studied for and got a degree in mechanical engineering. Got very disinterested in my 2nd year but having seen my friends drop out previously to become waiters and barmen (nothing wrong in that but i know they where capable of alot more) i decided to see it out. if i had my time again i would study a different degree but if i went back to my second year again i would definitely make the same choice i did and see it through. whilst i only got a third. i feel it elevates me a little above the competition and definitely helped in getting my first job (simple excel work) after three months my potential was clear and was put to work in the IT department after a couple of courses i was writing SQL with the best of them. im now on a good salary @26 working the profession i want to as a business intelligence developer i can only feel that if i had dropped out i would not be doing this however if i had of dropped out i may have picked up a programming course i may be one year ahead of where i am now but i doubt it very much
Was just browsing through here and noticed you were interested in Building Surveying. I'm currently in my 4th year (Hons) doing a building surveying degree and would definitely recommend it, good wide range of subjects keeps it really interesting as well as having pretty competitive job prospects once you graduate £22-25k for graduates then once you get chartered it's up to £30-35k. Personally I'm planning on going the self employed route when I graduate, I've done a lot of work with acoustics and noise complaints which I find is a really interesting area ( currently doing my dissertation on it) and I just really like the idea of being self employed. That great thing is there's so many area's you can branch out into in Surveying so you'll find there's so many different types of work you can be doing on any given day. As for specific University's I could only really recommend ones in Scotland, I only know of Cambridge and one in London across the border.
I know a number of surveyors (work for a building insurance co.) and whilst they all seem to enjoy it they do spend one hell of a lot of time on the road. i do know they earn well however
I'm currently at Glasgow Caledonian, the other ones in Scotland are Napier Uni (Edinburgh) and Aberdeen Uni, I'm pondering over doing a post-grad at Napier next year, they do a lot of work in the Acoustics field and have released a lot of Journals and research which I'm currently using so that seems like an ideal place for me anyway. As for the one on London, I think you may be right. You might find it's not a particularly common subject for a lot of Uni's, I know there's only 3 in Scotland that do it, not sure about England but I can imagine it being a similar story. I don't if it's just because there's a recession going on at the minute but the Surveying Fields getting a lot more popular/competitive these days, I know in my department there were 6 times as many applicants as places available this year which was a massive increase on last.
I've just started studying for a MEng Degree in Aerospace Systems engineering with pilot studies. I'm in a foundation year at the moment as my maths aren't up to scratch, how many points I get after this year will dictate where I can go afterwards. I'm 33! I tried going to Uni when I was 19 to study for a HND in Software engineering with the aim of progressing onto a degree, but dropped out after the first year and my life has been a constant downhill slope since then... I would love to get a chance to tell that 19 year old dumb kid to give %150 percent at studying, tell him that he could be a manager, instead of working for managers that don't know jack ****, tell him how degrading it feels to be claiming for unemployment benefit amongst the chav scum, but its too late, that kid is long gone and all that's left behind is this old man. So as a more mature member I would like to say to all you kids, GO TO SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND UNI! Listen to your parents when they tell you to study and make something of yourselves. I know its tough sometimes, all that lame coursework that doesn't make sense on how real life really works, but stick with it, give it your best shot, and it WILL be worth it. OK I've dragged this post on long enough.
Haha, awesome :] What did you study there? How's the night life in Edinburgh from a student's perspective? I keep hearing from people it's pants but whenever I'm over on day trip now and again for gig's or whatever it always looks nice and all the bars/clubs don't look to bad at all. To be honest a lot of me is kinda glad it's getting near the end, writing a dissertation is an insane amount of work and although I do find it interesting, after being in education for like 17 years, it's gonna be nice not to have to study anymore and perhaps have some money for a change. I'll miss having the free time but the money seems so appealing at the minute.
