Degree, needed for a good job?
Discussion
Hi there, i've got quite a big decision to make on my future and was hoping I could pick your brains, there's quite a diverse bunch here so i'm hoping i'll get some valuable advice.
To lay out my situation, i'm 28 and have worked within the Civil Service for the past 10 years.As opportunities are becoming rarer and a fear of never really testing myself I feel now is a good time to make a change.I don't consider money to be the driving factor behind this, aiming more for comfort and job satisfaction than becoming filthy rich.
After exploring my options it seems like the only option is to study a degree, which although i'm sure i'll enjoy it does seem like i'll be putting my life on hold for the next 4 years and racking up some debt in the process.I'm currently enrolled on an Access to Science course due to start this September where upon completion I was looking to study something along the lines of engineering or even more Biology based and trying to move into the field of clinical trials or designing compounds for treatments.
It's a big step for me going out into the unknown again after a long period of relative security but it does seem like the only option unless i'm missing something.I've looked into Accountancy but I don't think it's for me although I do like the ways it's studied, gaining formal qualifications while working in the field does sound alot more appealing.
Thanks for taking the time to read and any help you can offer will be much appreciated.
Cheers
To lay out my situation, i'm 28 and have worked within the Civil Service for the past 10 years.As opportunities are becoming rarer and a fear of never really testing myself I feel now is a good time to make a change.I don't consider money to be the driving factor behind this, aiming more for comfort and job satisfaction than becoming filthy rich.
After exploring my options it seems like the only option is to study a degree, which although i'm sure i'll enjoy it does seem like i'll be putting my life on hold for the next 4 years and racking up some debt in the process.I'm currently enrolled on an Access to Science course due to start this September where upon completion I was looking to study something along the lines of engineering or even more Biology based and trying to move into the field of clinical trials or designing compounds for treatments.
It's a big step for me going out into the unknown again after a long period of relative security but it does seem like the only option unless i'm missing something.I've looked into Accountancy but I don't think it's for me although I do like the ways it's studied, gaining formal qualifications while working in the field does sound alot more appealing.
Thanks for taking the time to read and any help you can offer will be much appreciated.
Cheers
You're asking quite a complex question that requires time, skill and a greater knowledge of you to respond in any meaningful way. These issues are rarely black and white, and should also throw up, as a minimum, 3 possible courses of action (usually 'no change' plus 2 others). A whole range of factors need to be considered, such as your motivators, your values, your aspirations, finance, commitments, the current market in your proposed new sector, etc, etc, etc. If you have a mentor, then of course you could use them, if not, you could consider finding one, or indeed seek some professional coaching. Good luck!
What about open university? do some learning while still maintaining an income?
you'll need to remember that when you start at a new place at the age of 32 I guess, you will be pretty low down the ladder = low wages, and would need to aim to get up the ladder pretty quickly.
You also need to pick an area that has good potential for earnings, I have many friends that have went to uni and done courses they liked only to come out the other end with professions that have too many applicants and then end up in dead end jobs as there is nothing else available.
Although I'm guessing, everyone needs accountants
you'll need to remember that when you start at a new place at the age of 32 I guess, you will be pretty low down the ladder = low wages, and would need to aim to get up the ladder pretty quickly.
You also need to pick an area that has good potential for earnings, I have many friends that have went to uni and done courses they liked only to come out the other end with professions that have too many applicants and then end up in dead end jobs as there is nothing else available.
Although I'm guessing, everyone needs accountants
Thanks for replies, I was going to add more originally but felt it was turning into an essay.I'm in the fortunate position for this sort of change in the sense that I have no real ties like a mortgage or wife and kids to worry about.
As for my current sector, well as has well been reported the Civil Service is all about cutbacks and downsizing at the moment.There is talk that there will be scope for progression etc but I could see myself waking up in another 10 years and all that turned out to be another broken promise.
When planning on doing a degree I deliberately picked a course with an inherent vocational value, as much as i'd like to study photography or creative writing it really isn't an option.
I would like to hear from others who've followed this path and how it panned out for them.
As for my current sector, well as has well been reported the Civil Service is all about cutbacks and downsizing at the moment.There is talk that there will be scope for progression etc but I could see myself waking up in another 10 years and all that turned out to be another broken promise.
