Graduates: how much did money motivate your choice of degree/going to uni?

[zenie]

you'd be surprised at the amount of companies who prefer fine art graduates to graduates in degrees you'd expect to lead to the job. It's because of the way of thinking, i'm told. Of course, you'd have to have a little experience/knowledge in that area aswell though.

Yeh I already work for a design agency (went to art college 16-19 then SIAD) but if I go and do a BA fine art what am I gonna do for a job after?? Will I just end up managing a design studio again???

I suppose the best compromise is somehow to do fine art part-time and learn the other stuff as I am doing.

Money and career advancement were 100% behind my decision, I was never particularly interested in law before, I sort of fell into my job and studied and studied to make more cash morney.

I'd love to be a solicitor but it's the years of training that make me go

That and the fact I can't afford to go to Uni full-time, oh well plenty of time.

 

[DRINK?]

I did Eng Lit, so obviously for the love not the money. My mistake was taking up an accountancy job after graduating, because they paid more than anyone in my family had ever earned.

I fucking hated it, and now work for a bank. It couldn't be further away from what I'm really good at and interested in, and my god it shows. I should have stuck with my love ( writing). But I don't know how to break out without starting all over again. I envy my dad - he had a great career as a journo, and got to do some fabulous things. Even though he never made much money, his career was a joy to him even though he didn't have any qualifications. I wish I had that.

Could be me...though went down the accountancy route as seemed to be a plethora of jobs at decentish money, actually like my job though would like to write one day....did and English degree as always enjoyed it and found it interesting, guess the two go hand it hand

 

[Firky]

Bah I'm trying to get my head round this now, do something I love (fine art) or do something that'll get me a better job (web and new media).

Just can't decide.

neither will get you a job. the market is saturated with "new media" bods, you have to be quite something to stand out otherwise you'll end up doing some about as creative as reprographics or working as an admin for a agency (and tbh i don't see a creative streak in you.)

 

[Sadken]

I'd love to be a solicitor but it's the years of training that make me go

That and the fact I can't afford to go to Uni full-time, oh well plenty of time.

The years of training make me go eek as well. It's absolutely mental how high pressured it is at times and part time study really isn't the way to do it - not for the professional qualification stage anyway (which is where I'm on the final stretch). Cos of feeling knackered from working full time, I've never been able to get absorbed in law in the way someone like Cesare seems to be and I just don't have a passion for the subject as a whole, although I like my job loads.

Having said that, I got a commendation for employment law in my last exam, although I have no idea how because I hadn't even booked a holiday for thinking I was gonna have to resit it.

 

[zenie]

neither will get you a job. the market is saturated with "new media" bods, you have to be quite something to stand out otherwise you'll end up doing some about as creative as reprographics and tbh i don't see a creative streak in you.

There's loads of jobs around don't be silly.

You come across as bitter there, chin up.

SadKen - I have a mate that's a qualified solicitor, I don't much like the 'having to keep one's nose clean' thing, I reckon I'd get in trouble!!

 

[Firky]

Well apply for them! You don't need a degree to prove you are creative.

 

[Sadken]

SadKen - I have a mate that's a qualified solicitor, I don't much like the 'having to keep one's nose clean' thing, I reckon I'd get in trouble!!

It does definitely lose you some friends...

 

[zenie]

Well apply for them! You don't need a degree to prove you are creative.

I didn't say you did, you do need to be skilled in the area you're applying for a job in though.

It does definitely lose you some friends...

Nah he's lovely!!!

I could see myself as a ball breaking barrister in a past life.

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

Bah I'm trying to get my head round this now, do something I love (fine art) or do something that'll get me a better job (web and new media).

Just can't decide.

I did fine art and then taught myself the web and new media stuff.. the creativity takes time to develop, whereas the software skills can be learnt. The question is whether to spend time and money on being a creative genius or getting training. In the current climate I'd say the latter as you are more likely to get a return on the investment...

 

[idioteque]

I've got a year left but voted anyway

I voted 75% interested in the subjects and 25% for money because when I was deciding what to study, it was between geography and music tech. I was equally interested in both of them, and had to choose, and money was one of the deciding factors. I thought that with a music tech degree I might leave uni and not easily find a job, let alone a well paid one, but geography is a good one to have at the moment with a lot of potential job opportunities. I also decided geography because I could keep up music in my spare time, but not geography, so it was probably more like 10% for the money

 

[Pat24]

I chose sociology because I was genuinely interested in it.

Same here....One year after graduation and I still have no clue what sort of job i want. I am actually thinking of going back to uni and do nursing.

 

[socialistsuzy]

i chose what i wanted to do (architecture, just about to start 3rd year). thought that if i'm going to be in so much debt might as well be doing something i've wanted to do since i was 10. i was in the first year to get £3000 fees too which means after 2 years i'm already £16-18000 in debt :-s

 

[Felina]

I originally picked a degree in Communication studies. Did the first year of it but transferred to do a BSc in Psychology. I chose the first course because it sounded interesting and I just didn't have a clue what to do. If I'd seriously thought about career prospects I would have probably reached the conclusion, earlier on, that I didn't really want a career in the media.

