Did you need a degree to do your job?

[Akasya]

The met police always ran the Trenchard scheme for appropriately schooled and experienced Degree holders , today they run direct access Detective schemes for degree holders : Successful applicants from the direct entry detective scheme

The ologys imho in some cases do not seem appropriate , as said by some witty person doe you want a copper with a degree in expressive dance or an ex squaddie from an infantry or cavalry ( mech ) background , when ploughing in friday night at chuckout time ?

No , no degree , excommunicated from me county sec mod at 15 , then my education started .
Steve

 

[uller]

Yes. A degree in Finance from a US university.

 

[IbrahimAbi]

Yes, a degree in diplomacy to be a Mod, don't know how Saoirse got in though.

 

[Mushroom]

My eldest daughter excelled at Law at 'A' level, then promptly did a degree in Business Studies !! She is now going to convert to law but her explanation was that even a Law firm has to run as a business. Currently serving her notice with a global law firm to work at a large regional one instead and nearer to her home, just in case, the office environment is ever resumed, although they say she can stay home based for the main part.
The youngest is the Bohemian one, who took her gap year before Uni and went to work in Rome for several months as an Au pair, managed to introduce herself to a party of American VIP's as they entered St Peter's square to see the Pope for his Easter address and walked through security with them. She promptly took a front row seat and watched proceedings only yards away from the Pontiff.
Her First class English Literature degree from Newcastle, a city I adore - great place and people, took her into journalism but she yearns to get out of the UK again. Her work ethics as a Student meant she had two part time jobs, one at the Uni where she got cut price tickets to watch a team called Newcastle United - never heard of them personally, FCO doing their articles for UK nationals going abroad
Today she has a job interview with ITV (Leeds) but is more interested in the job she has applied for with ABC, which meant nothing to me until she told me ABC is the Australian Broadcasting Company. Leeds or Australia - tough call?

 

[Struggs]

I left school at 15, no qualifications, got a job straight away as trainee company secretary, changed employers' a few times, in those days you could walk out of one job and straight into another. For 25 yrs, I worked in a sports centre, run by the local council, the managers' and duty managers' all had experience of working in these centres'. Then the council had the bright idea that they would only employ people with qualifications, no experience at all, made all the lives of us employees' damn hard, as they didn't have a clue. I have always said experience is a lot more beneficial than qualifications in some jobs. I also worked at the same time in another company as a stock controller, administrator, through the years had to train new employees' on many occasions, the young ones were the worse, work shy, one girl in particular did not know how many inches were in a foot, despite me showing her on a ruler, measurements were vital in this job, metric and imperial.

 

[enoch]

I left school at 15, no qualifications, got a job straight away as trainee company secretary, changed employers' a few times, in those days you could walk out of one job and straight into another. For 25 yrs, I worked in a sports centre, run by the local council, the managers' and duty managers' all had experience of working in these centres'. Then the council had the bright idea that they would only employ people with qualifications, no experience at all, made all the lives of us employees' damn hard, as they didn't have a clue. I have always said experience is a lot more beneficial than qualifications in some jobs. I also worked at the same time in another company as a stock controller, administrator, through the years had to train new employees' on many occasions, the young ones were the worse, work shy, one girl in particular did not know how many inches were in a foot, despite me showing her on a ruler, measurements were vital in this job, metric and imperial.

Got to agree the young one's are work shy but not all. The first thing my mate says they ask is how much are the wages.

 

[juco]

My eldest daughter excelled at Law at 'A' level, then promptly did a degree in Business Studies !! She is now going to convert to law but her explanation was that even a Law firm has to run as a business.

That was a good decision, my brother in law owns a solicitor business in Peterborough, way back about 45 years ago we lent him some money to get it started, all went well over the years and he took on partners but damned if I know why as he took on partners they got a % share of the business to the point he owns less than the other partners so you can imagine who controls the business!, he also has the smallest office. After the 2008 crash he just managed to survive, and unbelievably in all those years he never had a pension fund, he does own the property which is something but what a mess he has made of it, he is 73 and still does some work and only has a state pension. and still a small mortgage. From what I gather the early years were quite lucrative but he made a mess of it as the years progressed.

 

[Jaycey]

... I have always said experience is a lot more beneficial than qualifications in some jobs.

I'm always amused when I see ads for a young person with 25 years experience

It's a Catch 22!

 

[Chasey]

You surely answered your own question in the first line of your question?

If most companies require a degree, then yes a degree is critical

Asking a bunch of coffin dodgers what they did 30 years ago when phones had cables and talking into a flip device was magical bulls#it on Star Trek, is hardly useful in 2021

 

[yalimart]

You surely answered your own question in the first line of your question?

If most companies require a degree, then yes a degree is critical

Asking a bunch of coffin dodgers what they did 30 years ago when phones had cables and talking into a flip device was magical bulls#it on Star Trek, is hardly useful in 2021

The question was "did" not do, keep up !

