One solitary piece of A4 paper...
Short but sweet:

My degree cerificate. OK, in real life it's earned me precisely naff all (serves me right for doing an arts degree I s'pose)- but dammit I paid a lot of money for that piece of A4! :)

On a serious note - I truly hope that I have a profound enough effect on this world (or even just one person's life) that, in many years, someone will consider something associated with me worth saving from the fire. Self-absorbed, yes - but don't we all want to be remembered in a positive light?
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:08, 17 replies)

Degree certificates
I wish this wasn't the case but I don't think they're worth the paper they're printed on....and I'm not saying that because I haven't got one - I've got...enough, shall we say...

But you're right, they do earn you naff all.

Well, perhaps a more eloquent and cultured poverty.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:12, closed)

To be fair,
I've got a science degree, and that was a fuckin' waste of time too.
( Cawl, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:15, closed)

I don't yet
But in 2 years time I'll hopefully have my lovely MEng degree. I might frame it, but only because it takes so long to get.
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:20, closed)

heh
reminds me...

I accidentally burnt my degree certificates when setting fire to all my coursework and notes after graduation (a rather cathartic tradition I'd started after GCSEs and A-levels).

Was slightly miffed at the time, but I've not needed them since.
( rofl harris, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:32, closed)

Worthless
My music degree course was so sh*t that by the end I didn't really care if I got it or not. Made the family proud though, only person in the family to ever get a degree.
(misspiggy In danger of having to get a job, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:38, closed)

Bah!
I spent 3 years at art college and didn't get my degree due to inherent lazyiness. After that I never touched a pencil or paint brush again. That was about 20 years ago and I regret it sooooo much.

The worst bit is my step-father still thinks I passed.
( girlinthehole, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:44, closed)

As a counterpoint
I wouldn't be able to do my job without my first degree and I wouldn't be able to do anything like as well without my masters. So while I agree that getting a degree doesn't mean you will always earn more, not all degrees are a waste of time. For example, I would not like to be treated by a doctor who failed his (or her) degree
(Bazongaloid, Tue 13 May 2008, 15:52, closed)

not worth it?

Bollocks to that. I liked my first useless piece of A4 paper I went back and did it all over again to get another.

And I think they're very useful, it all comes down to what your expectations are and what you want to do with it when you're done.
( djtrialprice, Tue 13 May 2008, 16:12, closed)

Hmm...
It's just my cynicism that causes me to say that degree certificates are worthless....cynicism mainly caused by the fact that I have 2 BAs and one MA yet make enough money to keep myself in hand cream.

Nothing else mind, just hand cream.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Tue 13 May 2008, 16:18, closed)

Mmmmmmm
hand cream.

*cold showers*
(Bazongaloid, Tue 13 May 2008, 16:19, closed)

ah well
You can't knock a quality bit of cynicism. I love the private eye me.
( djtrialprice, Tue 13 May 2008, 16:20, closed)

It was only when I tried to find a job
that I realised a bachelor’s degree in computer science doesn't go very far (this was the mid 90's). Found one in the end but similar positions were filled by people who had left school at 16.

Apologies for cynicism but at least I enjoyed uni.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Tue 13 May 2008, 17:15, closed)

Hmmm, topical...
I just received feedback this morning for the draft submission of the Marketing assignment I'm currently doing for a CIM accredited diploma (I have no idea why - I already have a degree and I have a great job - I am obviously glutton for staying in on evenings and weekends, banging my head against a giant wall of books).

Anyhoo, my efforts are apparently 'unsatisfactory' and I need a big kick up the arse if I'm to hand in a final dissertation that makes a passing grade (anything below a C is a fail). I'm wondering whether if I fail this module and still carry the course through to the end (I am on module 3 of 4 and passed the previous two), will it still be a worthwhile course? I wouldn't end up with a certificate or accreditation but I would have gathered knowledge and information which I think will be invaluable to me, and my CV...

So, without a certificate, can I still truthfully state I successfully 'completed' a course?
(BettyLou, Tue 13 May 2008, 17:27, closed)

I have a BA (hons) in PSM
That's public services management - essentially, politics within the public sector. I did it a few years back purely as something to do to stretch myself a bit - having been employed in the sector for close to 10 years, I figured it might come in handy. Which it has, to a certain extent.

However, not long after I started it, my marriage went tits up, which resulted in me doing very little actual study outside of university due to an excessive lifestyle. Essays would be knocked up in a day, a few days befoe the deadline. I had settled down considerably by the time it came to my dissertation. However, no-one was more amazed than me when I graduated with a 2:1. Apparently I narrowly missed a 1st.

So you see, kids - alcohol doesn't kill brain cells after all...
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Tue 13 May 2008, 19:01, closed)

I should add...
that I don't regret my degree, not at all, and I do think they're worthwhile! I certainly wouldn't be where I am now as the job I do required. a degree - that said it's completely unrelated and the things I studied have had little or no bearing on what i've done since.

That's what I meant!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 13 May 2008, 19:32, closed)

First
I've got two jobs on the strength of having a first. Nobody seemed to care what it was in.
(frankspencer, Wed 14 May 2008, 9:51, closed)

I don't regret my degree either D-I-T
And, as I'm still employed in the public sector and earning about £10k more now than when I started it, I suppose it's come in handy.

Or, it might just be that my current employer pays much better than the other departments I worked for previously
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Wed 14 May 2008, 10:26, closed)