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Old 08-22-2019, 08:56 AM   #21
The Yen Man
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I'm probably with the majority in that my degree got me my job, and I used it to get my CMA designation. I use a few things from the accounting courses, but really, I didn't really fully understood any of those concepts until I applied in my actual job, and I would say 90% of my real learning was from the job itself.

All the other soft skills, I notice a ton of repetition in those courses and management and training courses afterwards. I mean, how many ways can they re-package the personality tests of whether you're a high D, high S, high whatever, or what colour you are. I must have done at least a dozen of those tests that all tell the same thing, but just worded differently.
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Old 08-22-2019, 08:59 AM   #22
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Took some Mechanical Engineering Technology courses waaaaaay back in the 90's, and I use that more than I use my Commerce Degree. I work in sales and interact with all you nerdy engineers so I need passable knowledge, and the ability to read blueprints.

Commerce degree does help with day to day business and understanding cost projections, budgets and P&L statements. Helps when you talk to the accountants. So I guess I use both, but there was a lot of filler courses that I barely remember and never use.

My technical writing course is super handy though. Especially around here; some of you guys are ruthless grammar Germans.
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:01 AM   #23
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Yes. Although tech changes too rapidly, the hands on skills i learned are irrelevant for the current job market. My education is now an after thought on linkedin and resumes.
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:02 AM   #24
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Not really. Wish I would have taken a 2 year program at SAIT instead of a 4 year drinking degree from a big university
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:03 AM   #25
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I use the skills I learned in university every day - time management, planning, research, business analysis, etc. That said my job doesn't relate at all to my uni degrees. I would say it's what's taught on the journey, not the parchment you get at the end - at least in my case.

Also, the social life was second to none, and the "set your own schedule" life was appealing. Those are things I sorely miss, especially the 1st thing.

Therefore it was worth it. 10/10, would do it again.



i'm in the same boat - i've got a bsc in math & computer science. i don't really use any of the stuff i was taught in class. i do however use the skills required to get my degree in my business a ton.
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:03 AM   #26
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Same here.

Anyone else think that an engineering degree was one of the the biggest waste of time?
Of all of the available possible (4 year) degrees, that has to be the most worthwhile job prospect wise in my mind.
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:12 AM   #27
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Undergrad degree in Philosophy and English? No.

Law School degree in, um, law? ...Still no.

Okay yes, I couldn't be a lawyer without going to law school, but realistically 90% of the useful stuff you learn is learned on the job. Honestly I've often thought my philosophy background has served me better to help think things through.

Looking back on it, I think Philosophy is likely the single most useful/translatable undergraduate degree. At a minimum, it's great for logical reasoning, but there's an ever-growing need for critical thinking skills in society broadly.



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Also a lawyer. Definitely use the legal research skills I learned.

Overall, law school needs an overhaul though. It should be more like a trades school, where hard legal skills are learned. Currently, you just touch on actual legal skills tangentially during course work.

The law school profession more or less acknowledges this, but continues to use law school in a gate keeping function. Law school is more about demonstrating your work ethic to potential employers than it is about learning.

I've long been of the view that the 3rd year of law school should be sacrificed in favour of a second articling year. This would save students tuition costs, get them earning sooner, and put more emphasis on practical skills development.



Having spent time in a university where law is a classic undergraduate degree (i.e. started right out of high school) I'm definitely of the view that law students benefit from more life experience - i.e. a prior undergrad degree. But once they have that, there's no way they need a full 3 years of university legal education to launch their legal careers.
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:28 AM   #28
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My U of C degree was the best $150 i ever spent from the middle east!

and I really miss the UofC arcade!
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:51 AM   #29
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Yeah, my undergrad was in philosophy/economics and my graduate degree was in public policy/political philosophy, and I have worked in public affairs/government relations for my entire career.

I was even hired for my first job out of grad school on the basis of my masters thesis.
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Old 08-22-2019, 09:56 AM   #30
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Yes. I have BComm and CA

But this was 20 years ago. That combination is getting much more competitive. It's all CPA now. Just a cash grab.
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Old 08-22-2019, 10:00 AM   #31
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Of all of the available possible (4 year) degrees, that has to be the most worthwhile job prospect wise in my mind.
You would think.

I find most job prospects require some very specific experience or knowledge that you end up pigeonholing yourself pretty quickly. It's not uncommon to see 20 new job postings per day for an electrical engineer for example, but each one of them will be totally different from the other. "Must have 5+ years field experience related to natural gas facilities as well as in depth knowledge of SKM. The successful candidate will have also worked on 25kV switchgears, particularly on IPP owned solar facilities."
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Old 08-22-2019, 10:06 AM   #32
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I have a BSc in Computer Sciences.


