Help Sean choose a tertiary study course.

if i remember, i’ll type something up later. busy morning…

Don’t worry, Chaz, you don’t ride fixed any more.

Do whatever makes you happy.

Sounds like you’ll fit right in at uni no matter what the course.

There’s some good advise in this thread. For me a double degree gave me a few more options, and was a great help to getting that first job after graduating. But once I had that first job, the degrees became almost irrelevant. They were just a piece of paper that said I was qualified to work in a certain field. Where you go once you start working is entirely up to you.

what a number of people above have said…

when i started (chem eng, but now ive got 11 years of experience in a seemingly unrelated field that has taken me all over the country and world) the 1st year math lecturer stood up and said ‘look to your left, look to your right… only one of you will be here next year. the others will have changed courses, universities, left’.

i think that statistic is still pretty relevant. pick things you like and are interested in, ask LOTS of questions at open days about what the course includes and what you can do with it (and what other options are available in that department). job prospects are only as good as your marks, your network and your attitude, and can change quickly with time.

being interested in what you are studying will help you through the often long hours cramming/studying and help reduce your ‘class skipping’ (which is a lot easier in tertiary education - and has hampered many a dissatisfied student).

a lot of 1st year courses are very general (a bit like a sampler) so as to allow for easier transfer as people realise that what they thought they liked wasnt really for them, but animal husbandry is where they want to spend their wage days.

so far you’ve really only mentioned ‘big name’ courses… theres a lot of other degree paths that might be more what you want to do.

and dont be afraid of taking time out from the education system to make a decision, ultimately it can save you some money and time.

i feel my story to follow is almost what nikcee has said.

i finished school in '02. put in prefs for science, maths & accounting at RMIT, Melb Uni and Swinburne. got offered Sci at Swin, they said either accept or reject, couldn’t defer as i hadn’t actually started the course. so declined course due to a 3 month holiday that was already paid for (flights) to europe late June - mid Sept '03. found full time work between graduation and holiday.

came back from holiday, reapplied for courses again. got offered Sci at Melb Uni this time on pre-offer (hanging from last year), then come proper 1st rd got Accting at RMIT. so cancelled Sci and took on Accting. 1st yr subjects were massive classes (200ish for lectures and tutes of 25) as they were very general. had different groups of ppl for each tute, so couldn’t get a rapport with anyone (students/teachers alike) did well in all but the Law subject. come 2nd yr, classes came down to nicer sizes (50 or so) and tutes were still 25, but seeing the same ppl more than once a week to bounce off was better. again, Law rooted me over, I can’t do words very well at all :frowning: ended up dropping out all together at the end of '06 cos i failed it 3 times.

figured i’d just work for a bit to see what else the world had to offer. found full time work at the place i was doing 2 1/2 days with while at uni. then in late '07 got a bottom feeder job at my current employer. didn’t look at studying again until '09, where i went and did Diploma of Accting at Vic Uni (TAFE) 3 nights a week after work. i got 6 months credit due to the work i did at RMIT (could’ve squeezed 12 months or recognised prior learning, but figured so long out of study it’d be good to refresh). i nailed everything i did at TAFE (+90s the whole way thru) as it was with the same 20 students for every class for 18 months, as well as some teachers doing two subjects during the same semester, and others doing other subjects the next semester so you see them for 12 months. this was what helped me the most, as i discovered i learn much better in familiar surrounds with close interaction between myself and teachers/students.

now i’ve got a piece of paper, it seems redundant as i’m already working in a similar field and have 4yrs experience…i also have +15k in HECS to repay hanging over my head.

now, different story about my older sister and her trip (this is condensed)
started doing biomed sci, spent 5 yrs and still had 6 months to go. decided she wanted to become a teacher instead, so switched across and completed her Dip Ed with flying colours. she hasn’t (and probably never will) finish her biomed degree.

so, for the TL;DR

apply for what you like, it’ll help you work out if you really do like it.
it will also help you work out how you learn (if you can indeed learn)

also, gap years are rad

Everyone makes fun of my philosophy degree but I have learnt things from applied ethics, meta ethics, technical semantics, smatterings of mathematics and logic and been able to read some of the greatest texts in the Western tradition. Beyond that I have gained the confidence to analyse everything with a logical and calm perspective.
People who know me will say that I don’t get flustered too easily and that is entirely due to my new outlook on life that philosophy gave me (and also Morbid Angel).
Reading between the lines, you will discover that philosophy graduates, while not headed in one direction, are highly sought after in business, public relations, government, teaching etc. etc. Because we tend to be smart, or at least good at pretending we are.

