Degree vs. Professional Life

[Augusto86]

So I'm almost finished with my 3rd year at school and the point where I have to start considering my professional career with real seriousness has really arrived. I'm not asking for career advice in the sense of "what do I do" - although if anyone out there has a Creative Writing/Journalism degree or works in publishing, journalism or writing fields I wouldn't mind some sage words.

What I really want to know is how much you felt your degree mattered and in what way! I often find myself wondering about the relevance and importance of my undergrad degree(C. Writing with minors in Journalism and Arabic/Middle East Studies). I know all of the finance people and law students are going to laugh at my ridiculously stereotypical lib. arts education, but nevertheless - I just want to hear people's thoughts on the significance of an undergrad degree and the importance of further graduate study.

Fire away!

 

[raley]

I think that higher education is just signalling and really an adventure in learning how to communicate before you venture into the working world. Graduate education on the other hand is decidedly tougher, and more relevant, particularly if you plan on going into academia.

Whatever you want to do - just do it. Don't feel confined by your degree. You could get into finance as well if you really wanted to, regardless of your major.

 

[dhc905]

Basically undergrad degree means very little. I just finished up an engineering and history degree at NU and I'm going to do real estate private equity. One of the other people I'm working with is a philosophy major from harvard. The third is a real estate major from Wharton. So 2/3 have no idea about real estate whatsoever.

Also, a lot of liberal arts hippies who grow up get into a "softer" (i.e. more bullshit) profession like consulting. It pays well, all things considered, and it's fun and requires no formal education. A major in bullshit, acronyms, and people skills helpful but not required. (I did management consulting as a summer internship).

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by dhc905

Basically undergrad degree means very little. I just finished up an engineering and history degree at NU and I'm going to do real estate private equity. One of the other people I'm working with is a philosophy major from harvard. The third is a real estate major from Wharton. So 2/3 have no idea about real estate whatsoever. Also, a lot of liberal arts hippies who grow up get into a "softer" (i.e. more bullshit) profession like consulting. It pays well, all things considered, and it's fun and requires no formal education. A major in bullshit, acronyms, and people skills helpful but not required. (I did management consulting as a summer internship).
Actually many if not most strategy consulting firms want people that have a quantitative background or have some quantitative experience (speaking as someone with 10+ years in strategy consulting who hires MBA level consultants) You may be able to get into delivery with a history degree or something like that, but you'll need the skill set (IT experience/classes) I do agree that undergrad degree is less important. Work experience is obviously the key at this point.

 

[dhc905]

^^ It's true at the post MBA level because you have a lot more contact with clients and you're leading teams, so quant abilities are really important. My point was that at the first year analyst position at management consulting firms (the types of positions the OP would be looking at), your degree and quant background is pretty irrelevent. Most of the stuff an analyst does anyway is stuff you don't learn in class (this is true even as an industrial engineer, which is probably one of the closest things to an analytical/quantitative look at strategy), so it makes sense that of my intern class there was only 5 engineers (more econ, obviously, but probably a good 25% had psych, history, art, etc as their ONLY major) out of 40 summer analysts.

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by dhc905

^^ It's true at the post MBA level because you have a lot more contact with clients and you're leading teams, so quant abilities are really important. My point was that at the first year analyst position at management consulting firms (the types of positions the OP would be looking at), your degree and quant background is pretty irrelevent. Most of the stuff an analyst does anyway is stuff you don't learn in class (this is true even as an industrial engineer, which is probably one of the closest things to an analytical/quantitative look at strategy), so it makes sense that of my intern class there was only 5 engineers (more econ, obviously, but probably a good 25% had psych, history, art, etc as their ONLY major) out of 40 summer analysts.
Thats actually the opposite of what actually happens in my opinion. As a business analyst for a strategy firm (not a summer interm, but if you were actually hired as a business analyst) the majority of what you are going to be doing is running excel 24/7, which menas you need a good deal of quant experience. As an associate, or engagement manager, you will certainly have more client contact, but you'll also have business analysts to run spreadsheets for you. It's more commonplace to hire people from industry for higher level positions, who have less quant background, but more industry background. This is referring to strategy consulting. Hiring practices are a bit different in delivery.

 

[Rome]

You can Eddie Murphy your undergrad degree into just about any career. Post graduate degrees are more applied and career relavent or for stuffy old guys who wear tassled loafers more than once a week.

 

[Pennglock]

Unless your degree has a lot of ivy on it, it could be tough to break into the quantitative jobs without a quant major. Even the liberal arts guys I know in Finance/Consulting took some Math and Econ. It doesnt sound like that's your thing anyway, though.


What you really ought to be thinking about right now is finding some good **** to do this summer. Hustle your way into something relevent, and try to do something more than make coffee. It will help give you perspective on where you want to go career wise, and give you stuff to talk about in interviews next year.

 

[Augusto86]

Yeah, uh...I don't actually want to be in finance or engineering...

 

[globetrotter]

my education has nothing to do with my career. but that is pretty rare.

 

[yerfdog]

i was an art history major in undergrad

now i'm in law school. law school does not care what your undergrad major was at all. it's probably better to be liberal arts or science than stereotypical polysci prelaw.

 

[LabelKing]

Why not fabricate something?

 

[eg1]

Degrees open doors -- what you do after you walk through one of those doors is rarely consistent with the content of the degree itself, with only the rarest technical exceptions. As an example, most of the guys I know with Engineering degrees ended up in Finance.

 

[Augusto86]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Why not fabricate something?

Well, I do have a Creative Writing Degree...

 

[Faded501s]

Originally Posted by eg1

Degrees open doors -- what you do after you walk through one of those doors is rarely consistent with the content of the degree itself, with only the rarest technical exceptions. As an example, most of the guys I know with Engineering degrees ended up in Finance.

^^^ plus like ten thousand!

and to add, networking in college (the friends you make) is probably more important than just getting "a degree".