Beware meanlingless Degrees

[Rupert_Baehr]

The council should support local builders , electricians and plumbers to enable them to take on apprentices with some kind of local subsidy .

 

What would the council use to provide that subsidy?

 

I had a friend who was a plumber. For the purpose of this post, let's call him Freed Smith. Fred is good plumber, whose services are heavily in demand and who often has to turn work away.

 

I said to him: "Why don't you take on an apprentice?"

 

After a brief bout of apoplexy followed by hysterical laughter he said: "Take on a bloody apprentice? Are you out of your mind?

 

If I take on an apprentice:

 

I have to do paperwork relating to his employment (or rather I have to pay somebody to do that.)

 

I have to pay the apprentice far more than (s)he is worth. (Initially (s)he will be more of a liability than an asset, will require constant supervision - supervision I will have to provide instead of working.)

 

I will have to pay the government additional taxes for the privilege of working for nothing training the apprentice.

 

After about a year, when my apprentice knows enough to be dangerous, there is nothing to stop him or her from setting up in competition with me. If (s)he is good (a bit unlikely after only a year) I've trained my own competition.

 

If - as is more likely - the apprentice isn't very good ((S)he might think (s)he is good, but it takes rather more than a year to learn the job) people aren't going to say: "Jim Brown is a lousy plumber" they're going to say "That plumber trained by Fred Smith is a lousy plumber." I will end up getting the blame for the poor quality work my ex-apprentice did."

 

I think he had a few valid points. When I left school, there were apprenticeships offered by large firms (and a few offered by smaller firms, too.) The apprentices were not well-paid (though any pay at all is more than students get nowadays) and the training periods were long.

 

There is a lack of apprenticeships in the UK and although HNCs and HNDs do exist, they don't seem to be very popular (not as popular as they were 40 odd years ago.)

 

Perhaps there should be far more emphasis placed on non-graduate qualifications, but not by the local council. It is a national problem.

[CarriesShoes]

I do remember watching a program once, where companies were throwing CV's straight in the bin if the degree was in media studies.

 

Someone i knew did a degree in surfing during the 90's at a west country uni, not sure what job they would have got with that

 

I am studying a BTEC Level 3 in Creative Media (so Media Studies), which I studied at GCSE also and am on my first year I am going onto my second in September. I want to be a journalist so need what they call an NCTJ which is a recognised worldwide qualification needed if you want to work in the Media, specifically to Journalism, I am also writing articles already and was from almost starting my course I emailed people just explaining my situation someone gave me a chance, it was just luck I was published in a local magazine and am writing for them again and am enquiring about writing other bits for other people as well, I also have a week's work experience lined up for when I finish my first year of this course at the end of June my point is if you apply your self correctly whilst studying your chosen subject an put yourself out there enough a job will come along and you will not end up in debt and working in a call centre or supermarket, you will be in your chosen career albeit still in debt but doing what you set out to do in the first place.

 

A course studying surfing whatever next eh?.

 

---------- Post added 02-04-2013 at 01:37 ----------

 

It's about showing initiative and showing willing I think as well making yourself the best candidate you can be excellent attendance, punctuality, and good references from your schools, colleges and universities help and throwing away people's CV's because they had a qualification in Media sounds mad to me .

[Rupert_Baehr]

I am studying a BTEC Level 3 in Creative Media (so Media Studies), which I studied at GCSE also and am on my first year I am going onto my second in September. I want to be a journalist so need what they call an NCTJ which is a recognised worldwide qualification needed if you want to work in the Media, specifically to Journalism, I am also writing articles already and was from almost starting my course

 

Best of luck, Carrie.

 

I emailed people just explaining my situation someone gave me a chance, it was just luck I was published in a local magazine and am writing for them again and am enquiring about writing other bits for other people as well,

 

Maybe it wasn't just luck which sold the articles? Could it be that your personal 'drive' and apparent strong motivation helped sell the articles?

 

I also have a week's work experience lined up for when I finish my first year of this course at the end of June

 

Work experience will certainly help.

 

my point is if you apply your self correctly whilst studying your chosen subject an put yourself out there enough a job will come along and you will not end up in debt and working in a call centre or supermarket, you will be in your chosen career albeit still in debt but doing what you set out to do in the first place.

