Fake Degrees

[Kaylia]

My first major was in computer sciences. There is no way I could work correctly without it. Sure, someone could learn programming by himself, but in the end, it require a lot of training. Not every class was necessary, but most helped.

I'm doing a major in physics atm, and I can't imagine working in that domain without studying it first at school.

[guartz]

Diplomas are almost irrelevant in financial jobs. (Sales, Bank managers, Brokers, Marketing) etc, but a fucking Doctor? You gotta know your shit, it's not like it's based of charisma and luck, you know?

[Andarvi]

I will have BS in Bio and a BA in english in a couple months. I have no itention of using them for anything and on the bachelors level there is little i could do with them anyways.

These days the only bachelors degrees that you can go out, get a good job and make good money on right out of college are finance, accounting, and engineering degrees (add to this list of there are others i am not aware of).

[Charla]

Diplomas are almost irrelevant in financial jobs. (Sales, Bank managers, Brokers, Marketing) etc, but a fucking Doctor? You gotta know your shit, it's not like it's based of charisma and luck, you know?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the whole thread until now only applies to undergraduate-level degrees, even if it wasn't stated explicitely.

[Neosutra]

I will have BS in Bio and a BA in english in a couple months. I have no itention of using them for anything and on the bachelors level there is little i could do with them anyways.

These days the only bachelors degrees that you can go out, get a good job and make good money on right out of college are finance, accounting, and engineering degrees (add to this list of there are others i am not aware of).

B.A in english job options:

1. Be a teacher (20-30k a year.).
2. Go to grad school (TA 10-15k a year if lucky).
3. Write a best seller (10 mil a year).
4. Walmart (23k a year).

Not much there, but I think your underating that biology degree.
1. Go to med school, make 300k a year.
2. Bioengineering firms (50-80k a year).
3. Biotechnician (45-50k a year).
4. Go to grad school (10-15l a year TAing).

Biology and alot of the other natural sciences are gaining alot of momentum in the job market lately with the push for more R&D from companies, so you can kinda sport yourself out as a type of engineer (bioengineering).

There was a time when even with a physics degree you would have a hard time doing anything but going to grad school, but since alot of companies have seen the benifit of mixing their physicist with their engineers, it has become a very lucrative field.

I started with a major in Electrical Eng. and added a major in physics and math because I enjoyed the subjects, but always knew I was doing EE for the money. Turns out I got hired as a physicist lol. My wife did physics only and got hired to work as an electrical engineer. orz.

[Elesirdur]

I have a BA in History with a minor in Political Science. I really enjoyed my program of studies and for the core group of skills I developed - to read, analyze, synthesize, communicate information, and think critically - are absolutely crucial to any knowledge-based profession. However, because you are not taught specific skills I feel as though I am much less valued in the workplace as an applicant over someone who has good skills but poorer competency qualifications that I have developed.

I do feel pretty frustrated about my education right now as I'm back looking for jobs after my first "real" job out of university disappeared under me after all my previous employers support services (I was doing communications, research and policy analysis for this wind energy company) got shipped off to an investor company after they "consolidated" our operations. Starting next week I'm taking two courses at my alma matter's Continuing Studies department - Business Administration and Business Writing and Presentation Skills - which I'm hoping will give me a leg up on my resume and during interviews. Right now I'm looking for knowledge-based work in the provincial government here in B.C. as a research officer, jr. policy analyst, or communications officer but the public service is just devastatingly difficult to break into for young people. The thing that pisses me off most is that I really want to start working for government but every obstacle seems to be placed in front of me and I just know that I'm losing job competitions to people in their mid-30s just because the recruiting managers know that they can be plunked down in their cubes and not ask questions or need training from day 1, regardless of their skills or competencies.

/rant

[Grievear]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...m/fcc15e5e.jpg

They have Masters Degrees in Jantorial (sic) studies? rofl

[Charla]

I really want to start working for government...

Wow, cultural differences much? I've never met or heard of anyone that actually wanted to work for the government. Down here that would be like someone wanting to be a gofer.

[dritero]

I have a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. As a consultant engineer I use alot of what I learned from school. This being said, alot of the people I graduated with have engineering jobs where they use absolutely nothing from school and yes most people could probably do it. However; these same people could be thrown into a technical role at a moment's notice.

When you're sizing and designing things like pumps, motors, piping systems, boilers, machinery..... things that can kill people if done wrong, then yes, you absolutely need the piece of paper to back up what you're doing. There's too much on the line to trust someone off the street.

I guess I didn't need to type this since the OP already mentioned engineering, but I did want to point out that there are engineering positions out there that I don't think require the degree.

[Kaylia]

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Flowen/random/fcc15e5e.jpg

They have Masters Degrees in Jantorial (sic) studies? rofl

Toaster string theories, familiarities with anti-matter... I hope it's a joke Obviously a big joke..I hope.

I have a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. As a consultant engineer I use alot of what I learned from school. This being said, alot of the people I graduated with have engineering jobs where they use absolutely nothing from school and yes most people could probably do it. However; these same people could be thrown into a technical role at a moment's notice.

Without those classes, they probably wouldnt have been able to adapt to their new jobs even if they arent using what they learned. Put someone who never did any sciences in their place and he wont be able to do anything.

[Andarvi]

I will have BS in Bio and a BA in english in a couple months. I have no itention of using them for anything and on the bachelors level there is little i could do with them anyways.

These days the only bachelors degrees that you can go out, get a good job and make good money on right out of college are finance, accounting, and engineering degrees (add to this list of there are others i am not aware of).

B.A in english job options:

1. Be a teacher (20-30k a year.).
2. Go to grad school (TA 10-15k a year if lucky).
3. Write a best seller (10 mil a year).
4. Walmart (23k a year).

Not much there, but I think your underating that biology degree.
1. Go to med school, make 300k a year.
2. Bioengineering firms (50-80k a year).
3. Biotechnician (45-50k a year).
4. Go to grad school (10-15l a year TAing).

Biology and alot of the other natural sciences are gaining alot of momentum in the job market lately with the push for more R&D from companies, so you can kinda sport yourself out as a type of engineer (bioengineering).

There was a time when even with a physics degree you would have a hard time doing anything but going to grad school, but since alot of companies have seen the benifit of mixing their physicist with their engineers, it has become a very lucrative field.

I started with a major in Electrical Eng. and added a major in physics and math because I enjoyed the subjects, but always knew I was doing EE for the money. Turns out I got hired as a physicist lol. My wife did physics only and got hired to work as an electrical engineer. orz.

Yeah im applying to dental school.

[Kaisha]

and have no work experience either might not have any experience of a deadline

This is what's beginning to rape me in Pre-Animation if I don't pick-up the homework pace since the whole job itself is based upon deadlines; the course is helping me get used to that early. Helps build work ethics.

Concerning Artists, signed artists should get funding from their studios to go through college as mandatory. They are doing the same thing for sports and they should consider the same for the music industry. The same idea can be applied to other occupations as well.

An artist good enough to be in a studio should already know all they know to perform in it, hence no need to go to college.

[EDIT] Something tells me I'm not understanding something here... [/EDIT]

Anyways, as for the OP, in my desired line of work (traditional animation), it's all about the portfolio quality, and less your educational line of work, albeit it does help regardless to say you've been trained at so&so college/uni, especially when it's one of good rep.

Unsure on the whole resume thing atm.

[BIGSTIC]

I really want to start working for government...

Wow, cultural differences much? I've never met or heard of anyone that actually wanted to work for the government. Down here that would be like someone wanting to be a gofer.

I know alot of people trying to get local/state/federal governtment jobs around me. Wife has been looking for one for a couple months and they go FAST around here. One reason and one reason ONLY = Benefits. I have yet to see a private company offer close to what government jobs do for insurance/retirement and you typicaly have pretty good job security. If my wife could get a full time clerical job for the government it would save us over $400/month just for her and my son to get on my companys insurance policy and if you ask around their insurance covers pretty much everything.

As for me i got a BS in Construction Engineering Technology. Started out working for a large construction firm with no experiance other than a degree and after a year of being told by my boss to tell a guy that has been digging trenches for 40 years how to do his job i said fuck it and went and hit the trenches myself. Started from the bottom and worked my my into a very lucrative operator position getting more $ than i did in "boss" job. Next thing you know i meet a couple electricians who mainly delt in automation for large industrial plants and boom i sign up for the "ORIGINAL 4 YEAR DEGREE" Journeyman Electrical Apprenticeship Program. Right now i am on my 3rd year making around 80% journeymans wage and haveing the time of my life. I got a company truck, phone, computer, uniform, and all expenses paid when i go out of town. Only down side is the bene's. Its hard for small companys (there are 3 of us) to offer good bene's but the bonus i got this year allowed me to pay cash for a 2 year old mini van for the wife and have enough left over for a ps3. I guess what i am saying is i wish i had that $20k i spent for my degree back and had thought about Licensed Trades when i was heading to college.

[arlania]

I think degrees are a waste of time for a lot of professions. You need to know certain things before entering a job, you cant learn it all with on the job training. So with digital art, my field, I need to know how to use a lot of software and be artistic but everything I know about Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Maya, 3dsMax, video editing software...ive learned most on my own. I have not learned a single thing since my A.A.S degree. All ive learned is how to bullshit better in papers.

[Elesirdur]

I really want to start working for government...

Wow, cultural differences much? I've never met or heard of anyone that actually wanted to work for the government. Down here that would be like someone wanting to be a gofer.

I know alot of people trying to get local/state/federal governtment jobs around me. Wife has been looking for one for a couple months and they go FAST around here. One reason and one reason ONLY = Benefits. I have yet to see a private company offer close to what government jobs do for insurance/retirement and you typicaly have pretty good job security. If my wife could get a full time clerical job for the government it would save us over $400/month just for her and my son to get on my companys insurance policy and if you ask around their insurance covers pretty much everything.

Well, that is one reason I want to start working for the provincial government here in Victoria but moreover I genuinely have a desire to give something back to the province where I grew up. As someone who is looking at knowledge-based and professional positions in the future there is some ability to affect change, as small as it may be, and that's something I want to do. I don't think I could just work for a private company where the only concern is increasing the bottom line and ensuring that the shareholders keep making more money (Milton Friedman can suck my cock). I want to work for an organization that is dedicated to preserving the public good and that will serve the public. Now, I know that everyone generally hates the government in some way or another and that's because the prerogative of social plans is to cut that middle ground, please as many people as you can while pissing off the least. Governments can be bold and daring in their policies and programs but it's not easy for the elected officials to get on board, as much as the bureaucrats want to do something better.

Anyways, enough of my rambling but there are people out there who see a career as a public servant as not just some lame fall-back for people who couldn't hack it in the private sector (though lamentably there are plenty of public servants who match that case -_-`).

PS: While I'm very much not in the mood to do a Master's degree right now, I need some time to work and be away from education, I would very much like to do a post-graduate degree - perhaps even a Master's in Public Administration.