I am currently writing the Dissertation for my Masters post graduate course in Project Management. I am doing it to fulfil my employers essential requirements of having a degree - although they employed me 5 years ago based on suitable experience demonstrated.
After 30 years in employment, the last 12 in a role very closely associated with my degree I can honestly say, whilst being proud of achieving a Degree (if I pass), it is a useless piece of paper which in no way would prepare me to become a Project Manager. Vocational training such as PRINCE2 or Agile would have been far more beneficial.
When recruiting for new positions I am far more swayed by an applicants ability to demonstrate real life experience rather than a degree (normally in something totally unrelated to the work).
Start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder to a better salary, more responsibility. Do not rely on a piece of paper to open doors for you.
i just feel i'm too old to go into any of those things now and the ship has sailed. so i would need to go into an area of studies that doesn't particularly suit me and my abilities or my personality. every one is different aren't they, but due to health reasons i just never got the chance to fully pursue those interests to their full extent.
There's always distance learning via the Open University (or similar), there are 100s of courses. You can try a small one (10,15,20 points) to see how you get on. The advantage is you can study when and how you want; there are very few absolute deadlines.
What are you good at doing? Think about your strengths and what you could do which is of value to a company. Are you good with people? Creative?
Try some time temping in a large city like London. Hopefully you will get the opportunity to experience lots of different types of jobs and find out where you excel. Then get a job in this field and work your way up.
Everyone has a job they are brilliant at - the challenge is finding it and not getting stuck in a rut, a low/average-paid job you are average at and do not enjoy.
University is a good experience, but not helpful to your career unless you are developing specific and useful skills. E.g. there's little point studying media studies and then getting a job as someone's PA.
i think i'm more of a creative person. there just isn't much money in the arts/the creative industry. i mean stuff like graphic design is okay, but i'm not one to enjoy being stuck at a computer screen 24 hours a day.
i agree entirely about not being stuck in a rut. due to my mental health, i've been unable to work much in the last few years so i'm feeling the pressure of getting back into the work place/education. the last thing i want is to become stuck in a rut and lose my direction. i want to succeed so, so much, but it's been hard over these past few years. i definitely want to get back on the horse and do well, but unfortunately i am lost of ideas at the moment.
if i had a degree in media studies or, something i was thinking of before, film school degree, i would absolutely be out there trying to get my foot in the door of a television production company, maybe even a theatre company or even film my own stuff to try and get noticed somehow.
my only problem is i don't have a degree, and trying to decide what to do is my main issue. if i had a degree right now, i wouldn't be on here talking about my lack of degree and i would definitely be trying to find someway of earning money in a specific job related to my degree.
i know i would have the drive to succeed, but i've just lost a lot of confidence in my abilities, and my motivation is shot to pieces due to health issues. if i could get my motivation and confidence back from 5 years ago, i would definitely be good.
People are missing the point, with so many people going to University if you don't then you are immediately at a huge disadvantage UNLESS you want to work in a more vocational role such as plumbing........
Getting a degree is no longer a choice for most ambitious young people but a necessity.
A bit more complicated than that. You only have to look at the league table http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings to see that being a graduate of university X is more useful than university Y.
I'm not clear how employers differentiate between prospective employees when far too many people are going to university and who are not suited to it.
Not necessarily, my brother didn't do well at school, only did half of sixth form, got a job in a factory and now he's 27 and a designer for a formula 1 team earning more than enough. Find a field you like, take every opportunity and work your way up.
Not necessarily, my brother didn't do well at school, only did half of sixth form, got a job in a factory and now he's 27 and a designer for a formula 1 team earning more than enough. Find a field you like, take every opportunity and work your way up.
that's great. how did he get into that career? did he gain any qualifications?
I'm not clear how employers differentiate between prospective employees when far too many people are going to university and who are not suited to it.
It obviously varies - but I was talking to a retired guy a few back (we were wall mounting TV's for him, after carrying them past his Bentley)
Anyway, he was telling me he had two degrees, originally a Chemistry degree and he worked for a Chemical company, but he later moved to the management side of the company and took a Business Management degree (or something like that).
Part of his job was employing new graduates, and he received huge numbers of applications every year - so his first job was to whittle the applicants down to manageable numbers - he did this simply by throwing out all applicants with degrees from Uni's he'd never heard of
Rather crude, but it shows the point of going to a 'decent' University, and also doing courses with good job prospects.
