[Closed] Well that degree & a masters in business & economics finally paid off!!

Where did he study? What grades? Applied himself much when he got out with work experience? Did he actually write a decent cv that talked about transferrable skills etc?

My missus hasn't even finished her economics degree yet and I'm sat in Portugal living the high life because she's been sent on a 4 week business trip.

She's going to a top ex poly, yet I have friends who have good degrees from Oxbridge who complain about not being able to find jobs. I find this quite hilarious, it's all about how you present yourself.

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Yay the "I want 50% of people to go to University" comes home to roost as it were.

Tell him to emigrate and find something 🙂

Nahhh youngsters just don't know how to apply themselves once they get out of university and people have stopped telling them what to do/write etc.

Sure the economy isn't at it's best, but it's not like Portugal where it seems to me that the majority of university leavers are doing minimum wage jobs.

That and there was a massive increase in the number of people going to university and getting degree's where as the number of jobs that need a degree hasn't caught up (and probably wont)

Meh, jobs for the serfs are being automated so unless you can get a degree and do something that can't be done by a robot you are ****ed in the long run.

Besides, university made an idiotic 20 year old think a little bit more about the world around him than a-levels did. My life would be a little duller without a good understanding of Biology, going out into nature now is what I imagine it's like for a Catholic going to the Vatican.

Well Freightliner also operate in Australia so when he's 'trained' (as long as he's successful with that) he could transfer over there. Either way he'll be on 43K as opposed to the 16.5K that he's been on for the past year doing some boring stocks & shares crap on a computer.

A mate of mine (ex prison officer with few official qualifications) is a driver on the Newcastle Metro. How hard can it be?

Except google will probably make freight drivers redundant.

In case you can't tell, I'm almost paralysed with cynicism.

Like plumbing, plastering, truck driving, carpentry, electrician etc. there are plenty of good non degree careers. The generation who are in trouble are the B-Ark candidates with their degree in nothing really that useful http://www.geoffwilkins.net/fragments/Adams.htm

[i]Except google will probably make freight drivers redundant.[/i]

I can see it making everyone redundant, even you Tom.

Like plumbing, plastering, truck driving, carpentry, electrician etc. there are plenty of good non degree careers. The generation who are in trouble are the B-Ark candidates with their degree in nothing really that useful http://www.geoffwilkins.net/fragments/Adams.htm

You say that Mike, but I think that creativity is where humans can shine and I feel that the economy will increasingly favour creative types. Some people say that you can't teach creativity, I don't think I believe that though.

I never said creativity was not useful

"Yes, so anyway," he resumed, "the idea was that into the first ship, the 'A' ship, would go all the brilliant leaders, the scientists, the great artists, you know, all the achievers; and into the third, or 'C' ship, would go all the people who did the actual work, who made things and did things, and then into the `B' ship - that's us - would go everyone else, the middlemen you see."

Lands the government in debt with no prospect of paying it off.

I understand your point, that's why I think that the current system needs to change. Education needs to be made cheaper, more efficient etc but I don't think we should encourage a cut in numbers. More people taking OU type courses etc would be great, I don't know why the hell you need to attend lectures in the age of the internet. Save for practicals etc.

No really if there was a need for 1000 new plumbers a year would you fund training for 50,000 per year?

In work training and apprenticeships for a lot of jobs would make much more sense than sending kids off for 3 years of debt accumulation. Removing the "graduate" title for heaps of positions would allow bright people to move directly into jobs rather than being screened out by over zealous and bitter graduates in HR who realise that 3 years of hard drinking has left them as a pen pusher in a cubicle.

Germany, Japan, South Korea, the US and Canada etc are highly educated, more so than us. We need to be moving in the direction of a high-tech highly innovative economy and that requires you having a large pool of well educated candidates at the bottom of the pyramid to find those ones that produce breakthroughs in industry, science and business.

It's not how many people are being educated that's the problem, it's the structure of the economy and the structure of higher education. Cutting the numbers of people studying is a half arsed measure.

We used to have a lot of good classical musicians many moons ago, we don't anymore because we thought "what's the point of teaching youngster who won't go on to become musicians". Consequently the number of really good professionals has dropped. The same happens in higher education, plenty of complete tools manage to get into Oxbridge whilst very bright students end up going to "University of mediocrity" and go on to shine later on.

P.S. If I had to deal with a less educated public than we have now, I'd probably want to undergo a lobotomy. There are some upsides to a well educated but unemployed population, it's more likely to overthrow the government in power for starters and provide more enlightened discussion in relation to events being discussed in the media. Imagine how many more Daily Mail readers there would be if it wasn't for universities? The horror, the horror.

