Tertiary and Continuing Which degrees are useless/useful?

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IMO

Arts (Have to be extremely passionate/talented to make it in your field)
Law (if you aren't at the top echelon of your cohort)
Science (If you aren't doing further studies/post-grad which for most fields is the top echelon of your cohort)

If you want job security (on a decent wage)

Get in to med (and survive)
Engineering (Depends what you go into)
Geology (until the mining boom dies)
Do a trade
 
You need some work experience while at uni as well with Arts. If you're majoring in media, work at a newspaper, If you're in PR, work at a PR firm, politics - work for your local member.

Get some connections and get out into the workforce before you're IN the workforce. Otherwise you're doing it the hard way.
 
Engineering is a waste of time. I learnt how to do maths. Shed loads of maths.

Did I learn anything practical or useful unless I work for a multinational company where all I'm required to do is more maths and then write a report on it. Not a chance.
 

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Engineering is just applied physics, and physics is applied math, what sort of thing were you expecting in your degree?

I also can't imagine a circumstance where qualified engineers of all stripes would not be in demand somewhere in the world, multinational or otherwise. Engineering and medicine are the most practically real world applicable things you can study at a university, you just need to be interested in them.

That engineering lecturers seem to know nothing about how engineering works in a real world company is a trait shared by lecturers in a lot of degrees.
 
Trust me mate, as as recent graduate in the last 2 years - it's useless. The closest I got to practical skills learnt in a 5 year degree was taking apart a 19cc 2 stroke motor in second year.
 
BrockBlitz said:
Trust me mate, as as recent graduate in the last 2 years - it's useless. The closest I got to practical skills learnt in a 5 year degree was taking apart a 19cc 2 stroke motor in second year.
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Sounds like the discipline you studied is not the discipline in which you want to work. My degree discipline was very aligned with my future work.
 
BrockBlitz said:
Trust me mate, as as recent graduate in the last 2 years - it's useless. The closest I got to practical skills learnt in a 5 year degree was taking apart a 19cc 2 stroke motor in second year.
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An engineering degree generally teaches how to approach problem solving and provides the knowledge you'll need to make better decisions practically. The practical stuff is normally learnt on the job, and a bit in labs and the honours year project. Agree though that some unis could include more so you don't start quite as cold.
 
I think you guys are miss interpreting or I am miss communicating what I mean. I mean practical skills as in the use of tools, welding, a lathe, etc

I've been working on farm machinery for the last 6 months because there is a severe lack of graduate positions available. Nothing I learnt during my 5 years at uni has helped me in the slightest when I have to fix any machinery. I come from a farm originally so it's not foreign, but there are plenty of times where I have to ask dumb questions because I know how something works in theory, but how it works in practice is very different.

Another example is a mate of mine who is a boiler maker. He recently started a business where he gets written off truck trailers and uses heat, big ass pullies and a shed load of planing to restore them to their original state. Then flogs them off and makes a great profit. I know exactly how the process of heating something, exciting the atoms so they can be manipulated and the crystallization during cooling works. I know all the theory. What I have NFI about is where the heck you would start heating a truck trailer up to bend it back into shape. He does, but he couldn't tell you anything about whats going on on a molecular level is.

I hate that I can do the math, but was taught nothing in a practical setting of how to apply that knowledge to build or repair anything - and in all honesty it's something that is a pain in the arse for engineers all over. I remember a kid in my Mech Eng honours class who had never used a screw driver.

It might not be completely necessary to know how to use tools as an engineer, but shhheeeez it makes you a hell of a better one.
 
BrockBlitz said:
I think you guys are miss interpreting or I am miss communicating what I mean. I mean practical skills as in the use of tools, welding, a lathe, etc

I've been working on farm machinery for the last 6 months because there is a severe lack of graduate positions available. Nothing I learnt during my 5 years at uni has helped me in the slightest when I have to fix any machinery.
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That's most tertiary education for you. Ultimately it is designed to measure who can most effectively deliver a project to a prescribed specification and deadline.

Your choice of degree is just altering the "theme". Hell, even surgeon's pretty much learn on the job.
 
BrockBlitz said:
I think you guys are miss interpreting or I am miss communicating what I mean. I mean practical skills as in the use of tools, welding, a lathe, etc
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Lol next thing i'm gonna hear is that doctors don't like medical degrees because it doesn't teach them how to bake bread.... Dude of course an engineering degree isn't going to teach you welding.
 
jinny1 said:
Lol next thing i'm gonna hear is that doctors don't like medical degrees because it doesn't teach them how to bake bread.... Dude of course an engineering degree isn't going to teach you welding.
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I'd see it more like a strength and conditioning coach writing programs and teaching athletes how to lift, without being able to lift anything themselves. It's doable, but it isn't a great way to go about it.
 
BrockBlitz said:
I'd see it more like a strength and conditioning coach writing programs and teaching athletes how to lift, without being able to lift anything themselves. It's doable, but it isn't a great way to go about it.
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Engineers don't weld.
 
I've seen more people get a low level IT job and make their way up the ranks coming from a customer service background and no IT education at TAFE or uni, compared to the people who put money and three years into a diploma or IT degree but with limited experience. If you're into IT I have a few tips for you. Firstly, get yourself some customer service experience (even at shitty fast food places, that still counts as long as you're interacting with people). Secondly, get yourself a service desk or a level one tech job using said experience. Whilst working, get your Microsoft Certifications such as your MCSA/MCITP/MCP, and your Cisco ones if you're into that sort of thing. That's how I see most make their way up in the industry.