Just become a bike courier.

It’s okay though, I enjoy your tumblr.

I agree with doing whatever makes you happy but you gotta eat, and eat well in my opinion. After my degree in Philosphy and Anthropology was done I went to work in a factory. I’d enrolled in law but ditched it because arts was heaps more fun. Thankfullly I ended up in journalism but often wish I’d given law a chance. What’s not explained to you at the time or it wasn’t when I studied in thwe ancient past is that it’s the sort of degree you can do a whole lot more than just be a solicitor. I don’t think a communications or journalism degree is not a good option for anyone. There are so few jobs these days and if you look at who gets cadetships the people come from a fairly wide spectrum of disciplines and experience which is as it should be.

pffft, just drink beer, party and live a little for a few years.

then go in at age 20 as a mature aged student doing pretty much whatever you want.

the whole ENTER thing has the wool over your eyes sheeple!

Same for me.
Went to uni and pissfarted around, got excluded 3 times before I got the hint and dropped out. Never really had any idea what I wanted to do until a couple of years ago, well into my 30s.

Looking back, I should’ve deferred from uni from the get-go, worked a joe job for a while then got into study when I was ready… But everyone’s different: if you’re ready for study go for it. Just make sure you’ve considered all the options.

I chose architecture the night before I put my preferences in and dropped out after six months. Meh.

I’m going to have to agree with spirito and others who have said to take some time off and think about it. Travel, work a shitty bar job, become a courier, whatever. Enjoy yourself. From the amount of variation in the courses you listed above you don’t really have any one thing that you’re passionate about and committed to seeing through. And yet you want to commit to at least 3 years and $20k of debt? Very bad move imo.

I know you go to Melbourne High and I’m sure the general expectation amongst everyone there is that you will go to university (as it was at the private school I went to). But I think that being forced to make a decision like that in such a rush at such a young age is ridiculous. And as others have said, once you actually start working the degree is often irrelevant. I work in financial services and most of my peers have degrees in economics, commerce, accounting, even law, and yet they do the same boring shit day in day out as me. The only other person I know at the company who doesn’t have a degree is my boss (who is the same age as me). Obviously her lack of a degree hasn’t hurt her career progression in the least.

Universities have their place, and there are certain fields of work where a degree is a necessity, but I can’t help but feel that universities these days are more businesses than academic institutions.

I might be taking a gap year, depends on what course I get into. I like the idea of just living life ect for year or two to work out what I want to do. Got my Biology mid year exam back today shy of an A+ but still good.
P-Dub, unfortunately getting certain jobs without tertiary qualification is getting increasingly more difficult. Not like the good old days anymore. You’re right about Melbourne High but there are still kids going to TAFE or not pursuing tertiary study, most kids want to go to Uni.

First year courses look like I can sample a whole bunch of things and then narrow it down afterwards. Maybe I just have to taste a couple things and see how I go. If I make the wrong decision I’ll just blame it on this forum or Dylan.

Anyone done the new JD at Melbs? I’m keen on doing that as a post grad but still gotta take baby steps.

If I still did Methods Aerospace engineering and managament at RMIT sounds cool…

you need to consider seriously that this will be what you will be doing for the rest of your life, so you need to consider both something you will like (or at least, won’t dislike), and something that has a good career path. If you tend to be a bit lazy then choose something that you can easily get a job when you finish, else you’ll have to work hard and get lucky to get your first job.

Also don’t be afraid to change degrees if you don’t like where it is heading, but remember that the first two years in a lot of courses are just boring coursework that is laying the groundwork for the interesting stuff.

if you just want to make money, head to the mines and drive trucks.

hey aeons did you go to the architecture talk at melb high’s careers night earlier this year?
i gave it.
just a random tidbit for ya.

don’t do architecture.
that’s what i was told.

I didn’t take a year off and i should have.

Do many people do this for things. I can be a scapegoat. Enough of a scapegoat that maybe one day I’ll be chief of police.
But then the JAMS wouldn’t like me any more.

Couldn’t agree with this more.

unfortunately I didn’t. Wish I had now. Could have skid requested you from the audience.

would have been the only comment from a kid.
stone cold silence.