It got me a job out of university that was basically setting up networks at law firms using Lan in a Can (what a piece of crap that was). My second job was writing a Restaurant Management System for a consulting firm to sell. After that, I realized how much I hated support and development, and my later jobs have very little to do with my career.


Plus I doubt there's anyone looking for someone with strong Cobol, Fortran and Prolog development skills any more.
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Old 08-22-2019, 10:07 AM   #33
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Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague View Post
Undergrad degree in Philosophy and English? No.

Law School degree in, um, law? ...Still no.

Okay yes, I couldn't be a lawyer without going to law school, but realistically 90% of the useful stuff you learn is learned on the job. Honestly I've often thought my philosophy background has served me better to help think things through.
Sorta in the same boat. I got a Philosophy degree with a plan to go to Law School but then life happened and I had to go to work. While I don't work in Philosophy it's affected every aspect of my life including work. Having any degree was a requirement for the field I'm currently in but, like you, the balance was stuff I learned on the job. Now I'm almost an expert at knitting baskets.
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Old 08-22-2019, 10:09 AM   #34
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Yeah, all the time! I was hired out of grad school mainly due to my masters thesis.
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Old 08-22-2019, 10:13 AM   #35
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My degree is in political science and I work in the fitness business, so short answer is "no". That being said, it was the experiences through grad school that led me here so I can't say it was a waste. And having moved far away from home for university it was probably the best thing I could've done for myself.
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Old 08-22-2019, 10:15 AM   #36
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What a lot of posts in here should tell the discerning reader is that outside of a handful of specializations, you do not need a Commerce degree to work in "business."
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Old 08-22-2019, 10:39 AM   #37
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Overall, law school needs an overhaul though. It should be more like a trades school, where hard legal skills are learned. Currently, you just touch on actual legal skills tangentially during course work.

The law school profession more or less acknowledges this, but continues to use law school in a gate keeping function. Law school is more about demonstrating your work ethic to potential employers than it is about learning.
Architecture is basically the same;
You learn a lot of theory, but in terms of hard skills, it's pretty light.
Instead, it's basically just a proof of "work ethic" (i.e. can you survive spending ~80 hours/week in studio without giving up).
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:04 AM   #38
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Nope, not even close. I have a Red Seal in cooking and a 2 year diploma from SAIT in Business Administration.

Nowadays I repair pipelines
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:16 AM   #39
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Nope, not even close. I have a Red Seal in cooking and a 2 year diploma from SAIT in Business Administration.

Nowadays I repair pipelines
How good is your budgeting and ability to cook meals for yourself?
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Old 08-22-2019, 12:00 PM   #40
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I have an interesting relationship with my degree. I feel like it's not a necessary thing, but my experience and learning so informed my world view that I would be an entirely different person without it. I'm of the generation (and class bracket) where it was just implied you go to school after high school. And the implied proudness was highest for University degrees in engineering/finance/geology, then to any schooling in oil-field based work, then to University degree in something semi-applicable to life, then to college or tech school, and then, lastly, any type of pursuit of something that didn't guarantee you a 9-5 with a tie on.

I have an Economics degree. I got it because I was going to school to be a Psychologist, but then didn't want to spend a doctor's worth of time in school, and found my Economics electives interesting. It helped me in my early career in investment banking...sort of. If I had ended up working up to an advisor, the study of markets and geopolitical situations definitely would have been an advantage. But as an associate, basically just dealing with internal programs, Excel, and product knowledge that came mostly from extra courses like CSC and internal research, I didn't need a degree for any of that.

But my view of myself and the world (as contributed to by my degree) also contributed to my not being happy in the job or industry and ended up leaving at 27, back to school into a 1 year film program that was more of a tech-school environment. I found myself much more applicable to that style of learning, and that going to school later in life had me much more focused on doing well and having a direction for afterwards. I could see the 18-20 year olds there and they wanted "college life" which this program was not. Now I work in commercials and independent films and, while the career is less stable (but still lucrative even at a base level), the hours are craziness and it's without easy things like benefits and pensions, etc... I am much more satisfied and happy with my current state.

Looking back, I did always have an inclination towards the arts, it was just never approached as something feasible as a life support. I'm finding out it is, it's just a different game than the one I grew up in. I sometimes think I should have gone directly into it after high school, or even sooner. But without my schooling and my first career, I wouldn't have the point of view that I have, which I believe is crucial to my personal work as well as how I associate with people in the commercial film world (which is very corporate itself).

That said, much of the University course load was wasted time that I could easily research on my own, with more likelihood of retention, in less time and for free. The internet really could be utilized much better to make learning more accessible, but online degrees are still balked a bit (I think, anyways). In the end, I'm not really sure where I land. I think the benefits of university/college go way beyond the title on the piece of paper you walk out with, but I also think the whole education system can/should be reworked so that people can find their best focuses sooner and enjoy their young learning experience.
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