Stuff About Choosing A Degree That Nobody Mentions

Choosing a degree is a big deal for everyone, except for those who are from a ludicrously wealthy family (I’m talking Richie Rich type wealth) who are able to consider up to £9000 of student fees as pocket change. Going on to do a degree is a huge investment; there are many factors you need to think long and hard about before making your decision. Deciding to go university for the sake of going to university is what I would call “textbook stupidity.” When I get asked about university one of the first things I bring up is the fact that you don’t need a degree. A degree is something you pursue if the career path you want to walk down requires it and that is where it can get complicated. It is usually just after you finish you’re A-levels, or even while still doing them, and at that age can you say really know what you want to do with your life. You’ll know people who know exactly what they want to do, they just have that passion they have had for years but the average person will just have an idea and even that can change. As mentioned before, there are plenty of aspects you need to take into account when choosing a degree.

·        What subject are you most interested in?

·        Can you really commit to this for 3 or 4 years?

·        Can you handle getting homesick from time to time?

The one question you don’t really get told to contemplate is one I find myself pondering now I’m at university, not in a bitter way or anything, it’s just that I find it hard to believe no one really brought it up

Will you actually be able to get a job with this degree?

You need to know if this degree will actually benefit you in the job market, sure it’ll look nice on your CV but writing on a piece of paper will only get you so far. In this economy, where 920,000 young people between the ages of 16-24 are unemployed and nearly 1 in 10 graduates being unemployed, sure doesn’t sound but you’ll have to trust when I say it’s not great. I’m not saying you should pick a degree just because that particular one will make you more attractive to employers. If you’re not interested in it, you’ll end up dropping out resulting in the experience being a waste of time and money. You just need to be able to accept the possible consequences of doing a rather specific degree.

I’ve had to face this issue. At university I study International Relations, an intriguing course where you learn so much and that opens your eyes. From looking at History too politics in culture, war and global security, Humanitarian work too foreign policy. The problem with this is that you’re not really specialising in one area. If I was a student of subjects like business or engineering an employer would be able to think “This is this guy’s deal” but for me I’d have to explain it a bit too them, which I doubt would go down great in an interview.

So always remember to think about the long-term plan in your life when deciding which university course you want to do. And I’ll finish with this; never believe the statement “A degree WILL get you a job,” that is a subtle mix of both optimism and arrogance.

After My School Experience

So I got my results back for my A-Levels this week, BBD, and I saw two types of people there when I was getting mine. Those you were happy with their result and those who were not, the latter was usually crying. This reminded me of when I finished school.

Now I finished for study leave in mid May, this included having a “Leavers Mass” for our year. At this event many were crying, a majority were women. They cried about how they were going to miss each other and how they were never going to see each other ever again. This however was not the case as exams were taking place from mid may to the end of June and despite being on Study Leave most people came in anyway to study.

Now I’m not sure if its that I’m heartless and hollow but I don’t care that I’ll never see most these people, some of these people I cannot wait to see the back. So I didn’t cry and say, “we should definitely keep in touch.” Those people who said that were practically lying. To whether they know they were lying yet I do not know.

After the Leavers Mass we as a year went you together to a nightclub in the centre of town. This was the first time I had visited a nightclub and after about 20 minutes of being there I wished it would be my last. Now a night appeals to certain types of people:

Girls who want to wear as little material around their bodies.

• People who want to get completely pissed.
• People who enjoy shouting at the top of their lungs to only ask someone a simple question.
• Guys who like to use the cramped conditions of a Nightclub as an excuse to grind up against girls.
• Twats who enjoy shitty repetitive beats and rhythms.
• People who are willing to spend extortionate prices for drinks.
• Degenerates.
• Date Rapists looking for drunken vulnerable girls.

I am not one of those people.

So I show up at the club and have the overly popular people lying to my face, “I’m so glad you could make it.” Now I’m not trying to act like I’m one of those angry and frustrated kids who didn’t get to hangout with the cool kids. I’m just saying I don’t enjoy them acting like we’re good friends for one night only. I do not intend on keeping in little contact with these once the summer is over. Though I guess I’ll keep them on my Facebook friends list, that’s keeping in contact right?

There is a girl in my year that went to my primary school. So in total I’ve known her 16 years, if you counted the time we’ve spent in conversation over those 16 years I doubt you’d get into double digits in minutes. I don’t think I’d be able to rime off 5 facts about her that aren’t school related and she wouldn’t either.

Don’t get me wrong I’ll miss some people. Those would be my friends. I know well slowly drift apart and lose contact over time, with me going to university and them doing their own think. But sure I’ll do my best to keep in touch. Maybe meet up for drinks for someone’s birthday or just a simple house party.