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Well I've read a couple of replies but can't make my mind up whether it was a good idea for him to fanny about at uni or not because the job he's got didn't mirror any of his qualifications, & AFAIK, Freightliner were only concerned that he passed their tests.
Either way, me & his Mum are very pleased for him.

P.S. If I had to deal with a less educated public than we have now, I'd probably want to undergo a lobotomy. There are some upsides to a well educated but unemployed population, it's more likely to overthrow the government in power for starters and provide more enlightened discussion in relation to events being discussed in the media. Imagine how many more Daily Mail readers there would be if it wasn't for universities? The horror, the horror.

and sorry for the Hijack esselgruntfuttock, glad he has a job and hopefully some progress with it. Also good on him for taking a job that many graduates would turn their noses up at.

A lot of Daily Mail readers did go to University, I have to deal with university educated people a lot, it makes me wonder how some of them lasted the 3 years without serious injury to themselves as a lot can't think for themselves!

Hah, there is that. At my last place working at an environmental research institution, they all voted conservative.

Bunch of ****ing fruitcakes.

and sorry for the Hijack esselgruntfuttock, glad he has a job and hopefully some progress with it. Also good on him for taking a job that many graduates would turn their noses up at.

+1

Tom_W - More educated != More cleverer

whether it was a good idea for him to fanny about at uni or not because the job he's got didn't mirror any of his qualifications

I'd imagine a great many people are in jobs that don't mirror their degree subject. Its academic study, not employment training. If I look at the people I went to school with, the degrees they went on to do and the jobs they do now..,. almost non are in a field they studied for. Thats because many are in careers that didn't exist yet when we went to college.

The knowledge you accumulate at uni is next to worthless when you step out the door after 3 years. The value is having the skills and practice of knowledge accumulation.

He should've trained to be a bike mechanic

The knowledge you accumulate at uni is next to worthless when you step out the door after 3 years. The value is having the skills and practice of knowledge accumulation.

On that basis, odd that we should have an aspiration for more kids to go and that others have to pay for this "right". Perhaps we should just charge those who want to go? A kind of tax on making silly decisions?

He should've trained to be a bike mechanic

I hear it is a well paid and vital role that the state supports to keep it's people's safe....

I see some of the less reputed universities are offering students free gimmicks like iPads to entice the latest bunch of spoon-fed dimwits.
80% of new university students would be far better off learning something vocational, getting a job, and avoiding 40k of debt.

How ever your son with his degree may find once he learns his trade on the "tools" he is accelerated into management and the glass celing wont apply. I have colleagues who have got into the same job as me with experiance an hard work - and have found it impossible to progress without a degree.

I hear it is a well paid and vital role that the state supports to keep it's people's safe....

Yes, but it's a high pressure, highly stressful, demanding role with a skill set only the finest intellectual minds are able to acquire. I don't think 5 years of university education could prepare you for it.

I'm in IT and no-one seems to care about degrees now - it's just the relevant technical and business experience that matters. Of course I needed one to get in to start with but some people have managed to get the training needed elsewhere and then be considered as equals with the grads. They are bright people anyway though so maybe the more average people can benefit from degrees as that's they need all the help they can get?

I think it would be good though if the more noddy degrees cost more for students to do than the ones related to jobs that are in demand.

There seem to be a lot of people OP included ? Who seem quite satisfied that their world view has been proved correct by this lads inability to get a degree related job.
Its akmost as though people are resentful of him trying to better himself.
I'm assuming that he started his degree before the crash otherwise he might be sitting pretty living big in the city.

I hope his new job works out or that he finds something better soon.

Congrats essel - sounds like it could be a great job for the lad. Riding the rails around this green and pleasant land, a thousand tons at your back. Quite fancy it myself tbh.

Perish the thought he actually enjoys the job.

There seem to be a lot of people OP included ? Who seem quite satisfied that their world view has been proved correct by this lads inability to get a degree related job.

Not at all just passing comment on the way society has gone and the implications of under thought policy ideas on the individual. I have no problem with people bettering themselves but when every one is at it there is still a limitation on what it can achieve.

Out of all the temp jobs I had when I was younger, driving around the UK delivering things was the best. Seeing new places, not being stuck behind four walls, different location everyday.

I think some of this "degrees are useless" stuff depends on how you define success. I've had factory and printing jobs where I could've earned 40k plus with overtime once I'd worked my way up. But I would've been bored out of my head doing the same thing over and over again for 10 hours a day. I went back to uni at 30, did a Masters and now have loads more options and opportunities, and for me a more rewarding career. It's not just about money.