TL;DR: Don't bust your arse studying IT at TAFE or uni, get yourself low level job and get your industry certs, then you will move up.
 

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Useful:
- Arts
- Hairdressing
- Toilet cleaning

Useless:
- Anything at university









:drunk::drunk::drunk::drunk:

I jest I jest..

ep2006 said:
I've seen more people get a low level IT job and make their way up the ranks coming from a customer service background and no IT education at TAFE or uni, compared to the people who put money and three years into a diploma or IT degree but with limited experience. If you're into IT I have a few tips for you. Firstly, get yourself some customer service experience (even at shitty fast food places, that still counts as long as you're interacting with people). Secondly, get yourself a service desk or a level one tech job using said experience. Whilst working, get your Microsoft Certifications such as your MCSA/MCITP/MCP, and your Cisco ones if you're into that sort of thing. That's how I see most make their way up in the industry.

TL;DR: Don't bust your arse studying IT at TAFE or uni, get yourself low level job and get your industry certs, then you will move up.
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That's pretty crappy advice. What does the person want to do? It's quite likely that if they ever want to move past a helpdesk position, which is what you're advocating here, or run their business, than they'll need to (or at least want to if starting their own business) have formal education. Most medium to large enterprises won't promoted tertiary-uneducated staff to decision making positions, and small companies are the same.

What if they're creating and want to work in digital agencies, or art houses, or want to work on digital art for music, games, tv and movies? Then they most definitely need formal education at university level. They'll get employment with TAFE education, but it will be limited.

Programmers? definitely need formal education. You can get by without it, but you're swimming against the tide and it's significantly more difficult to get further in the IT world. You might end up as a team lead one day, or relief manager, but without formal education you're not going to make CIO, CTO, CEO etc. Besides most CEOs come from a financial background, or have BA/FM education and training.
 
BrockBlitz said:
I think you guys are miss interpreting or I am miss communicating what I mean. I mean practical skills as in the use of tools, welding, a lathe, etc

I've been working on farm machinery for the last 6 months because there is a severe lack of graduate positions available. Nothing I learnt during my 5 years at uni has helped me in the slightest when I have to fix any machinery. I come from a farm originally so it's not foreign, but there are plenty of times where I have to ask dumb questions because I know how something works in theory, but how it works in practice is very different.

Another example is a mate of mine who is a boiler maker. He recently started a business where he gets written off truck trailers and uses heat, big ass pullies and a shed load of planing to restore them to their original state. Then flogs them off and makes a great profit. I know exactly how the process of heating something, exciting the atoms so they can be manipulated and the crystallization during cooling works. I know all the theory. What I have NFI about is where the heck you would start heating a truck trailer up to bend it back into shape. He does, but he couldn't tell you anything about whats going on on a molecular level is.

I hate that I can do the math, but was taught nothing in a practical setting of how to apply that knowledge to build or repair anything - and in all honesty it's something that is a pain in the arse for engineers all over. I remember a kid in my Mech Eng honours class who had never used a screw driver.

It might not be completely necessary to know how to use tools as an engineer, but shhheeeez it makes you a hell of a better one.
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I know exactly what you mean, I'm a fitter and turner by trade and I work with new grads every year and they are basically clueless, they act like they know everything but they can't apply it in the real world.
I've started getting my maths back up to scratch to go to university, all the senior engineers at my work say the best engineers are the ones who have done a trade as they understand what is required on a job in the real world and not just on paper.
 
HirdyLannister said:
I know exactly what you mean, I'm a fitter and turner by trade and I work with new grads every year and they are basically clueless, they act like they know everything but they can't apply it in the real world.
I've started getting my maths back up to scratch to go to university, all the senior engineers at my work say the best engineers are the ones who have done a trade as they understand what is required on a job in the real world and not just on paper.
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I agree that in terms of practical knowhow for specific jobs uni graduates are pretty raw which can limit their real understanding of the discipline. Having some practical knowhow beforehand can put the theory into context and give them a better understanding. It can depend on the uni too, for example, they seem to get more hands on at Swinburne than Monash or Melbourne uni, and in my opinion get a better understanding in some areas because of it.

At the same time there's a bit of a public misconception that universities are meant to be skills training institutes, when a university degree, especially in science and engineering is about gaining an understanding of a discipline not a particular practical application. If someone wants to be great at fitting and turning then an apprenticeship, TAFE or something else hands on is a far better option. If they want to be in R&D and develop new things in the field then the theory becomes a lot more useful and practical knowhow alone is limiting. Horses for courses...
 
Art and Drama are pretty useless. 1 of my mates did Drama, couldnt get a job so she did her Diploma of Ed to become a teacher..

I found my Bachelor of Ed to be a crap course.. I had 5 compulsory subjects that were all the same but given different titles... a waste of about $1000
 
CrazyDon said:
Art and Drama are pretty useless. 1 of my mates did Drama, couldnt get a job so she did her Diploma of Ed to become a teacher..

I found my Bachelor of Ed to be a crap course.. I had 5 compulsory subjects that were all the same but given different titles... a waste of about $1000
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Art or an Arts degree?
 
Azzlandia said:
I've applied for jobs interstate too.

I'm happy to relocate, doing it without having something to earn money can be risky

My current study is fully online so that is no issue.
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Have you applied to mining companies? They are always looking to reduce their footprint.
 
LanceRomance said:
Arts degree hands down the most useless.

IMO shouldnt be govt funded.

It's great for enlightenment and all but that's about it.
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perfect for a second degree
 

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Tertiary and Continuing Which degrees are useless/useful?

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