So I would cry for most people in my year and don’t think they’d care anyway. I’m even considering most a link on Facebook because I am almost 99% sure they wouldn’t read it. Most people don’t even know I write a blog…

Waste Of Our Time

There’s a deathly silence in the room as the entire of 6^th year form in the assembly hall for another point lecture. A talk of our ‘inappropriate conduct’ during our free classes, or as our principle would prefer to call them Non-Contact Periods.

The chairs are laid out in 3 columns with about 5 rows in each column. They were focused towards the window where the principle would stand. It is like they copied the layout of an opera theatre and we had seats for most boring show on earth.

Almost every single person would try his or her best to not be in the front row, the trick is to sit around the middle in the column, if you went straight to the back row the vice-principle would pick them out and move them to the front simply to spite them. The vice-principle is an odd woman, with her short stature, a pear-like figure and withering hair. She talks with a surly tone in her voice, whenever saying things that were abbreviated into letters (ICT and GCSE are the best examples) she would over state them with her mouth movement, close to how a cobra dislocates its jaw to consume its pray. She seems like the usual English speaking citizen of the western world talking to a foreign person, talk louder and emphasize each part of the word because surely that works. She would point you out and show to the better seats.

I'd like to think I'm Jim in this secario

I can’t help but feel tramped during an assembly, sitting in a cold and slender blue chair. My peers are on either side of me with mere inches between us, I insure I’m sitting with at least one friend to allow me to make conversation and general entertainment while the principle does his spiel. I don’t know why but everyone’s breathing seems somehow more dramatic, each inhale is like a black hole sucking up planets and an exhale sounds like a faulty hair dyer from the 1920’s. Each movement seems more erratic in these silences too. In an assembly I’m forced to wear my blazer, a feature of the school uniform I do not usually sport. I fidget in my chair to get comfortable with the constricting rough black material wraps around my upper body. We sit and wait for the assembly to begin as our teachers tell us to quieten.

Finally the principle enters; I’d presume this is some kind of tactic he employs to make us feel intimidated. He arrives late to give the impression that he is a very busy man and that he’s taking time out of his day to address this important matter. Our principles build screams sportsman, Gaelic to be precise, he use to bring it up almost every assembly had and it would be directed towards a friend who played it.

We start off by saying the school prayer, I’ve found from past experience they try blow your head up with their mind if you don’t join in, at least that’s what I’ve gathered from how they look at me. I refuse to partake in the pray so I find that bowing your head and simple mumbling to the rhythm of it all works out. We then all stare up at the principle you begin his talk. He seems like overall psycho whenever it comes to speeches about our behaviour. In the most recent lecture he uses quite violent phrases. “I will load the gun for you if you want to shoot yourself in the foot,” this was in relation to people not working and messing around. I know its not shooting ourselves in the head but a self-inflicted gunshot wound is still pretty rough. He goes to state “Don’t think I’ll hesitate to drop an axe on you” and “I will drop you from a great height.” Now these were in relation to kicking people out of school for not working. Why he chooses these phrases I do not know. Could be to scare us but all I know for sure that they make him seem a tad weird.

The assembly ends, I snap out of the daydream I’ve sheltered myself for most of it. There’s no sign of an encore. Everyone gets up and heads for the door. As I stretch out my arms legs I quickly check my watch and I have a depressing revelation. That assembly wasted 30 minutes of my life, 30 minutes I’m not going to get back.

hypocrites, They're such a rare creature.....wait, never mind

In the British education system there at upper 6^th and lower 6^th (year 7 and year 6, AS level and A2 level. Whatever you want to call it) I’m upper 6^th and as usual there’s tension between the upper 6^th and lower 6^th but not the degree you’d usually see. The uppers (not everyone thoough) hate the lowers but the lowers haven’t done anything, generally speaking. I don’t mind the lowers; they’re all round nice people. It’s true that the number of lowers has increased since last year and there is a spacing issue but that’s hardly the lowers fault. So now the superior uppers have decided to cut off any social interaction with the lower, unless it’s when they roll up on their high and mighty horse you tell the lowers to do something. With no real interaction between the years it feels like there’s major segregation between us. Segregation between groups within Northern Ireland? No never, *Roll Internet eyes.*

The 6^th year common room is an area with a lot unease. On most days we each have lunch at different time so interaction is kept to a minimum but when we arrive for lunch right after them that’s when ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. I should point out that it’s mainly the girl overacting in these situations. We get in and there is rubbish on the floor, mostly around the main table and the bin is full to the brim. The girls squeal with complaints about the bin and moan about how the lowers should take the bin out. Now obviously most of them are in class so they can’t do it. In the cupboard spare bin bags are on hand and it is simple task of just replacing it. The bitchy moaners can easily just bring the full bin bag out the back and replace it with another. But what’s that? You just can’t reach it from the high horse? Well you could just get off and actually do something productive instead of giving me a headache. Unfortunately they don’t and the bag is left there like a dormant volcano just waiting for its moment and still they complain. Time goes and I, the silent guardian, get up, lift the bag and take a 30 second walk to the bins. I arrive back. I’m not expecting a hero’s welcome or even just a warm welcome, I was however under the impression that it may get a simple “Thanks Niall.” But there is no reaction, like I was literally a silent guardian. After that point I decided on not stepping up to the plate to help them out ever again. And despite the bin bags removal the banshees still bad mouth. On one of the days where they come in after us for lunch some of the cool/smart uppers hatched a devious plan. “Flip the tables!” they say.

