My experience is that having advertised a job as "graduate level", my current employer actually took on two ex-forces Warrant Officers simply because they can think for themselves, make decisions, and use their initiative; and can be trusted to work entirely alone, in an office 8000 miles from the head office. In a job, I might add, that includes managing a fairly substantial budget...
I agree. "They can think for themselves, make decisions, and use their initiative; and can be trusted to work entirely alone" .............once you point them in the direction you want them to go. It's not a criticism, just what I have found on a number of occasions, in the past, as an employer.
Good point. A significant percentage of the folk who go to universities turn out not to be capable of learning to think, learning how to study, listen, concentrate, analyse problems and formulate solutions, write convincingly, and argue. Those must be the ones you say you have seen. That doesn't alter the general points about what universities are for. May I make two more points. It is (just) possible for a really clever chap to do it alone, to study and learn, to become educated by his own unaided efforts. But that is enormously difficult and demanding, and time consuming. You can progress so much more rapidly, and avoid many errors, under the guidance and tutelage of experts. That is why going to university is preferable to studying alone for most people. Sandhurst often claims to be equivalent to a university, but I have been told by alumni of actual universities who have also been to Sandhurst that it really isn't. From what I have seen of them, you don't need to be all that bright to make Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, and I have known quite a lot.
I think where people fail the most is being able to think laterally. They know what they know but struggle to take those lessons and apply the principles in another field.
true story. a mate of mine drove up from glasgow to have his vehicle checked due to it making a strange buffeting noise in side the cabin, a journey of about 100mls or so. on checking the rear quarter window was completely missing. the noise had been there about a week. the lad in question (bob watson ya daft fecker) has more qualifications including a degree or two than you can poke a stick at. i.e you can smart but still not very bright. saying that, i didnt charge him so who's the daft one.
Degrees - some are useful some are not. People with degrees - some are useful some are not. Being useful and doing a useless degree does not make you useful. My peers have degrees in the main, mech eng, elec eng, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, physics, maths etc. Most of them bright and intelligent people. They earn well, but are at the top of the tree for what they do. Would I advocate someone doing a degree to get a 30k job? NO. 30k is not a target for doing a degree if you are money orientated, shift operators at major manufacturing bluechips wouldn't get out of bed for that. Figure out what you want to do, then target that role.
While arguing a pedantic point during my MBA I do remember the best put down and shut up ever.......Well Paul its all a question of degree.....I've got mine and your here to get yours.!
I have to agree. If its money you are after then most self employed plumbers earn £50-80k per year and as for black cab drivers .....
For one of those you must have a degree, in anything, which I don't have. For the other you mustn't have certain types of criminal record, which I do have.
My tuppence worth...forces for 25 years, left 9 years ago, no degree, just GCSE's from 1978 but chose a job in property management as that was something different to what I knew and fancied a change Took a 17k per year pay drop but it was a job at the end of the day. Finished in the Army on a Friday n started the civvie job the next Monday as I sat the interview while still in the Army. Not being out of work since (touchwood) n now earn what I think is good money n have a relatively good lifestyle. Hardest thing for me when I left was understanding civvie speak n not telling squaddie jokes as some civvies thought they were too sick but hey ho. At the end of the day just go for what you want to do n if its not for you, hopefully u can change it til u find what u want to do n enjoy it. By the way, I have interviewed ex services n given jobs to some n not others..u can always spot a bullshi""er when u ask the relevant questions. Good luck
It all goes to prove that there is a big difference between "educated" and "intelligent"... As the old saying goes, "just because you can work out the square-root of the volume of the pickle jar, it doesn't mean you can get the lid off !"
When did University become bloody "Uni" when I was leaving 6th Form you went to College or University. Where did "Uni" come from? I blame the bastardisation of the English language on the torrent of Australian soap operas we had to endure in the 1980's
Wonder if he had to pass an entrance exam...BBC News - William to take Cambridge University agriculture course