My choice to do Psychology was because I love the subject and it seemed like it could fulfill the sort of career I really want. Money didn't really come into it... If I do a doctorate next I could earn lots but we'll see, it's not the main motivation.

edit - politics grads: you get asked if you're going to be prime minister, I get asked if I can read people's minds!

 

[rapattaque]

I read religions and theology for fun at Manchester, thought that's why everyone else went to uni and hoped to meet some really interesting people there. And I just met business studies student after media studies student after marketing student, baffled by my course, who thought I was the one wasting my time. I remain incredulous.

 

[blooper]

Nothing motivated my decision to go to uni. It's just something I thought I had to do, like GCSEs. Maybe that's why I fucking hated it.

 

[wtfftw]

I chose a subjects I was interested in (women's studies and computer science) but then swapped the computer science part for creative writing. Money wasn't a factor in my choice as it was unlikely I'd be able to have a job afterwards anyway. I had to drop out due to my illness (ME) eventually. If anything I'm about losing money considering my excessive student loans (I spent 5 years or so) and interest that I've no chance of starting to pay back. ho hum.

 

[becki1701]

I did what I wanted to do. I played with the idea of other things that would have had better job prospects, but I never really thought about how much those jobs would pay

 

[foamy]

For my BA i chose i subject I'd wanted to do all my life.When I graduated I realised how bad the job prospects were so I did a PGCE. Now I'm back to seeing how I can earn some money doing the thing I love

 

[Sabu]

Same here....One year after graduation and I still have no clue what sort of job i want. I am actually thinking of going back to uni and do nursing.

Sociology does that to you me thinks . I'm thinking of going back and doing something else with better job prospects as well.

 

[Zorra]

Inasmuch as I was the last year of no-fees-plus-grant, so I took a subject I knew I could stick for 3 years (and loved it) But I worked out what I wanted to do after my first year, and did loads of work experience / voluntary stuff during the 2/3rd years and came out knackered, but straight into a job.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

My undergrad degree was about interest. My professional degree was about money.

 

[scifisam]

Money wasn't a consideration, exactly, but job prospects and my future career goals were. English graduates don't actually do badly when it comes to job prospects, at least in comparison to some other arts subjects, and I don't have the right skills for science. It's all very well trying to choose a course that will provide you with a vocation, but that only works if you'd be any good at the vocation.

Work experience counts for an awful lot, anyway, not just the degree. I did lots of work - paid and unpaid (although, to be fair, the internship gave me tax-free expenses which were more than the paid jobs I'd done before). I was VT editing at Associated Press Television News when I was 21 - shame it turned out that this particular work, which I was really, really good at, gave me fits.

You can't plan too much. There's no point doing a vocational degree if you spend three or more years of your life hating it, then hating the career you end up in afterwards. At least if you do a degree subject you like, you'll spend three years of your life studying something which interests you - and that's not bad going, really.

Though joint degrees, with one vocational and one fun part, are the way forward, really.

 

[zenie]

My undergrad degree was about interest. My professional degree was about money.

What's the difference? Is a professional dregree like an MA/MSc here or something?

Though joint degrees, with one vocational and one fun part, are the way forward, really.

Where do they do mixed degrees out of interest?

 

[foo]

when choosing to do a philosophy degree i wasn't thinking of the money or career....surprisingly.

 

[Rollem]

my choice to go to uni was so that i didnt have to get a job

and my choice of degree was what i was interested in, (and has only a slim relation to my job)



so i guess the answer is zero

 

[Epona]

Money was a huge influence - but not in the way you mean - I would have loved to go to medical school but there was no way my parents could ever have afforded to help me out financially for the long duration of studying. Going to uni for 3 years was also pushing it, so instead I went straight into full time employment so that I could bring in money for the family. I simply didn't have the luxury of swanning off for several years to continue my own education when at that time my family needed the extra income I could bring in.

I did get a degree later in life, working full time and going to college (Birkbeck) in the evenings, and studying from home at the weekends. It was incredibly hard doing both at once, but I stuck with it and got a 2.1. I think it means more to me as a personal achievement than it would have done had I done it full time when younger, as it was so bloody difficult and exhausting. I chose a subject that I enjoyed despite knowing that it wouldn't result in any income at all, there are very few jobs in archaeology and those that exist are extremely poorly paid - but I wasn't doing it with the aim of getting a job in the field. Knowing that I would be using all my time outside of work to study, fascination in the subject was my only consideration, something 'worthy but boring' would not have been possible.

 

[scifisam]

Where do they do mixed degrees out of interest?

I think all the newer universities do them, at least for some subjects.

Of course, if you do end up choosing a vocational course or a joint degree, then a newer university might be a better place to go anyway - some of them are specialists in particular vocational subjects.