 

I don't want to 'rain on your parade' and as you said, if you really want something you can probably get it.

 

Unfortunately (for a number of the other people doing Media Studies) the number of people doing the courses exceeds the number of forecast job vacancies by a considerable amount.

 

Media studies has been touted as a 'soft option' and perhaps that has helped give the subject a bad name. Another quite surprising thing (and I'm sure this is pure coincidence) is that the TV Presenter jobs tend to go to attractive young females with Blue eyes and 2Kw headlamps. People who often don't have a clue what they're talking about. A couple of memorable quotes from TV Weather presenters: "I Don't know a thing about weather, but I look good in the clothes I wear" and "I don't know anything about weather, but I'm willing to learn." THe first one moved on to a well-known TV programme and was replaced by a lady whose 'qualifications' were that she had been a fashion reporter. Well, the weather is a fashionable subject, I suppose.

 

You don't see too many fat spotty ugly males working as 'TV Presenters' (though there are a few notable worthies ) and some cynical people might think that it's not what you know that gets you a job, it's what you look like.

 

A course studying surfing whatever next eh?.

 

---------- Post added 02-04-2013 at 01:37 ----------

 

It's about showing initiative and showing willing I think as well making yourself the best candidate you can be excellent attendance, punctuality, and good references from your schools, colleges and universities help and throwing away people's CV's because they had a qualification in Media sounds mad to me .

 

If you are going for a Media job, then a good qualification in Media Studies is, hopefully, exactly what you need.

 

I've heard many people say 'A degree is a degree is a degree.' That is simply not so. Some degrees are classed as 'hard' and some are not.

 

If you have a Law Degree, there is (Statistically) a one-in-three chance you will be employed as a lawyer. The way you will have been taught to think when you were reading law makes you a very attractive prospective employee to many companies.

 

If you have a good degree in Physics, you might find yourself head-hunted by banks. (Whether that has anything to do with your familiarity with Crookes' Law I couldn't say.)

 

If you have a good degree in Media Studies then you may well be headhunted by companies in the Media industry, (Particularly if you've got the blue eyes, large headlamps and you wear clothes well) but don't expect too many other people to come beating at your door.

 

You've already suggested (by what you wrote about going out and looking for work and arranging work experience) that you are well-motivated. Good for you!

 

I wish you success (and you'll probably be successful if you carry on as you are doing noiw) but - and this is meant as a warning to others - a degree is NOT a degree and is NOT a degree.

 

You wouldn't expect a surgeon who operated on you to have a doctor's degree ... but a bachelor's of surgery beats the hell out of a bachelor's in flower arranging.

 

(Yes Angel! - A degree is a degree is a degree - but I'd rather be cut open by somebody with MB ChB than by a qualified Alpine Flower arranger.)

 

In the 1950s, 1960s and before Universities were elite institutions which catered for the top 5% (top 5% less those who never got a chance.)

 

In the late 1960's/ early 1970's Labour (who were determined to 'keep the working man in his place so he will vote for us') tried to scrap Grammar schools, block upward mobility for the children of working class parents and keep the class system going.

 

There was - or should have been - a happy medium. It never happened.

 

Blame the bloody pols - of all colours.

[ronthenekred]

Education is for the sake of managing ones life in the modern world, FACT

 

Take it you're struggling then?

[Rupert_Baehr]

Well he was, a few years ago ... when he last posted on this forum.

[EzekielWheel]

Anyone thinking of committing four years of their life to get a piece of paper, should watch this documentary.

 

The College Conspiracy

 

I attempted to re enter the education system after The Illuminati outsourced my career of 17 years to India.

 

I took a course in Architecture at Sheffield Hallam Polytechnic/university, what a waste of a year. I felt like I was back in kinder garden and left after one year.

[donuticus]

Don't forget your sweeping brush and tea/coffee trolley now will you?

 

BAFTA could be an adult film company, and donuticus the fluffer!

 

http://www.bafta.org/losangeles/

 

Definitely not an adult film company.

 

As for needing my sweeping brush, that's what we have Mexicans for. :hihi: