Survey: Did you go to Uni? If yes, are you using that education in your line of work today?

Forums › Off topic › Survey: Did you go to Uni? If yes, are you using that education in your line of work today?

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KrazyKid

1238 posts

Uber Geek

#1774817 3-May-2017 10:48

A BSc(Hons) in Chemistry - worked in a lab for 1 year before travelling on an OS and never using that qualification again directly.

10 years later did Grad Dip in Software Engineering (just as the IT bubble burst early 2000's - so never used that directly either :) )

Done a little bit of systems support in one role, but now have ended up as a Retail Business Analyst.

Overall can't say I've used the bits of paper for much other than using the scientific process to problem solving and making my CV look better...

cddt

1548 posts

Uber Geek

#1774864 3-May-2017 11:45

I went to uni straight out of high school for lack of anything better to do. Found it pretty easy and got a BSc with majors in maths and stats.

Was encouraged by the uni to stay and do postgraduate study/research, but decided I had had enough of living like a student (i.e. on the bones of my arse). So went out and got an entry level data analyst role. Incredibly boring for a few years but paid the bills and allowed me to travel, socialise, etc.

Things picked up a few years ago when "data" became more of a buzzword and I started focusing on my career a bit more. While I've never studied programming seriously, I have picked up more than enough to work in "data scientist" type roles.

To answer the question, I don't use much of what I studied in my degree directly, but indirectly my degree taught me a lot about logic, problem solving, and optimal solutions. These days a lot of what I do involves interpreting business requirements and technical specifications, and seeing if the two can meet somewhere in the middle, within a reasonable time frame, at a reasonable cost. Every day I see non-technical people making decisions about projects, investment, etc without even a basic understanding of the solutions they're choosing between. On the other side, technical people will often come with a solution which is hugely overblown, because they do not understand the objective the business is trying to achieve.

BTR

1527 posts

Uber Geek

#1774935 3-May-2017 13:23

No Uni or Polytech for me and I'm now an IT manager with multiple staff and manage a network of 50+ switches and about 900 client devices.

sonyxperiageek

2958 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1775024 3-May-2017 15:56

BTR:

No Uni or Polytech for me and I'm now an IT manager with multiple staff and manage a network of 50+ switches and about 900 client devices.

Self-taught?

Sony

sonyxperiageek

2958 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1775025 3-May-2017 15:59

Thanks for all the replies guys! It seems like from a very broad perspective, the answer to using your degree in your line of work is around 50/50.

And there are a few lucky people who didn't go to uni, but still have a pretty good job. Maybe that isn't more luck and there's more to it than that? Maybe it was the dedication to writing up a good cover letter about yourself, spending a lot of time searching for jobs, instead of just sitting on your bumside doing nothing? Hmmm

Sony

octopoly

86 posts

Master Geek

#1775412 4-May-2017 10:34

I am originally a translator by trade (English, German, Spanish, French) but never practised it. After my exams I needed money and accepted a job as tech support agent in a call center of a large IT company. They were expanding and needed someone who spoke multiple languages, which allowed me to join sales and later biz dev. After 8 years working in different roles for various companies within the industry, I was able to learn a lot about IT - and I learn new stuff every day. I guess it helped that I always had an interest in IT.

I have a couple of friends who also made their way into the IT world, even though they have originally studied something completely different. IT rocks ! :)

afe66

3181 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1775448 4-May-2017 11:06

sonyxperiageek:

Thanks for all the replies guys! It seems like from a very broad perspective, the answer to using your degree in your line of work is around 50/50.

And there are a few lucky people who didn't go to uni, but still have a pretty good job. Maybe that isn't more luck and there's more to it than that? Maybe it was the dedication to writing up a good cover letter about yourself, spending a lot of time searching for jobs, instead of just sitting on your bumside doing nothing? Hmmm

Be aware of reporting bias though....

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Lizard1977

2060 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1776411 5-May-2017 16:09

Not an IT tech (professionally), but I did go to uni (graduated MA in History) and use the skills I acquired in gaining that qualification (research, analysis, critical thinking and logical thought) everyday in my role as a policy analyst.

wasabi2k

2096 posts

Uber Geek

#1776431 5-May-2017 16:45

sonyxperiageek:

Thanks for all the replies guys! It seems like from a very broad perspective, the answer to using your degree in your line of work is around 50/50.

And there are a few lucky people who didn't go to uni, but still have a pretty good job. Maybe that isn't more luck and there's more to it than that? Maybe it was the dedication to writing up a good cover letter about yourself, spending a lot of time searching for jobs, instead of just sitting on your bumside doing nothing? Hmmm

My degree did not impact getting and keeping my previous job - I ended up as a contract infra engineer/architect @ ~$100 an hour. Was 100% based on work experience and connections. First job was at an education based integrator that grew massively. Went from unpacking desktops to senior engineer quickly.

I wouldn't have got my current job without a degree.

sonyxperiageek

2958 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1776435 5-May-2017 16:56

wasabi2k:

sonyxperiageek:

Thanks for all the replies guys! It seems like from a very broad perspective, the answer to using your degree in your line of work is around 50/50.

And there are a few lucky people who didn't go to uni, but still have a pretty good job. Maybe that isn't more luck and there's more to it than that? Maybe it was the dedication to writing up a good cover letter about yourself, spending a lot of time searching for jobs, instead of just sitting on your bumside doing nothing? Hmmm

My degree did not impact getting and keeping my previous job - I ended up as a contract infra engineer/architect @ ~$100 an hour. Was 100% based on work experience and connections. First job was at an education based integrator that grew massively. Went from unpacking desktops to senior engineer quickly.

I wouldn't have got my current job without a degree.

Wow $100 an hour sounds good! What was the rate at when you were starting out unpacking desktops?

Sony

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