• Question: After completing your degree's do you believe your job is rewarding for all the additional years you have studied in university ? Can you develop a proposal which could be a better use of the of time, which is more cost friendly and efficient then attending university ?

    Asked by Ghost to Matthew, Neil, Paula, Pete, Philippa on 12 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Pete Symons

      Pete Symons answered on 12 Mar 2015:

      Hi Ghost,

      I believe it has been worth it, most big engineering companies will look for good degrees before they consider you for their graduate schemes.

      An alternative to a degree, and it can be just as relevant in terms of giving you the knowledge and experience is an Apprenticeship. If you stay within a company for a long time and work your way up through the company, with an apprenticeship you can be very valuable as you know the working routes of the company.

    • Photo: Neil Taylor

      Neil Taylor answered on 12 Mar 2015:

      Hi Ghost!

      Great question! Yes, I do believe that the years were worth it. I think that there are certain jobs where it’s better to go down the apprenticeship/on-the-job training route… but for professional engineering roles I think University is the best way to go.

      This is because there are some quite complex maths and science that engineers need to have a working knowledge of – and I believe that they are most efficiently delivered by experts at the cutting edge in their fields who also have the time to teach and access to lab equipment for experiments (such as lecturers at universities).

      That’s not to say they couldn’t be alternatives, but I can’t think of a more efficient alternative to a university education. When I try to think of a alternative, I keep finding myself wanting to add more aspects – and it eventually looks like University again!

      Please share if you have any ideas – I’d be interested if you had an alternative solution!

      Hope this helps!

    • Photo: Philippa Jefferis

      Philippa Jefferis answered on 16 Mar 2015:

      Definitely! For one I had a great time at university so I was glad to have 4 years there. I met some great people and learnt lots more than just my degree. It really opened my eyes to a bigger world.

      The alternative to university is an apprenticeship where you work as well as studying part time. It gives you a way of learning by doing. Where as the degree is much more theoretical and you need to get work experience during holidays to see how that theory is put into practice.

Comments