When planning on doing a degree I deliberately picked a course with an inherent vocational value, as much as i'd like to study photography or creative writing it really isn't an option.
I would like to hear from others who've followed this path and how it panned out for them.
I whent to university at 24 and studied mechanical engineering (in 1994). I was out of the job market for four years. It was a struggle to make ends meet but i had no real ties at the time. I have never looked back. However I see a degree as a door opener unless you specialise. Experience counts a lot so if you top this up with a degree it in my opinion is a wise move. Thirteen years on I have spent ten years with a large blue chip company, gained four post grad qualifications and now head up a division of a rapidly growing SME. Without the degree all these doors would have been shut. I will say though don't expect the world to owe you a living post degree you really have to work at it. Hope this helps & even with a degree i still can't spell.
Opara said:
I was looking to study something along the lines of engineering or even more Biology based and trying to move into the field of clinical trials or designing compounds for treatments.
A first degree is only the starting point for a career in science - if you want to do anything interesting in research you're probably going to need at least a masters and more likely a PhD. And the money is crap. otolith said:
A first degree is only the starting point for a career in science - if you want to do anything interesting in research you're probably going to need at least a masters and more likely a PhD. And the money is crap.
Very much. With 50% of all new entrants to the job market having a first degree it's not a differentiator any more. I'd check and see if you can get direct access to a Master's degree with the qualifications and experience that you have. You may get direct access to a Masters.
Open University is worth considering - keep working - but maybe flex your hours to allow study time.
Without looking at subjects:
For reference, I went to uni as a mature student (21-25) and had a great time. Our course was about 40% mature students up to the age of 60. We had a great time. They leaned on us for some things (esp the technology aspects) and we leaned on them for some of the life experience stuff.
Open University is worth considering - keep working - but maybe flex your hours to allow study time.
Without looking at subjects:
- What makes you happy?
- What aspects of a role keep you mentally happy / stimulated?
- In 5 years time, what can you see yourself doing?
For reference, I went to uni as a mature student (21-25) and had a great time. Our course was about 40% mature students up to the age of 60. We had a great time. They leaned on us for some things (esp the technology aspects) and we leaned on them for some of the life experience stuff.
I would definitely recommend looking into the OU, maybe not for a full degree to start with but you can sign up for courses that interest you and there are some things like diplomas that don't take as long to complete (I will complete my OU Diploma in Systems Practice in October, but that said I started with the OU in 1998 and had a 10 year break!).
Bear in mind that OU costs are going up in line with the other universities ( link) but they are still good value.
Having a degree may not hurt your job chances, but by combining study and work at the same time you are getting the best of both worlds. From my experience, studying at the OU or other nightschool is well received on CV's.
ETA if you are considering starting with the OU, best to do it soon (in the next 6 months) so that you don't get hit with the increased costs, see this link
Bear in mind that OU costs are going up in line with the other universities ( link) but they are still good value.
Having a degree may not hurt your job chances, but by combining study and work at the same time you are getting the best of both worlds. From my experience, studying at the OU or other nightschool is well received on CV's.
ETA if you are considering starting with the OU, best to do it soon (in the next 6 months) so that you don't get hit with the increased costs, see this link
Edited by aclivity on Thursday 4th August 17:28
Degree needed? - absolutely not, everyone & his dog has a degree these days. And most of these people can't even spell, I thought a degree was supposedly a certificate of excellence - not these days it ain't
I did OU degree - complete waste of my time, and money - I NEVER put the fact I have a degree on my CV anymore.
Of course if you're an office penpusher, you may think differently.
I did OU degree - complete waste of my time, and money - I NEVER put the fact I have a degree on my CV anymore.
Of course if you're an office penpusher, you may think differently.
I did the mistake of leaving my job and doing a degree at uni. After four years my work experience was not relevant any more and I struggled to find a job!
For almost two years job hunting, my situation was getting worse.
I had to take on unpaid work experience, which I found through http://www.experienceworks.co.uk, for six months.
Your work experience is what really counts. Nobody has ever asked me about my degree. All they ask is how many years relevant experience do I have.