I can't take the credit for this, but I was talking about Student Loans a few days ago with a friend. He said this.
"It's all a massive scam. Your school tells you that you have to go to university. Then you have to pay for it, so you have to take out huge amounts of debt as an innocent teenager with the promise you'll have some 50k job with which to pay it off.
It's basically child abuse."
Education is the biggest con going in this country, and everyone knows it.
that's great. how did he get into that career? did he gain any qualifications?
like i say he just worked in a factory in engineering, and got to know people, kept working hard and there he is. He only got GCSEs. No A levels or degrees, he is just extremely skilled and that's what got him noticed. Have confidence in yourself, i think you almost need to become quite arrogant to prove to companies and employers that you have a skill that no one else can do as good as you, even with the bit of paper.
I'm similar, not quite as successful as him, but i missed two years of school and didn't get any GCSEs, after years of voluntary work and free courses i became a money adviser and have worked in a paid capacity for the citizens advice and the royal British legion. Personally the belief and confidence in yourself as well as knowing all about the trade and having the skill has the potential to get you just as far, if not further in some cases, than a degree. Unless you want to be a doctor etc..
All the young people in my family have got good jobs and are on the housing ladder - none of them have a degree
Niece is an Estate agent got the job through working there on Saturday
Nephew 1 is a plumber did an apprenticeship and now part owns his own company
Nephew 2 is a purchasing manager who started of working in the warehouse
All of then earn very good money and of course have no loans to pay back
the other two are still in education but one of them has already had two job offers for when she leaves school this summer and the other one is studying to be a car mechanic and is already working in a garage part time
I would say that I am pretty well paid but haven't got the best of educations, certainly not to uni standard.
A few 'o' levels from school and a HND in Business Studies from college.
I worked in retail for 10 years + before getting into IT/Telecoms.... got a lucky break with a multi national company as a "trainee" on £14k a year (in 2000) and now, self employed get anything between £220 and £330 a day (have to deduct fuel, cost of car, accommodation, tax from that though).
My qualifications from college didn't really help me so in my case its not about academic performance.
Think everyone who can put their mind to it can find a vocation in life that they are suited too and can earn money from.
At the end of the day though, the more you earn, the more you spend and most people (unless they earn really stupid money) seem to have the same money left at the end of the month once all the bills are paid.... ie Zero
It depends, if you want to be an exploration geologist working for an oil company or a mining company then you're going to need a degree in geology. If you want to work as a design engineer then you'll need at least a Bsc in engineering. If you want to work in The City then chances are you will need a degree with quantitative aspects (quantitative seems to be the word a lot of financial firms use, so any science or engineering degree, or economics). On the other hand, if you want to be a spanner monkey in the oil businness then an HNC or HND would be better (or armed forces experience in say the Corps of Roya Engineers*), or if you want to go into purchasing or logistics then a degree is not totally neccessary as there are lots of qualifications available that do not require you to go to uni.
In otherwords, it all depends on what you want to do and how you apply yourself. In the current global economy a degree can open many doors, but then you go through one and there are several more doors on the other side. It is also perfectly possible to not get any qualifications and go onto to get a very nice job in the future.
On balance I would say that depending on what degree you do your earning potential could be higher than someone without a degree, but again, it all depends on how you applied yourself, not only at uni, but in the months or year or two following graduation, how much networking you did, whether you bothered to get off your arse in the summer breaks and get an internship etc.
*Seems that there are quite a lot of ex military people I know and have heard about who go on to have decent post forces careers
yes my problem is i struggle with academics because of dyslexia. i have to re-read things over and over before i understand them. it is quite frustrating if i'm honest and gets me down. i kind of have no belief in my abilities, but i should.
My son is a graduate network engineer and also dyslexic. Universities offer a lot of support these days.
most of the good paying jobs require a degree or some kind which isn't possible for me because i do not have one. it is quite frustrating and careers advisors don't really help you out that much.
for people like me who find it difficult to comprehend academic studies it can be difficult to find a good paying job. the standard of living is increasing and there's a lot of pressure to get a ,good degree and good job, but it just seems like it's getting harder and harder in today's society.