What's with all the degree threads lately..? Attended college, studied for a year and a half (3 semesters) and just got more and more miserable & in debt, left, picked up a web development job, paid off debts, building savings account & my resume/skillset. Now looking at going back sometime within the next 5 years or so to finish at least my AA degree, just having a hard time finding a curriculum that fits my needs.
what did you do? Originally wanted to do industrial design, but chemistry wasnt strong enough. When i was 17 I signed up to do a graphic design degree at Napier University that ended up turning into a publishing degree six months in. A year after starting I dropped out. Landed work as a runner and pre production assistant for a TV and film company, which led to an art assistant and Location scout role within another production company. Contracts were too short with these companies so I had to get a real job. The next 9 years were filled with mostly tedious jobs just to pay the bills. Started back at uni in 2007 doing Motorsport design engineering, and loving it. was it worth it/ not worth it ? It could have been worth it the first time round, if i had been a little more mature, and taken an extra year to get my chemistry grade higher. what are the main benefits of doing a degree? That bit of paper at the end of it all can be very usefull. Even if you never work in the feild you studied in, it'll add weight to your C.V. Yes people can luck out and get great jobs without a degree, but in this climate would you not want to try and get the edge over others in the job market? how old were you? are you now? 17 first time round at uni, 29 second time. 33 now.
I did a law degree, which was absolutely worth it, as without it I wouldn't have been able to get into my chosen career (I'm a solicitor). Main benefits, aside from helping me get into my career, were a fantastic social life (6 years after graduation, most of my close friends are still the same people I hung out with at uni); great personal development (cliché, but I really grew up at uni - I went in as an 18 year old kid with no real experience of looking after myself, and came out a lot more mature); and a stack of skills I use in day to day life. I learned to learn, accumulated a lot of valuable knowledge, and drank a lot of beer. For me, uni was totally the right choice, but I'd advise anyone considering applying to do it for the right reasons - think about what you are interested in doing with your life and how going to uni will get you there. A lot of kids from my school went to uni almost as a default option, and some of them ended up wasting a couple of years then dropping out with nothing, which may have worked out all very well for Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, but most people won't be so lucky.
Did a Product design degree, was worth it, it led me abroad and had a fantastic time. Currently working as a furniture/point of sale designer with more interior stuff. Want to move onto architecture as its more of a love than a job. Iunno I guess i got a good degree due to me living/breathing/eating the subject as its all ive ever been great at (That an music, and sex but thats subjective) I guess ive been lucky as i just applied what i love and what frustrates me into something practical. Remember kids, frustration is the key to solving a problem, without it you would never know a problem existed.
Yes! Especially the blatantly misleading thread naming! Days were a degree/no degree thread would be about erm degrees I could ignore them at will, but with these misleading titles whats a pre-menstrual guy to do
Erm wasnae serious, just wondered why someone would read title & open thread to post? easier to just ignore shurley? but nae big deal
Apart from my daughter being born uni is without doubt the best time of my life. Hands down awesome. Debt is a bitch but you only live once.
Ah I dont know, over here you could say a "proper" or professional engineer is one who has earned his chartered status CEng. To do that is possible, but without a masters degree its pretty hard and takes MUCH longer than with a degree.
Just remember this: "Study hard, party hard" Enjoy Uni! It is going to suck at points but in the long run it is worth it.
avoid Sheffield hallam like the plague, they accept anyone. Bristol, Northumbria and Leeds are p.good in my opinion.
Just about to graduate and there really aren't many jobs about, in retrospect career wise I would have been better doing a vocational qualification to get some relevant experience /along/ with some qualifications. However, I wouldn't swap my 4 years at Uni, the experience as a whole has changed me so much as a person.
I know plenty of people who went to UWE (Including ME!) - great Uni in a great city, and due to its size it's got LOADS of money to spend on new facilities. Its low entry requirements do attract lots of dossers though - watch how fast your class sizes fall after the first year when all the drop outs leave, you'll be amazed.
I kind of agree. I wouldnt swap my uni experience for anything but a job was advertised at work which with my experience and degree I dont meet the requirements for but with my exact same experience and an MCSE or CCNA rather than a degree I would be shortlisted. Bear in mind my degree is IT related too not a mikey mouse subject.
For me, finishing my degree is a self-fulfillment for me. As an accountancy graduate, it actually helps me when it comes to decision making process in all aspects of my life. Simply because we are trained to do analytical thinking. So every decision that we are making have their own reasons. But, we must also bear in mind that having a degree doesn't automatically makes you somebody. Remember, only those people who are street smart can excel in their own chosen field.