 

[Chasey]

The question was "did" not do, keep up !

OK fair point

No not 41 years ago

I went to a grammar school and in those days out of a class of 30 one or two went on to Uni

I quit school at 16 went to collage and got a HND and finished an aprentaship as a tool maker at Phillips

Then had an epiphany

I quit a 150 per week job which stretched my skill and intelligence and in the 80s I went to work in a mundane job putting up plasterboard and gyprock frame work for 600 a week. Last tool I built was a six stage progression tool to make the left hand side window winder mechanism on the vaxhaul cavalier

Baught a flat in london aged 21 started my own business aged 29 qualified as a building surveyor in 1994 went into property in 2008, rest is all geared to retirement

 

[35pluschips]

I'm a great believer in apprenticeships, not the ones where the employer takes advantage and just uses the youngster for tea making without taking the time to really teach. We are desperate for all sorts of skilled workmen/women and they can earn very good money indeed, if they are good. Some of the so called degrees are a touch spurious e.g. hairdressing, beauty therapists both of which can be learnt successfully in saloons.

Best way to attract the young into any trade..........go into the classrooms of 15/16 year old's & show them wage slips, "this is what you can earn".

 

[anniemiddx]

I left school with 7 O Levels, and got along just fine, until in my thirties. I was working for a private company and finally got promoted into a position that was "degree required". They were very reasonable and gave me the promotion on the understanding that I got an OU qualification, a diploma in management studies, which was the first two years of an MBA.
There followed two very uncomfortable years, with a full time job and two teenage children, and housework, because the floors still had to be cleaned, and shopping bought, and meals cooked.
I succeeded, but it did put a lot of additional pressure on me.
Did it help me do my job better? Honestly I do not think so, but it gave me a bit more credibility with the graduates I was working with. So maybe.
It was enjoyable to learn new ways of thinking and I do not regret it, and the company paid all the fees, but it was not something I would have done out of choice.
I hope this helps.

 

[anniemiddx]

You surely answered your own question in the first line of your question?

If most companies require a degree, then yes a degree is critical

Asking a bunch of coffin dodgers what they did 30 years ago when phones had cables and talking into a flip device was magical bulls#it on Star Trek, is hardly useful in 2021

I find myself irrationally upset by your comment. At 63 I am sure I am one of the coffin dodgers you seem to despise.
Within two generations uni has become a rite of passage rather than for the elite, which is what it was in my youth.
Most of us were only too keen to do well at school, then go and get a job and work hard to get ahead.
My grandson has just finished his second year at uni, and has already racked up half the debt I incurred on my first mortgage. Another child of the same age I know took an apprenticeship in electrics, has no debt, and is starting to earn good money.
And what we did 30 years ago was work hard and try to make things better. I was amazed at mobile phones and the internet, and I hope I get to see some more life-changing things before I land in the coffin.
Most of us started work at 15 or 16, when I look back we were children, but we worked hard.
One day you too will be a coffin dodger, and 30 years will not seem like ancient history. I hope you enjoy your life, and learn as much along the way, as I did.

 

[Saoirse]

Excellent reply Annie
It also made me feel a bit better as I too never made it to uni and I would qualify as a coffin dodger

 

[Jaycey]

Excellent reply Annie
It also made me feel a bit better as I too never made it to uni and I would qualify as a coffin dodger

There was me thinking that a degree was a necessary qualification to reach the dizzy heights of TLF Modship !

 

[Chasey]

I find myself irrationally upset by your comment. At 63 I am sure I am one of the coffin dodgers you seem to despise.
Within two generations uni has become a rite of passage rather than for the elite, which is what it was in my youth.
Most of us were only too keen to do well at school, then go and get a job and work hard to get ahead.
My grandson has just finished his second year at uni, and has already racked up half the debt I incurred on my first mortgage. Another child of the same age I know took an apprenticeship in electrics, has no debt, and is starting to earn good money.
And what we did 30 years ago was work hard and try to make things better. I was amazed at mobile phones and the internet, and I hope I get to see some more life-changing things before I land in the coffin.
Most of us started work at 15 or 16, when I look back we were children, but we worked hard.
One day you too will be a coffin dodger, and 30 years will not seem like ancient history. I hope you enjoy your life, and learn as much along the way, as I did.

Tell me at what age exactly did your sense of humour leave you

 

[Jaycey]

As a coffin dodger myself I'll not get upset until I I forget to dodge.

 

[yalimart]

 

[35pluschips]

I think the youth of today are far more up to speed on the value of a degree for their future wellbeing.
My Grandson at 15 has already worked out which degree he's going for & where he will obtain it. He had a choice of football academies, he chose the one that suited & would help with his further education onto a degree (sport related).
He's a cracking footballer BUT he knows how hard it is to become one of the chosen few.
He has his head well screwed on, I did at his age but mine tended to get cross threaded.