowadays. Same as a law degree.

You can't do dentistry with 60 ATAR at a pseudo-university...nor can you even begin to compare the salaries between a first year lawyer and first year dentist at a private practice. Anyway, i really hope they remove Dentists in that skilled immigration list thing soon.

 

[woofles]

Coming to the end of my arts degree at Melb Uni...am starting to believe tales of its uselessness

 

[manboob]

Coming to the end of my arts degree at Melb Uni...am starting to believe tales of its uselessness

What did you major in? Please don't say art history and womyn's studies.

 

[woofles]

What did you major in? Please don't say art history and womyn's studies.

Media and Comm

 

[jinny1]

Coming to the end of my arts degree at Melb Uni...am starting to believe tales of its uselessness

Almost every undergrad degree at melbourne is useless..their model is designed around postgrad. I'm a melb uni student as well going on to med/dent next year.

 

[manboob]

Media and Comm

So want do you wanna do? PR or something?

 

[woofles]

Almost every undergrad degree at melbourne is useless..their model is designed around postgrad. I'm a melb uni student as well going on to med/dent next year.

I've been fairly set on pursuing post grad thus far but am just well and truly over Uni itself, I'm at the stage where I want to move into the workforce but it seems just about impossible with my basic degree.

 

[Hudu Gurusingha]

Just type in "university graduates unemployed Australia" in google and you get a pretty good idea of the state of things. I really feel sorry for all the graduates coming out.

If your a graduate in a fairy floss degree like media, journalism, marketing or arts, then my advice for you is that you gotta swallow your pride when you get out of uni and accept that no job is beneath you. Treat them as an opportunity to grow. Get into a workplace from the very bottom, work hard, build your experience and make your way up by showing you are dedicated and putting forward good ideas. And even volunteer time in your related area at said job to get some experience. Another thing is you got to do some relevant and meaningful professional development. For example, in OHS you can have a degree but that means nothing unless you back it up with a Cert IV and then a Diploma in OHS and a Cert IV in Training and Assessment. If you have a sports science degree and want to work in a practical field you're going nowhere without putting in bulk volunteer hours and getting your ESSA accreditation, and at least a Cert IV in Fitness. Im sure the same applies to most fields. Maintaining accreditation requires ongoing work and evidence of attending PD courses and volunteering.

Nothing reeks of 'do not employ me' than gaps in resumes.

Look at job ads cos they are a good guide of the extra quals you need.

In this day and age a degree alone will get you nowhere, because they are a dime a dozen. Once upon a time you had to be top of the grades to get into uni. Not anymore.

 

[pokerspiv]

Most degrees are useless, although some are required to be recruited, the content is something you could easily teach yourself on google.

Most valuable degrees:

Engineering
Science (especially geology or chemistry, salaries in mining and oil/gas are the highest of any industry in the world)
Medicine
Law

Honestly if you aren't doing one of those degrees then you should be seriously considering why you are even at University in the first place. Electricians and plumbers earn more than graduates of the remaining degrees.

 

[NTRabbit]

Honestly if you aren't doing one of those degrees then you should be seriously considering why you are even at University in the first place. Electricians and plumbers earn more than graduates of the remaining degrees.

To learn?

I find the extreme focus on degrees existing entirely to get a job, to the point that way too many units in some degrees are spent on Human Resources subjects to make a student more employable, to be anathema to the philosophy of higher education in the first place. The unis in this country are horrific when it comes to this.

 

[pokerspiv]

To learn?

I find the extreme focus on degrees existing entirely to get a job, to the point that way too many units in some degrees are spent on Human Resources subjects to make a student more employable, to be anathema to the philosophy of higher education in the first place. The unis in this country are horrific when it comes to this.

Well really the point is that if you just want to learn for the sake of self-improvement, you don't need to go to a university to do that. Every part of the curriculum is probably available on the internet for free, including live lectures on youtube. This isn't the 60's where a university was the only place you could find such information.

Taking 3-4 years out of your life carries significant cost. Not just the cost of the degree itself (which will be around $15,000-$30,000), but also in the lost work experience/career advancement that you could have been doing in those years instead.

I would have agreed with you in the days before the internet, but not now.

 

[Max zero]

To learn?

I find the extreme focus on degrees existing entirely to get a job, to the point that way too many units in some degrees are spent on Human Resources subjects to make a student more employable, to be anathema to the philosophy of higher education in the first place. The unis in this country are horrific when it comes to this.

The problem is philosophy of higher education does not put food on the table or a roof over your head.

 

[jinny1]

Honestly if you aren't doing one of those degrees then you should be seriously considering why you are even at University in the first place.

LOL that is one of the biggest and worst generalisations i've ever seen

 

[Max zero]

Just type in "university graduates unemployed Australia" in google and you get a pretty good idea of the state of things. I really feel sorry for all the graduates coming out.

