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And then there's University itself. I listened to a good program on the radio last night where the subject of learning for the sake of learning came up a lot. University is clearly an incredible experience that millions find improves their life - people walk out after a degree as a different person. But this option is becoming less viable every year, as more obstacles are put in the way of potential graduates. My year will be the first to get the new tuition fees. The sliding scale system basically makes it pointless to get a degree, because any improved wages you might earn are simply skimmed to pay for the degree itself. As the years of quota-filling catches up with the country, we will end up with over half of people going to University, but nobody able to screw in a lightbulb or fix a tap. Nowadays it is easier to walk into a highly paid job after a vocational course in plumbing than it is to get any sort of job with a good degree. People are coming out with these qualifications but without basic skills, such as the ability to fill out an application form. So what's the point of getting a degree anymore, when it is becoming devalued and even unhelpful?
I'm getting very worried about my 'grand plan' of getting to University, finishing with good results and getting a job I enjoy. And to make matters worse, I might be expected to write several thousand words of an essay to submit in my application, along with three years' worth of work. Perhaps I should go into mechanics.
Doing a degree in a foreign language doesnt mean you'll get a job in the related field - because there arent an awful lot of related jobs - language teachers, translators... I'm already out of ideas. The same with a lot of subjects.
Your mother is a prime example, doing a degree in one thing and never working in that subject field and getting a job in a field they didnt need a related degree for. Jobs rarely ask for "post-graduates only"
> Foszy wrote:
> This would make oxford and
> cambridge be able to pick a lot easier.
>
> It annoys me that Britain's two 'greatest' institutions take more
> foreigners than British people. In fact it is quite sickening, that
> only the rich should be offered the best education. Shouldnt the best
> further education be offered to those who have proved themselves as
> intellectuals - not those who's dear mothers and fathers have bulging
> bank accounts.
>
> This is an archaic tradition that is still held by the supposedly
> smartest people around. Contradictory, no?
What again? Cambridge and Oxford aren't private schools. The private education system rewards wealth - these unis are archaic and stiff, but they're not only for the rich. Two of my friends are going to Cambridge - cost is the same as any other uni.....and they went to state schools.
> What degree would you be considering at university?
> If its Media (what career will Film Studies get you!?), History or a
> foreign language then dont even bother. They dont open up career
> paths, and nine times out of ten you will walk into a job you could
> have got after completing your GCSE's, only with £10,000 of
> debts shadowing over you.
>
What? How does a foreign language not open up career options? Actually, how does any subject NOT help you find work? Jesus, the chief of the Metropolitan police said he'd rather have philosophy graduates than law ones working for him. Every subject can open up any number of career paths - and that's if you even have a job that relates to your degree. My mum did Archaeology and Geography. She actually edits and writes books, with nothing to do with either subject.
> This would make oxford and
> cambridge be able to pick a lot easier.
It annoys me that Britain's two 'greatest' institutions take more foreigners than British people. In fact it is quite sickening, that only the rich should be offered the best education. Shouldnt the best further education be offered to those who have proved themselves as intellectuals - not those who's dear mothers and fathers have bulging bank accounts.
This is an archaic tradition that is still held by the supposedly smartest people around. Contradictory, no?
> Does that mean in one subject?
>
> Because 69% acheiving only one or more A-C level isn't that
> great.
edit: actually, no.
"69% of all results are A to C grades"
Because 69% acheiving only one or more A-C level isn't that great.
If I was going to be going to university when the topup fees applied, I probably wouldnt go because I beleive it detrements a high paying career that you earn after you've studied hard for 16 years. I think the topup fees, coupled with the apprentiship scheme the government is pushing, will result in more people getting a "trade" behind them and stop the trade shortages we've had in recent years.
What degree would you be considering at university?
If its Media (what career will Film Studies get you!?), History or a foreign language then dont even bother. They dont open up career paths, and nine times out of ten you will walk into a job you could have got after completing your GCSE's, only with £10,000 of debts shadowing over you.
Basically with these topup fees being put in place, you have to be sure you want to follow a certain career path and that the degree is required for you to suceed this. If you want to get into medicine, professional writing, computing or social sciences (criminology/psychology/sociology) then university is probably the only way forward for you - and all of them link to careers. Media doesnt - not every media post-grad is going to be a psuedo-Tarrantino just because they wrote a good dissertation about the relevence of Fight Club's reflection on the social attitude to men in the 21st century.
I've babbled quite a bit here actually, I knew I should've written "Just be a mechanic"