‘Yes, because that will show.’ I said sarcastically on the other side of the room while rolling my eyes, I was having to roll my eyes so much I started getting motion sickness.

On the regular days the end of lunch arrives and everyone hurries away, all but me who isn’t trying to skive from fixing up the place. Rubbish covers the floor AND the table, and these weren’t the lowers litter. I clean it away as a favour to the cleaners and as I left I smell this horrible stench, it fills the room and near chokes me. I lucky cover my mouth with my scarf to stop any more exposure and realise what the odour is. The smell of Hypocrisy.

Now the upper 6^th always have a tendency to accuse the lower 6^th of not working despite the fact that every Friday the Hypocrites would talk about their Thursday night out and I would be the unfortunate soul that has to be within THE SAME ROOM. The study room is the usual stadium for such a heavy “Debate.” Now a good friend of mine in lower 6^th, we’ll call him J, took a leaf out of my book and made me proud. When someone hates you, particularly for no good reason, you should go out of your way to make them hate you for a reason. So J and few pals were having a relaxing time in the study room on a lovely Friday morning, absolutely nothing wrong with that (well in my eyes at least) But no! The uppers couldn’t have J relaxing while they were chatting away, surely not. Now I don’t feel the uppers understand the idea of being subtle or talking behind someone’s back, I’m only joking, they know it well. They don’t complain to him directly they just complain to the open space. As J and his friends left the Hypocrites say he was being loud and this is where J was awesome. Upon leaving he cheered and THEN was loud.

I just don’t get it. Why don’t our years just socialise like we should. Hell I spent lunch in with them in the common room and it was pretty fun. Just hanging out and eating a ton of yoghurt, now that’s a good time. My year always go on about how the lower 6^th ‘don’t work’ and ‘mess around.’ Didn’t we do the same? And that was a rhetorical question. Hell I still don’t work and mess around, I sit around playing Tetris, eating ice-cream, wearing sunglasses, blaring music and as soon the weather gets better my buying a plastic golf kit and every lower and upper are open to join me because I’m living the dream.

Who's Who in the Zoo

You know how in TV-shows whenever there is a school there are cliques, you know, jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, scene kids, stereotypical hip-hop crew, well in saying all these groups are stereotypes. Now with real life many of us would say “That never really happens” but we all know they do, the cliques are just more subtle and less categories. They can some be in a hierarchy system. There are the most popular kids and it gradually makes its way down. I’m in the British education system and in the 6^th and 7^th years where I do my A-levels, much like the show ‘The Inbetweeners.’

Recently I realised a way in which you can measure and identify who is the most popular, although you will inevitably identify your ‘place.’ A sitcom. I know it sounds dumb but take the show ‘Friends,’ the main principle characters we all know and love (Chandler, Ross, Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, Monica) obviously these represent the most popular kids within the year. Then the kids below them in the hierarchy are characters who you know but aren’t in every episode, characters like Günter, Janice, even Marcel the monkey. It gradually makes its way down. Now I’m not saying that people are unpopular, people will be popular among their peers and I feel that can be all that matters but on the ‘Bigger Picture’ their not. For myself I’m the ‘David the scientist’ and Fun-Bob category, memorable but not huge.  At least I’m not Eddie or Ryan (Who? You might ask….. That’s my point.) I’m saying people in this ranking are ‘outcasts,’ in a way I admire these people, they tend to be people who care not for popular in the year.

Now I know I seem like a very morbid person with a crackpot theory to popularity but I’m not. I like where I am, in the middle. Here I can interact with my fellow students, I say ‘can’ because it’s an option. I’m not at the top and therefore subject to focus and gossip and I’m not at the bottom where I am not included in activities. People like me but I don’t make a massive impact on their lives, to be able to do so I would need to go that extra mile and I’m not desperate.

Another ridiculous theory is that popularity is like being sorted into Hogwarts houses. The popular kids go into Gyffindor. Other kids go into Slytherin; these people tend to get on people’s nerves and are a little bit disliked, though this dislike is usually non-direct and in the form of passive-aggression. There are the kids in Ravenclaw who don’t get too much attention; I would like to think I’m in Ravenclaw. Then there’s Hufflepuff. For any Harry Potter fan I doubt I need to explain myself.

At the end of the day I could be totally wrong, this is just from my experiences. And these are just theories, like the blackhole theory or the theory that God exists (Just saying) You can take no notice of any of this but you might find yourself seeing this the next time your in school but I must advise that you do not allow this to stop you from socialising or anything.