Re: Decent Kanye article... It also mentions...


Kwaj wrote:
> well - if nothing else, your degree taught you how to put forth a clearly
> constructed argument!
>
> I guess, I don't really understand the UK system that well and I didn't
> realise that having "just" a first degree equated to not much in the UK. But
> then, merely having a degree never really does much for you - the goal is to
> keep yourself rounded right throughout the degree IMHO.

I don't know how the Australian system works, but I'm guessing it's
quite similar to the US, i.e. school until 18 and then straight to uni?
In the UK school is only compulsory from 11-16 and GCSEs consisting of
usually between 8 and 11 subjects, depending on your school, are
studied in the last 2 years of this. They're not really worth all that
much as a qualification, but employers are generally glad that you have
them, and they *can* be a gateway to the beginning of your career if
you don't want to go any further in education. A lot of people I
know who have average or above average GCSE grades started work in
travel agents, estate agents, banks, etc.

The next step in the education system is usually a non-compulsory 2
years of A-levels (you usually need a couple of GCSEs to be eligible),
which is where you gain your entry points to uni, studying 3 or 4
subjects (anything you want...sciences, etc. aren't compulsory). This
is where I feel I should have stopped. A-Levels are pretty soild
qualifications that might land you a job as a trainee manager or
something, although the pass rates are spiralling, at almost 100%

>
> Probably postgraduate education is the key but if that's what it takes to
> stand out from the pack, so be it. You wouldn't find it that hard to get
> someone to pay for it - considering your graduating a 1st class.
>
> I don't live in the UK but have been interviewed for 40,000 pound jobs
> starting. But then I applied with dual postgraduate degrees in engineering
> and law - and going by your little blurb on postgrad degrees being a big
> deal in the UK...it probably explains their excitement.

This is where the subject difference comes in. My boyfriend is a
Mechatronics student who *isn't* exactly academically brilliant, but he
has had job offers already, with one year to go. He's looking at
starting on about £25k with a bachelors degree alone, thanks to a
skills shortage. And thanks to his dad's contacts back home in the
Middle East, there's plenty of companies who would take him on the
strength of him having a British degree alone. But for someone who
doesn't have an interest in technical/scientific subjects, the
situation is different. I have learned very few skills.

>
> I still think it's too big a risk going through life without a formal
> qualification - cause at the end of the day, when one has to justify their
> worth, all things being equal - a formal qualification willl usually get you
> through the gate. And most people recognise the sort of commitment and
> discipline required to complete degrees (plus it actually does make you a
> lot more disciplined at the end of it).
>
> And I am not sure about you but I would have had no idea what to do with
> myself at 18 (had no idea what to do with myself after the first degree),
> had I not gone to university. Knowing myself, I would have probably got
> myself into some sort of mischief. So, I guess degrees, are a good time
> filler while you sort yourself and begin to understand who you are.

Yeah, one of the main reasons I did it is to 'get a life' beyond what I
already had. I think it's essential for an 18 year old to get out of
home and see new places, be it through uni or anything else. I went to
a university which is like a mile from my home, but I still moved out,
and it was still like a different world. I can't fault the social side
of it...ou realise that *these* people will be your friends for life,
and there's people from all walks of life that you come across. I've
always been immersed in a diverse culture, but this is something
else...

>
> But then - given the arguments you point forth, I can sort of understand
> your reasoning in not being fussed about it on the whole.
>
> - Kwaj

.

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