If you still want to get degree, try some evening or distance course while carrying working.
For almost two years job hunting, my situation was getting worse.
I had to take on unpaid work experience, which I found through http://www.experienceworks.co.uk, for six months.
Your work experience is what really counts. Nobody has ever asked me about my degree. All they ask is how many years relevant experience do I have.
If you still want to get degree, try some evening or distance course while carrying working.
davepoth said:
Very much. With 50% of all new entrants to the job market having a first degree it's not a differentiator any more. I'd check and see if you can get direct access to a Master's degree with the qualifications and experience that you have.
Hi, could you expand upon this a bit more, I thought a Masters came after a degree?Sorry for not replying earlier there's been alot to take in so i've been mulling over my future for the past week and weighing up my options.
Part of why I want to do a degree is that I feel in a rut at the moment so the chance to get out there and experience something new and meet new people is very appealing.Obviously I want there to be an end product aswell by way of better job prospects.
Opara said:
Hi, could you expand upon this a bit more, I thought a Masters came after a degree?
Sorry for not replying earlier there's been alot to take in so i've been mulling over my future for the past week and weighing up my options.
Part of why I want to do a degree is that I feel in a rut at the moment so the chance to get out there and experience something new and meet new people is very appealing.Obviously I want there to be an end product aswell by way of better job prospects.
It often does, but it's not universal. Quite a few master's courses are tailored to people who don't have degrees. You'll probably find a master's more to your liking anyway, as a bachelor's degree will be like going back to school, where a master's involves a bit more original research generally. Sorry for not replying earlier there's been alot to take in so i've been mulling over my future for the past week and weighing up my options.
Part of why I want to do a degree is that I feel in a rut at the moment so the chance to get out there and experience something new and meet new people is very appealing.Obviously I want there to be an end product aswell by way of better job prospects.
I'd be inclined to make a list of the courses you'd like to do, and then email the lecturers who teach the course and have a chat about it.
IMO this is a tough one, I don't know you and visa versa so I'll tell you about my situation. I was pretty capable at school but never really applied myself, got good GCSE's, and OK A Levels. No one in my immediate family had been to uni and I thought at the time it just wasn't for me, I sometimes wish my parents had maybe nurtured me a bit more earlier on which when typing it sounds a bit unfair as I had everything I wanted as a kid/teenager. But for me I've never really known what I wanted to do with my life career wise, I wonder if a bit of early planning to encourage me in a certian direction would have given me more drive and focus, not just from my parents but from teachers, and the general 'system'.
I left school at 18 and I'm now 28. The careers advice I got from my dad was to go out and get an apprenticeship like he did when he was 16. I'm lucky in a way that although living in what seems to be the arse end of Britain sometimes that we know as Cumbria, there is a magical place called Sellafield (not so magical anymore as it's in decline you may have seen on the news recently). Some 15k workers there are jobs/careers for all particulary those with trades, scientific or engineering backgrounds and qualifcations.
I got into what was then called a Scientific apprenticeship, 3 years on day realese to college whilst at work the other 4 days in different placements then a 4th year on a tosh wage before getting a 'proper wage'.
Now it may not be clear but I sort of just fell into all of this and was never too shall we say enthusiastic about the job/college but had money in my pocket to go and see the majority of my mates who did go to Uni. Initally when I used to go and visit them I thought 'why didn't I get in on this?!' but it was the getting drunk and social scence that appealed not the study. I thought several times about going but I was a slave to the wage, had girlfriends etc. I'm glad I had the sense to know on top of all that uni would have been a bit of a waste of money at the time as I'd have been there for the booze and would have bene lucky to have come out with a crappy degree.
After my apprenticeship work paid me though an engineering degree (BEng Nuclear Engineering) and I've just finished a Masters in a similar subject all paid for by work on a part-time basis. Masters was rather fun as rather than day realese It was week realese so I got to experience the uni life style but with expenses paid by work.
10 years into a career that I fell into recently I've been thinking of getting out to persue another career but on facing facts I'm still a slave to the wage and still don't know what else I'd do. I get married next year and will hopefully start a family in the next couple of years. I don't feel very fufiled at work and look at it as a required evil to enjoy the things I like doing outside of work. To me when I look at it like this it seems quite sad as you spend allot of time at work not to be happy.