Would you pay a good wage to a Comprehensive Educated? person, who has yet to read correctly, hasn't a clue with maths, and cant spell.:(
There's always distance learning via the Open University (or similar), there are 100s of courses. You can try a small one (10,15,20 points) to see how you get on. The advantage is you can study when and how you want; there are very few absolute deadlines.
Since the fee increases imposed several years ago, The OU is no longer competitive.
Since the fee increases imposed several years ago, The OU is no longer competitive.
Well, it was an obvious example. Yes, the fees have gone up, but they are £2632 for a 60 point course. That would be about par surely?
There are many other online courses available from other sources, but I guess they would require a bit more research into as they are likely to be less well known.
Well, it was an obvious example. Yes, the fees have gone up, but they are £2632 for a 60 point course. That would be about par surely?
There are many other online courses available from other sources, but I guess they would require a bit more research into as they are likely to be less well known.
When those 60 point courses were £700, I could afford to take them using my savings. Not any more.
If I was to do something vocational like the CCNA course, there are far cheaper private courses that can be done in much less time for the same end result.
i think i'm more of a creative person. there just isn't much money in the arts/the creative industry. i mean stuff like graphic design is okay, but i'm not one to enjoy being stuck at a computer screen 24 hours a day.
i agree entirely about not being stuck in a rut. due to my mental health, i've been unable to work much in the last few years so i'm feeling the pressure of getting back into the work place/education. the last thing i want is to become stuck in a rut and lose my direction. i want to succeed so, so much, but it's been hard over these past few years. i definitely want to get back on the horse and do well, but unfortunately i am lost of ideas at the moment.
if i had a degree in media studies or, something i was thinking of before, film school degree, i would absolutely be out there trying to get my foot in the door of a television production company, maybe even a theatre company or even film my own stuff to try and get noticed somehow.
my only problem is i don't have a degree, and trying to decide what to do is my main issue. if i had a degree right now, i wouldn't be on here talking about my lack of degree and i would definitely be trying to find someway of earning money in a specific job related to my degree.
i know i would have the drive to succeed, but i've just lost a lot of confidence in my abilities, and my motivation is shot to pieces due to health issues. if i could get my motivation and confidence back from 5 years ago, i would definitely be good.
You're right Mikey - it's not easy to earn a living working in the creative industries. I'm a creative person myself, but ended up working in community development when it became apparent that my creative writing degree was worth zilch. Luckily my job does require a creative approach for some aspects.
I employ a lot of freelancers to do one-off projects - story-telling, animation, beat boxing, film making, writing workshops, art classes etc. The freelancers I know get by financially, but I wouldn't say that any of them are particularly well-off. The ones I know who make a good living seem to live and breathe their work - one for example, is a film-maker, DJ, radio presenter, media tutor and freelance production company. He literally works seven days a week.
And the problem is that there are fewer grants to subsides the arts; budgets are being slashed and creative projects are usually the first to go.
Personally I wouldn't recommend doing a degree in media or creative studies - 3 years' work, a lot of fees and no guarentee of a job at the end of it. Far better to get work exerience or get hired as a freelancer's assistant and get your foot in the door that way.
Yes but the whole point is that you don't need a degree to earn decent money. You need to be good at what you do and be able to "talk the the talk" and in many cases start at the bottom and work your way up. He can see where he wants to go and how to get there. I have wasted my degree doing a job that I could do without a degree. In my opinion many jobs that say they require a degree these days do not.
You're right Mikey - it's not easy to earn a living working in the creative industries. I'm a creative person myself, but ended up working in community development when it became apparent that my creative writing degree was worth zilch. Luckily my job does require a creative approach for some aspects.
I employ a lot of freelancers to do one-off projects - story-telling, animation, beat boxing, film making, writing workshops, art classes etc. The freelancers I know get by financially, but I wouldn't say that any of them are particularly well-off. The ones I know who make a good living seem to live and breathe their work - one for example, is a film-maker, DJ, radio presenter, media tutor and freelance production company. He literally works seven days a week.
And the problem is that there are fewer grants to subsides the arts; budgets are being slashed and creative projects are usually the first to go.
