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Across the country, thousands of students have already filled in theirs, applying for their preferred college courses.
With that in mind, we want to know if your third-level course impacted your career. Did you do a science degree and end up in business? Or are you putting your marketing degree to use?
We’re asking: Do you use your third-level qualification directly in your job?
Poll Results:
Yes (7814)
No (6102)
Didn't do a third-level course (1738)
Don't know (430)
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Used my experience in the industry to get my position. Am returning to part time education to help me further my career…. 18 is far too young for people to decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives…..
My degree 22 years ago would be different to the same degree today but I agree the skills and disciplines still apply-I have no regrets -education is the key.
I find that does not match up with my experience of new graduates. They come in so clueless about how to work with others or follow direction. The disciplines they learned in college seem to be the exact opposite of what is needed. Normally takes about 2 years for them to understand how to work. Very common for them to dismiss direction or policy as they think they know better.
@Kate Kelly:
If your degree includes doing individual and group projects it will be useful, many employers take a degree as a persons ability to achieve a goal and not necessary the specific subject matter. I know a person who did a masters on Emmanuel Kant and got a job with Goldman Sacs, so for many jobs third level is used as a filter for potential achievement rather than actual subject content.
Ktsiwot> That only works for some jobs. Won’t work in a technical field. In saying that most IT graduates have to learn a new program language when they start. No unusual for them to have no ability to learn a new language making it curious how they passed projects or exams. I studied to be a civil engineer and had much more computer knowledge than IT graduates when I started out in the field. Mostly learned the stuff when I was in school. Still amazes me the lack secondary school knowledge many people I work with have. Simple statistics is beyond many college graduates.
@Kal Ipers:
Yes you are correct for specific technical jobs. A proper lack of Maths also leads to a large fail rate in many technical courses in college. When you get to non specific technical jobs, it does not seem to matter what course you did the grade of the course and the individual mark apply more. Many sectors that are not technical based like to have a different spread of course qualifications rather than the course nearest the job spec.
Employability skills is what’s lacking in 3rd level, while all the facets of it are easily put in place within the specific area, it’s possibly what’s lacking in direction from 3rd level administration and engagement with industry and vice versa.
@Zx5vZulB: I know it sounds negative but unfortunately it’s true- I have a lot of experience in the area and it took a long time to come to this conclusion.
Ktsiwot> No idea what a non specific technical job is that doesn’t require technical knowledge. For a technical job you need technical knowledge. As for just random degrees getting people into jobs it is at the lowest level. Sure you can get a job in Citigroup or Sachs but you will start out as an operator not far off working in a call centre. I move around a lot of companies and see this all the time. Many places hire people with degrees when the leaving cert would suffice. The degree is unnecessary but unfortunately made a requirement by the company. Adds no value to work to know ancient Welsh
I have often advised bright young people unsure of what to do to do a B.Sc. or a B.A. in pure maths. No matter what job you go for later, the interviewer will be impressed. Having spent a few years in college and thus experiencing a wider educational horizon, the person is better equipped to choose another primary degree or a postgraduate course. A degree in maths shows for once and for all that you are not stupid, you are analytical and conceptual, and you have attributes and skills that are useful to any organisation.
&John Considine-a degree in maths shows that you’re not stupid kind of implies that a degree in anything else shows that you are stupid John .i don’t agree with your view.of course you need a certain amount of maths but many of these career mathematians have no people skills whatsoever
@John Considine: that’s a good suggestion as it does prove the skills that you listed. for some reason pure maths is not a popular choice in Ireland. I have a feeling that some of this is down to the generally poor standards of maths teaching at second level.
i did electronic engineering & radio production… spent 7 years doing admin & sales in office now i build stone walls and cabins… to be honest when you leave secondary school its hard to know what you want to spend your life doing. on only the last few years i figured it out
A bit of a loaded question, it depends on the course and the institution. There is no doubt that certain unis and courses help you ‘get ahead’ better than others. Doing a masters in Smurfit changed the whole focus of my career and opened doors to me that would not have been possible with a similar degree from DIT, DCU etc…
@Oisin Murray: I also did a Masters in Smurfit but found it to be for me a gross waste of money. When applying for jobs overseas it’s not as well known an institution as it portrays in its marketing material. In relation to the general question I’d say it’s for most people in non-technical work it’s not the specific content that they use everyday but skills they picked up along the way.
Something else I’ve noticed over the last 10 years. A lot of people with degrees are heading to local colleges afterwards to do PLC courses. Why? Because a lot of those courses are niche and have a module of 2 week or a month work experience with an employer before Xmas in the first year of the course. Lots of media people I know have successfully used this approach. PLC courses can be great to get your foot in the door, and get asked to stay on in the job.
100% of course you do. Regardless of your degree, you learn other skills such as hitting deadlines, communication and commitment. Although to many, it may seem like your degree has given you very little, you have in fact gained a lot of disciplinary skills whivh can be used in ANY working environment.
Didn’t get to go to College. Have been in the same job since 1982. Fairly sick of it now. I’m afraid to leave and I cannot imagine spending another 10+ years in the same place.
Everyone with a 3rd level degree uses it all the time, they just don’t realize it. The skills learned at 3rd level in terms of analysis, strategic thinking, communications, team work , report writing, presenting projects, working independently, meeting deadlines, etc are all skills that graduates use without even thinking of ascribing them to having learnt them at uni.
The most useful modules in my Masters were “Power structures in the Workplace” (that’s the one on bending over and taking it like a man and telling the boss you love it), and “work/life balance” (which told you everything not to do). They got me through the recession with flying colours.
The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland rendered many 5 year degrees useless when they took over registration and blocked entry to young architects.
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