What Do You Know Now That You Wish You Knew In University?

…that spending year after year doing a part time course would be irrelevant 20 years later.

That formal education destroys your inherent creative abilities, and makes you into a conservative, non-risk taking drone. Should not have gone and let the school of hard knocks sort me out !

1. You will learn more from tutes than you will from lectures – prioritise accordingly;
2. Do whatever you can to get a good tutor – this may mean changing tutes to a less convenient time but it is well worth it;
3. Towards the end of your degree try to do things and get experiences that you will be useful during an interview – eg. team projects, volunteer programs, clerkships etc; and
4. University is not right for everyone, but don’t be put off by the naysayers – if you pick the right degree for you it can be vital to your career.

Firstly, there is nothing wrong with doing something generic for a year. If you don’t know what you want to do, do arts or science, get a gist for what actually interests you. Sit in on random classes on degrees you’re considering and just have a look. Lectures are not hard to crash.

Secondly, join clubs an societies and go to events – try and get on the executive. It’ll give you great contacts. (Especially the degree specific one – like the engineering/law/economic society.)

Thirdly, always go to tut lectures are option around assignment times.

-Do MORE stupid things. Waste time. Chase girls (or guys, if appropriate. Or inappropriate.) Waste a year, if need be. Get drunk. Chase more girls or guys. After all, if you pass, then get a job, 5 years down the track NOBODY CARES WHAT YOUR GRADES WERE! It’s what you learn afterwards that’s important. And because you have only a limited number of years in that framework, experience every experience that you can.
-If somebody ever says to you condecendingly “just you wait until you hit the REAL world”, tell em to go shove it up their – nose. The real world isn’t harder or easier, it’s just different. The uni world has very flexible hours, but not too many jobs need the 72 hour stints as mentioned above. And the “real” world has MONEY! A pay packet! YAY.
-And then again, is the corporate world any more real and less cloistered than the Ivory towers? Or the armed forces? Or small business? Each world really is quite smug, isn’t it.

-University is not the only option
-YES your grades do matter, at least they do in engineering, it can mean the difference between a good job in a good company with actual mentors and a structured graduate program and just floundering around for years trying to figure out what you want
-Really really think about what you want to do and what your interests in life are. But also if you can support yourself doing what you love. Compromise but not too much.

- Develop a better understanding of what you will want to do in life and pick a suitable course.
- Make the most of your electives and study something you’re interested in, not just what you think is important (because nobody will look at the subjects you studied)
- If you are grades-focused: Take subjects that are more likely to yield higher grades (i.e. numerical, statistical, mathematical, IT subjects). Once you’ve learned and practiced the material, it is easy to get high marks as the answer is either right or wrong (in comparison to something more creative, like marketing, where marking criteria is quite vague).

i cant even get started with a career because w/o that piece of paper i cant get a job in anything other than sales and other unskilled repetitive tasks.. reading some of these comments is concerning