Afraid I don't really have many answers for you OP, but for me a degree etc hasn't given me any more money, I've progressed through experience alone IMO. 28 for me given my commitments is too scary an age to consider to start again, as others have said being 32 after fulltime uni I couldn't be arsed and Open Uni sounds a good bet if I were in your shoes.
I left school at 18 and I'm now 28. The careers advice I got from my dad was to go out and get an apprenticeship like he did when he was 16. I'm lucky in a way that although living in what seems to be the arse end of Britain sometimes that we know as Cumbria, there is a magical place called Sellafield (not so magical anymore as it's in decline you may have seen on the news recently). Some 15k workers there are jobs/careers for all particulary those with trades, scientific or engineering backgrounds and qualifcations.
I got into what was then called a Scientific apprenticeship, 3 years on day realese to college whilst at work the other 4 days in different placements then a 4th year on a tosh wage before getting a 'proper wage'.
Now it may not be clear but I sort of just fell into all of this and was never too shall we say enthusiastic about the job/college but had money in my pocket to go and see the majority of my mates who did go to Uni. Initally when I used to go and visit them I thought 'why didn't I get in on this?!' but it was the getting drunk and social scence that appealed not the study. I thought several times about going but I was a slave to the wage, had girlfriends etc. I'm glad I had the sense to know on top of all that uni would have been a bit of a waste of money at the time as I'd have been there for the booze and would have bene lucky to have come out with a crappy degree.
After my apprenticeship work paid me though an engineering degree (BEng Nuclear Engineering) and I've just finished a Masters in a similar subject all paid for by work on a part-time basis. Masters was rather fun as rather than day realese It was week realese so I got to experience the uni life style but with expenses paid by work.
10 years into a career that I fell into recently I've been thinking of getting out to persue another career but on facing facts I'm still a slave to the wage and still don't know what else I'd do. I get married next year and will hopefully start a family in the next couple of years. I don't feel very fufiled at work and look at it as a required evil to enjoy the things I like doing outside of work. To me when I look at it like this it seems quite sad as you spend allot of time at work not to be happy.
Afraid I don't really have many answers for you OP, but for me a degree etc hasn't given me any more money, I've progressed through experience alone IMO. 28 for me given my commitments is too scary an age to consider to start again, as others have said being 32 after fulltime uni I couldn't be arsed and Open Uni sounds a good bet if I were in your shoes.
Opara said:
Hi, could you expand upon this a bit more, I thought a Masters came after a degree?
Sorry for not replying earlier there's been alot to take in so i've been mulling over my future for the past week and weighing up my options.
Part of why I want to do a degree is that I feel in a rut at the moment so the chance to get out there and experience something new and meet new people is very appealing.Obviously I want there to be an end product aswell by way of better job prospects.
To get on a Master's course you basically need to be able to prove you are able of learning at this very high level and have at least some of the prerequisite knowledge of the topics covered (although that's not completely necessary as in my Masters I covered things I'd never seen before...it just required A LOT of personal reading on the topic). You don't NEED a degree, per se. It's just an obvious progression.Sorry for not replying earlier there's been alot to take in so i've been mulling over my future for the past week and weighing up my options.
Part of why I want to do a degree is that I feel in a rut at the moment so the chance to get out there and experience something new and meet new people is very appealing.Obviously I want there to be an end product aswell by way of better job prospects.
Opara said:
trying to move into the field of clinical trials or designing compounds for treatments.
I'm in the pharmaceutical field and all the big places are making people redundant. I only know of a couple of people that have been hired recently compared to the thousands that are being made redundant. Just last week I found out another facility is being closed down and several hundred people are being laid off. My pharma accounts are like ghost towns now compared to 10 years ago. It's not a good field to aspire to at the moment. If you want to come into it though, look more towards the bio pharmaceutical world because there is big growth there. Another big growth area is making herbal medicine legitimate. Most of that is over in China though. Food testing and safety is big due to the legislation being brought in. Chemical/biological warfare prevention always has funding.Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff