Useless Degrees?

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Noticing how many people are in school or taking exams and such, I wondered how many of you are like me: you have a nice degree and no job related to it.

I have an accounting tech degree and I couldn't find a place with an accounting firm to save my life. It's that cycle of no job without XP, but no XP without a job. I wound up being a cook. At least I can put my semi-math skills to some use. Ten years later, I'm so out of the loop, getting a job in said field is ludacris.

 

IMO, there are three useless degrees: Communications, English, and Art.

The three things the world does not need, are more journalists, english teachers, and snobby art grads.

 

There is another to add to that list Kitrax, Political Science.

Those who study it rarely become politicians, and politicians never give it a thought.

I would also have said Law but lawyers do have some use

 

i'm taking economics right now but I don't think I'll be practicing it when I work. basically I took it because it's a very versatile course and the University I'm taking it kinda specializes at it and since it's one of the most difficult courses, it may impress the potential employers

 

You wouldn't want to know what I've been thinking about getting .

Seriously, though. An Art degree is not totally useless; for example, I've thought about going in the animation direction (broad spectre atm, basically everything from web designing to making cartoons would be cool with me), wherein an art degree diploma is not *needed*, but will look very good on your papers if you want to join a good school.

 

Well...there's DMC, and his wrath, to consider too.

[Nah, my "wrath" is pretty mild, but you forgot Beren and his wrath ] -dmc

I agree that a degree in polital science is useless. Pollitics in general are a total waste of time, money, and brain matter (or lack there of). To study the "science" of pollitics proves you have no life.

I've a question: Does an art degree come with an honorary PETA membership, or do they forward your updated resume to McDonalds and Burger King for you?

[ December 05, 2005, 16:14: Message edited by: dmc ]

 

How about "FootballStudies" offered by Luton or Southampton Solvent? Or "Pupetry" from the Central School of Speech and Drama. Or "Creative Expressive Therapies" from Derby.

Take your pick of subjects here:
http://www.ucas.com/search/index06.html

I'm one of the few people off my course (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) that actually stayed in engineering, and as it happens I use absolutely nothing of my degree in my job. Most of the others went the Management Consultantcy route and/or are Merchant Bankers.

 

I have a degree in Nuclear Engineering, and I haven't worked in the nuclear power industry since 1992

 

Engineering Degree: How do I make that?
Science Degree: How does that work?
Liberal Arts Degree: Do you want fries with that?

 

The world does need more English teachers. By this I mean proper teachers, not folks who will let you get away with street speech and customised grammar. We need real Nazi English teachers.

And wonder what I'm going to do with my law degree that didn't involve banking law or financial law in the making, considering the fact I'm not related to the law families that be.

 

Art isn't useless if it teaches you to draw likea pro. People with skills like that can find a job from anywhere or earn from small jobs sites like SP offer. Would do that myself, if I just weren't too lazy to learn right human/animal proportions and the routine.

It sounds stupid, doesn't it? But it's just one of those trick-questions to weed out the unsure. Think of it: when you get MA's papers, what do you have? Paper, yes, but also 8 years of academic career, during which you might have been building a website (woo, another 8 years), participated in some project (+8 years), and acted in a volunteer-group (+8 years). Thus you could claim that you have about 32 years of work-experience in total without lying one bit.

It's a matter of how you let them perceive you and how well you can manipulate them.

[ December 06, 2005, 17:43: Message edited by: Wirhe ]

 

Well, given that in undergrad I majored in Chartered Accountancy studies and my Masters degree is a Masters of Accounting degree I guess that I am at the completely opposite end of the spectrum where my degree is exactly focused specifically on what I do for a living.

In terms of useless degrees, no one has mentioned philosophy yet. We had a philosophy of business ethics class that was solely for the chartered accountancy studies program. The prof. came right out and congratulated us on not making the same mistake that he had.

He claimed that adding a philosophy degree to his resume pretty much wiped out any chance of obtaining gainful employment except as a philosophy prof. He was also quick to point out that philosophy profs were the lowest paid at the university and that he was driving a 15 year old junker because he couldn't afford a real car.

 

Actually, my world could certainly do with some more good English teachers (like Falstaff) because all the kids I see starting work these days can't spell or write to save themselves.

I am in the same boat as JSBB. I have an accounting degree and that is what I do as a job. But I can't seem to find any good accountants to hire at the moment even though I have vacancy, so the world could certainly do with more good accountants.

 

@t2bruno HAH good one!


curently i'm studient world economics, a bit of accounting, marketing, business(spl?!?!?!?) law, english, danish, and mathematics

 

@Wirhe: Yeah, in some jobs you can even pull off using things back from your secondary school time as experience. I made two pages of a CV without having worked in any official job for a single day before. Not like it mattered back then, though, I think... They probably just needed anyone to fill the empty slot.

 

@Wirhe - Tried it. They asked for my pay stubs, which I couldn't provide since the 'accounting job' I had during school did not pay me.

I look on the bright side: there will always be a need for a good cook.

 

Well, starting next year I'm going to be working for two useless degrees, atleast by the standards set above. Political Science and Economics. I would also love to do one in Philosophy and History, but they take too much time. So why do a useless degree? Well, because it's not useless. The main thing degrees like Political Science and Philosophy and History do (other than been very interesting and teaching you a lot) is they show an employer you can reason, research and communicate well. All required in many jobs.
So what do I plan on doing with two 'useless' degrees? Diplomacy, working for the Department of Foriegn Affairs.

 

The degree that is currently on hold for me is in Business. It is a general degree that can be used in almost all setting. So it is one of a few degrees that is not completely useless, however any fool could get the degree if they put the time into the schooling. My goal after that is to get a Masters in Management and than maybe go to Law school.

 

Hmm, since when should political scientists become politicians?

But you are partly right. At my faculty the saying goes: "Political scientists are ready for everything, but good for nothing."

 

Yeah well I would not go and call political science useless since there are plenty of more usless stuff around. Folkloristics is my favorite useless subject.

Most subjects have their uses or quite frankly you would not be allowed to study them. People who call some degrees or subjects useless are usually just completely ignorant in the matter, and I'll be the first one to admit that I don't have all that much of a clue what exactly is involved in folkloristics.