If your a graduate in a fairy floss degree like media, journalism, marketing or arts, then my advice for you is that you gotta swallow your pride when you get out of uni and accept that no job is beneath you. Treat them as an opportunity to grow. Get into a workplace from the very bottom, work hard, build your experience and make your way up by showing you are dedicated and putting forward good ideas. And even volunteer time in your related area at said job to get some experience. Another thing is you got to do some relevant and meaningful professional development. For example, in OHS you can have a degree but that means nothing unless you back it up with a Cert IV and then a Diploma in OHS and a Cert IV in Training and Assessment. If you have a sports science degree and want to work in a practical field you're going nowhere without putting in bulk volunteer hours and getting your ESSA accreditation, and at least a Cert IV in Fitness. Im sure the same applies to most fields. Maintaining accreditation requires ongoing work and evidence of attending PD courses and volunteering.

Nothing reeks of 'do not employ me' than gaps in resumes.

Look at job ads cos they are a good guide of the extra quals you need.

In this day and age a degree alone will get you nowhere, because they are a dime a dozen. Once upon a time you had to be top of the grades to get into uni. Not anymore.

There are plenty of jobs out there its just that many university grads think they are too good for them.

Bricklayer, worksite/new homesite cleaner, a variety of shift work, truck driver, forklift operator, the vast majority of trades.

The jobs are often hard and dirty but they can pay really well.

 

[NTRabbit]

I would have agreed with you in the days before the internet, but not now.

It's learning for the sake of learning, and reading the internet is not remotely the same thing.

 

[Dory_77]

Well really the point is that if you just want to learn for the sake of self-improvement, you don't need to go to a university to do that. Every part of the curriculum is probably available on the internet for free, including live lectures on youtube. This isn't the 60's where a university was the only place you could find such information.

Taking 3-4 years out of your life carries significant cost. Not just the cost of the degree itself (which will be around $15,000-$30,000), but also in the lost work experience/career advancement that you could have been doing in those years instead.

I would have agreed with you in the days before the internet, but not now.

But learning isn't just about reading a whole bunch of material/listening to lectures etc. Being able to discuss issues and have an informed debate with people with similar interests, but perhaps differing views, is just as, if not more important in learning. Like how people say if you want to learn something properly, imagine how you'd teach someone else. The interaction with peers and teachers is a big part of education I feel and just sitting at home listening to youtube/reading articles off google isn't as valuable.

 

[Max zero]

But learning isn't just about reading a whole bunch of material/listening to lectures etc. Being able to discuss issues and have an informed debate with people with similar interests, but perhaps differing views, is just as, if not more important in learning. Like how people say if you want to learn something properly, imagine how you'd teach someone else. The interaction with peers and teachers is a big part of education I feel and just sitting at home listening to youtube/reading articles off google isn't as valuable.

Can't we have those same debates online?

 

[pokerspiv]

It's learning for the sake of learning, and reading the internet is not remotely the same thing.

Reading is not the only thing you can do on the internet. You can also watch videos of lectures, and even participate in online courses via Skype. Want to discuss what you have read? There are online forums for that.

There isn't a single thing taught in the typical humanities degree that isn't available on the internet for free.

 

[Dory_77]

Can't we have those same debates online?

Maybe, but it'd be a lot more work. Yeah forums etc offer that, but it's a lot slower and there's always the issue of dickheads getting involved who don't know shit. Also having to do it person to person requires/improves social skills and communication skills. Having to articulate an argument on the spot is a lot more demanding and requires a lot more thought about an issue than just spewing shit onto an internet forum.

 

[pokerspiv]

But learning isn't just about reading a whole bunch of material/listening to lectures etc. Being able to discuss issues and have an informed debate with people with similar interests, but perhaps differing views, is just as, if not more important in learning.

That's pretty much exactly what we are doing here, right now.

 

[Max zero]

Maybe, but it'd be a lot more work. Yeah forums etc offer that, but it's a lot slower and there's always the issue of dickheads getting involved who don't know shit. Also having to do it person to person requires/improves social skills and communication skills. Having to articulate an argument on the spot is a lot more demanding and requires a lot more thought about an issue than just spewing shit onto an internet forum.

I would argue posting online is a lot faster and easier then trying to get everyone to meet in a particular location for several hours each week.

In addition there are plenty of uninformed dickheads in everyday life as well.

You just need to learn how to filter information (a useful skill in general).

 

[jinny1]

Reading is not the only thing you can do on the internet. You can also watch videos of lectures, and even participate in online courses via Skype. Want to discuss what you have read? There are online forums for that.

There isn't a single thing taught in the typical humanities degree that isn't available on the internet for free.

I dont think you can ever compare youtube/internet as a direct substitute for university. It definitely supplements it but people claiming that it is a substitute probably haven't been to a proper university...

Also you won't get any practical experience going solo. I still remember the day when we created paracetamol in lab and when we handled real human cadavers etc.

You also won't get the support network and peer group.

 

[Max zero]

I dont think you can ever compare youtube/internet as a direct substitute for university. It definitely supplements it but people claiming that it is a substitute probably haven't been to a proper university...

Also you won't get any practical experience going solo. I still remember the day when we created paracetamol in lab and when we handled real human cadavers etc.

You also won't get the support network and peer group.

Which typical humanities course creates paracetamol and handles human cadavers?