Personally I wouldn't recommend doing a degree in media or creative studies - 3 years' work, a lot of fees and no guarentee of a job at the end of it. Far better to get work exerience or get hired as a freelancer's assistant and get your foot in the door that way.
the thing is, i have been told i have a good singing voice and i have partaken in amateur theatre in the past. i know that i have talent there, but i guess i've had the confidence knocked out of me due to health issues and it's having the confidence to try it again.
i am definitely going to email a few amateur theatre companies again and try get in, maybe behind the scenes to start off with, then ease myself back into performing. i enjoyed it when i did it last time. i was thinking of investing in a camcorder and other equipment and try to get into directing short films with some amateur actors, and even myself. it is something i would be interested in trying my hand at.
i understand there are so many other aspiring actors, directors etc, out there, but if i can at least get experience (like you said) then that would be something. i truly feel the creative arts is my "calling" so to speak; i just need to regain the confidence to pursue it again. i have also thought about learning to D.J and maybe going on a Djing course somewhere, as that's another interest i would like to try out.
Comments
After 30 years in employment, the last 12 in a role very closely associated with my degree I can honestly say, whilst being proud of achieving a Degree (if I pass), it is a useless piece of paper which in no way would prepare me to become a Project Manager. Vocational training such as PRINCE2 or Agile would have been far more beneficial.
When recruiting for new positions I am far more swayed by an applicants ability to demonstrate real life experience rather than a degree (normally in something totally unrelated to the work).
Start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder to a better salary, more responsibility. Do not rely on a piece of paper to open doors for you.
Niece 1. Drama and then she did PGCE teaching
Niece 2. Hospitality and Tourism
Niece 3. American studies and literature
Nephew. Marketing.
My own son has degrees in Electronics and Computer Science and has never been out of work.
i think i'm more of a creative person. there just isn't much money in the arts/the creative industry. i mean stuff like graphic design is okay, but i'm not one to enjoy being stuck at a computer screen 24 hours a day.
i agree entirely about not being stuck in a rut. due to my mental health, i've been unable to work much in the last few years so i'm feeling the pressure of getting back into the work place/education. the last thing i want is to become stuck in a rut and lose my direction. i want to succeed so, so much, but it's been hard over these past few years. i definitely want to get back on the horse and do well, but unfortunately i am lost of ideas at the moment.
if i had a degree in media studies or, something i was thinking of before, film school degree, i would absolutely be out there trying to get my foot in the door of a television production company, maybe even a theatre company or even film my own stuff to try and get noticed somehow.
my only problem is i don't have a degree, and trying to decide what to do is my main issue. if i had a degree right now, i wouldn't be on here talking about my lack of degree
i know i would have the drive to succeed, but i've just lost a lot of confidence in my abilities, and my motivation is shot to pieces due to health issues. if i could get my motivation and confidence back from 5 years ago, i would definitely be good.
I'm not clear how employers differentiate between prospective employees when far too many people are going to university and who are not suited to it.
that's great. how did he get into that career? did he gain any qualifications?
It obviously varies - but I was talking to a retired guy a few back (we were wall mounting TV's for him, after carrying them past his Bentley
Anyway, he was telling me he had two degrees, originally a Chemistry degree and he worked for a Chemical company, but he later moved to the management side of the company and took a Business Management degree (or something like that).
Part of his job was employing new graduates, and he received huge numbers of applications every year - so his first job was to whittle the applicants down to manageable numbers - he did this simply by throwing out all applicants with degrees from Uni's he'd never heard of
Rather crude, but it shows the point of going to a 'decent' University, and also doing courses with good job prospects.
Education is the biggest con going in this country, and everyone knows it.
like i say he just worked in a factory in engineering, and got to know people, kept working hard and there he is. He only got GCSEs. No A levels or degrees, he is just extremely skilled and that's what got him noticed. Have confidence in yourself, i think you almost need to become quite arrogant to prove to companies and employers that you have a skill that no one else can do as good as you, even with the bit of paper.
I'm similar, not quite as successful as him, but i missed two years of school and didn't get any GCSEs, after years of voluntary work and free courses i became a money adviser and have worked in a paid capacity for the citizens advice and the royal British legion. Personally the belief and confidence in yourself as well as knowing all about the trade and having the skill has the potential to get you just as far, if not further in some cases, than a degree. Unless you want to be a doctor etc..