My missus hasn't even finished her economics degree yet and I'm sat in Portugal living the high life because she's been sent on a 4 week business trip.

She's going to a top ex poly, yet I have friends who have good degrees from Oxbridge who complain about not being able to find jobs. I find this quite hilarious, it's all about how you present yourself.

Is she fit and did she wear a short skirt and low cut top for her interview? 8)

My missus hasn't even finished her economics degree yet and I'm sat in Portugal living the high life because she's been sent on a 4 week business trip

Being sent on a business trip doesn't automatically mean that you've got a great job!

Got a masters degree in town planning. Drive a black cab two days a week. Really worked out for me...

Freightliner will also need managers and accountants and a CEO, it doesn't end in the truck cab.

My missus hasn't even finished her economics degree yet and I'm sat in Portugal living the high life because she's been sent on a 4 week business trip

I have a degree, and work in a bike shop what do I win?? 😉

I'm also applying for a few jobs this week which range from loosely related to my degree to not even close- but hoping the old chestnut of transferable skills still means something.

esselgruntfuttock - Member
Well Freightliner also operate in Australia so when he's 'trained' (as long as he's successful with that) he could transfer over there. Either way he'll be on 43K as opposed to the 16.5K that he's been on for the past year doing some boring stocks & shares crap on a computer.

Well that's depressing knowing that truck drivers are on almost twice as much as me

Looks like that HNC in Civil Engineering paid off too 😕

Well that's depressing knowing that truck drivers are on almost twice as much as me

Chose the wrong trade tbh, the credit crunch made everyone realise that economics was as much a science as reading entrails and it makes no difference whether you employ someone with a masters, or someone with a pair of dice.

I have friends who have good degrees from Oxbridge who complain about not being able to find jobs. I find this quite hilarious,

You sound like a real good friend

Also good on him for taking a job that many graduates would turn their noses up at.

You think? Nearly all the new trainee drivers (assuming we are taking Freightliner Rail and not road) coming through at our place are either ex Police/Military or straight out of Uni.

Anyway nothing wrong with it and well done to him, if he enjoys it he will have a decent career with a decent pension (again assuming Rail not Raod, can't comment on road) and the option to move abroad with the new european driving license and should the freight go down the pan (don't see that anytime soon with the amount of work going on and increased traffic I've seen) he won't have too much trouble coming over to passenger work.

oh, I don't know about training / degrees - of the folk I was at school with, that I'm aware of, many of them - good majority I'd say - studied something and now work in that field - be it broadcast, oil&gas engineering, medicine, architecture.

I'm in IT and that's what I studied. Of my former colleagues though, they came from a variety of fields, clear highlight would be my boss of many years with a near PhD in astrophysics..

clear highlight would be my boss of many years with a near PhD in astrophysics

You work for Brian May?

Chose the wrong trade tbh, the credit crunch made everyone realise that economics was as much a science as reading entrails and it makes no difference whether you employ someone with a masters, or someone with a pair of dice

Mmmmm....don't know about that. Trade deficits and inflation still exist, and while arriving at a solution is not an exact science, it's hardly random either.

Also, accountancy (where a fair number of economic grads go in my experience) is pretty exacting - double entry (quiet at the back), is the same wherever you are in the world.

I hear that new mining projects in Australia are using driverless trucks and trains.

over zealous and bitter graduates in HR who realise that 3 years of hard drinking has left them as a pen pusher in a cubicle.

Northwind - Member
Chose the wrong trade tbh, the credit crunch made everyone realise that economics was as much a science as reading entrails and it makes no difference whether you employ someone with a masters, or someone with a pair of dice.

Odd, how many economists made a lot of money understanding the build up to the crisis and [b]then profiting from it. [/b]Don't forget even the economists at the BOE were talking about the risk well before the peak. That fact people still a wanted to gorge on debt in the meantime was a different issue altogether. I am mightily glad that my training allowed me to prepare properly and even to take advantage of events.

I am mightily glad that my training allowed me to prepare properly

You weren't on NatGeo Channel's [url= http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/ ]Doomsday Preppers[/url] by any chance?

Chose the wrong trade tbh, the credit crunch made everyone realise that economics was as much a science as reading entrails and it makes no difference whether you employ someone with a masters, or someone with a pair of dice.

To be fair economists do much more that just forecast macro-economic performance for government and business - as a degree there are a lot of direct and indirect career options.

There is an ongoing debate about whether economics at UG level is too narrow though...