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.