Degrees
Doing things by degrees – going to university
Is university still about the experience of being a student: three years of books, dreaming spires and intellectual debate?
O
r should it be approached as a career springboard? Whichever purpose a degree
is intended to serve – it can only help to do some intense research first!
What do you think of when you hear ‘university’? In recent decades, the number of undergraduates entering university has risen exponentially, and subsequently, many entry roles in a number of industries automatically require that you should have a degree and some employres even specify the classification – usually a first or a 2:1. (You should note, however,
that a lot of those very same industries are the same ones that are now embracing apprenticeship programmes and helping train, develop and qualify young workers – people just like you – on the job.)
Employability Since it’s more common than ever to enter the workforce with a degree,
universities offer many more subjects and vocation-focused courses these days, and it’s possible to study a degree in almost any discipline or field out there. You – and probably your parents
– will be interested to know that universities are increasingly obliged to explain what kind of employability their courses and degrees will result in for the student once they graduate. So... is it worth it? A degree chosen on the strength of
its relevance to industry (vocational), as opposed to academia (non- vocational), however, does not necessarily place that graduate at the front of the queue for a job. Opting to choose a subject that you are passionate about (and thus likely to do well in) should feature as highly as any other factor in your decision making. Of course, if your sights are set on a particular career, such as a nurse, vet or teacher, then you’ll need to study in that subject or qualification (such as a PGCE after a degree in order to teach).
All degrees, by the way, are taught and measured to degree level – there is no such thing as an ‘easy’ degree, whether it is in philosophy, maths, fine art, social work, civil engineering or hospitality and catering. Each is assessed to the same level of learning and aptitude. Misguided snobbery towards any kind of subject has – rightly – died out, particularly given how many different subjects students can now graduate in and how highly valued such skills as entrepreneurship are today. So, given that a student is likely
to leave uni with a little (or more than a little) debt behind them, institutions of higher education now find that they must compete to provide a customer experience, and emphasise the good quality of their courses and, most of all, prove what a graduate should expect to be able to do – and might expect to earn – as a consequence of studying with them. Graduates are also entering a competitive job market and will be keen to show that they have the
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