15th March 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Although I have just graduated from university and am entering the saturated graduate market with no vocational degree, I do not regret my decision to study Classics and English at all. University leavers are hard pushed to find positive remarks about graduate employment in recent years especially with the increase in tuition fees. However, there is still evidence which indicates that a university degree will improve your chances of finding a career, whether vocational or not.
Having studied two dead languages and English literature, I fully comprehend the notion of graduating without a specific job sector to go into. However, this does not mean that I do not have transferable skills that I have learnt during my time at university which can be used in a number of careers. Yes, I did graduate wondering what on earth I was going to do with myself, but this worry soon disappears as you get stuck in with job applications.
It is true that the world will always need doctors, lawyers, nurses and teachers, but it cannot be predicted how many of each position will be required in the future. Those who suggest that you need to do a vocational degree in order to get a job, are both wrong and limited in their viewpoint. Regardless of your degree, employers believe that what you do outside of your degree is just as important: the age-old importance of extra-curricular activities never seems to fade.
Work experience is just as valuable for those not studying vocational degrees whether in a solicitor’s firm, London bank or a supermarket. Although current graduate are joining the workforce during one of the worst recessions in British history, two in three leavers are confident about their long-term prospects. Regardless of what A-level students are applying to read at university, they should not be put off by studying non-vocational degrees.