Niece is an Estate agent got the job through working there on Saturday
Nephew 1 is a plumber did an apprenticeship and now part owns his own company
Nephew 2 is a purchasing manager who started of working in the warehouse
All of then earn very good money and of course have no loans to pay back
the other two are still in education but one of them has already had two job offers for when she leaves school this summer and the other one is studying to be a car mechanic and is already working in a garage part time
A few 'o' levels from school and a HND in Business Studies from college.
I worked in retail for 10 years + before getting into IT/Telecoms.... got a lucky break with a multi national company as a "trainee" on £14k a year (in 2000) and now, self employed get anything between £220 and £330 a day (have to deduct fuel, cost of car, accommodation, tax from that though).
My qualifications from college didn't really help me so in my case its not about academic performance.
Think everyone who can put their mind to it can find a vocation in life that they are suited too and can earn money from.
At the end of the day though, the more you earn, the more you spend and most people (unless they earn really stupid money) seem to have the same money left at the end of the month once all the bills are paid.... ie Zero
In otherwords, it all depends on what you want to do and how you apply yourself. In the current global economy a degree can open many doors, but then you go through one and there are several more doors on the other side. It is also perfectly possible to not get any qualifications and go onto to get a very nice job in the future.
On balance I would say that depending on what degree you do your earning potential could be higher than someone without a degree, but again, it all depends on how you applied yourself, not only at uni, but in the months or year or two following graduation, how much networking you did, whether you bothered to get off your arse in the summer breaks and get an internship etc.
*Seems that there are quite a lot of ex military people I know and have heard about who go on to have decent post forces careers
My son is a graduate network engineer and also dyslexic. Universities offer a lot of support these days.
Look at training as an electrician/plumber etc.
Would you pay a good wage to a Comprehensive Educated? person, who has yet to read correctly, hasn't a clue with maths, and cant spell.:(
Since the fee increases imposed several years ago, The OU is no longer competitive.
There are many other online courses available from other sources, but I guess they would require a bit more research into as they are likely to be less well known.
When those 60 point courses were £700, I could afford to take them using my savings. Not any more.
If I was to do something vocational like the CCNA course, there are far cheaper private courses that can be done in much less time for the same end result.
You're right Mikey - it's not easy to earn a living working in the creative industries. I'm a creative person myself, but ended up working in community development when it became apparent that my creative writing degree was worth zilch. Luckily my job does require a creative approach for some aspects.
I employ a lot of freelancers to do one-off projects - story-telling, animation, beat boxing, film making, writing workshops, art classes etc. The freelancers I know get by financially, but I wouldn't say that any of them are particularly well-off. The ones I know who make a good living seem to live and breathe their work - one for example, is a film-maker, DJ, radio presenter, media tutor and freelance production company. He literally works seven days a week.
And the problem is that there are fewer grants to subsides the arts; budgets are being slashed and creative projects are usually the first to go.
Personally I wouldn't recommend doing a degree in media or creative studies - 3 years' work, a lot of fees and no guarentee of a job at the end of it. Far better to get work exerience or get hired as a freelancer's assistant and get your foot in the door that way.
Alternatively, you can be born into the a social strata that shortcuts this process.
You don't have to have a degree, although for many roles where education is important, then it probably is required. (eg to be a doctor)
Yes but the whole point is that you don't need a degree to earn decent money. You need to be good at what you do and be able to "talk the the talk" and in many cases start at the bottom and work your way up. He can see where he wants to go and how to get there. I have wasted my degree doing a job that I could do without a degree. In my opinion many jobs that say they require a degree these days do not.
the thing is, i have been told i have a good singing voice and i have partaken in amateur theatre in the past. i know that i have talent there, but i guess i've had the confidence knocked out of me due to health issues and it's having the confidence to try it again.
i am definitely going to email a few amateur theatre companies again and try get in, maybe behind the scenes to start off with, then ease myself back into performing. i enjoyed it when i did it last time. i was thinking of investing in a camcorder and other equipment and try to get into directing short films with some amateur actors, and even myself. it is something i would be interested in trying my hand at.
i understand there are so many other aspiring actors, directors etc, out there, but if i can at least get experience (like you said) then that would be something. i truly feel the creative arts is my "calling" so to speak; i just need to regain the confidence to pursue it again. i have also thought about learning to D.J and maybe going on a Djing course somewhere, as that's another interest i would like to try out.