Impact of Uni Choice on Career Prospects (1 Viewer)

[Newell]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if the uni you go to has any significant impact on your future career prospects or if it is really just about how hard you work and your grades. I'm going to be doing Law/Arts at SCU (at least to start, a year or two, then maybe transfer if I can afford to move away) and am a bit worried it's going to disadvantage me in the future.

--Newell

 

[Studentleader]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if the uni you go to has any significant impact on your future career prospects or if it is really just about how hard you work and your grades. I'm going to be doing Law/Arts at SCU (at least to start, a year or two, then maybe transfer if I can afford to move away) and am a bit worried it's going to disadvantage me in the future.

--Newell

My girlfriend is doing Biomedicine at ECU (3rd 'worst' uni in Aus.) She's now looking for work experience and struggling even though her grades are quite good (high D average) - if she went to UWA she would have had ties to the WA Institute for Medical Research.

Chances are she'll have to do honours at UWA to try get a job - she only went to ECU because it was 'closer and prettier.'

 

[jaredtomas]

I don't think it's where you get your degree that matters. It's what you do with it that does.

 

[melsc]

Look, particularly for law their are some old school employers who believe university prestige is the be all and end all thus they hire from Sydney and perhaps UNSW.

But if my time at university has taught me anything prestige means jack for teaching quality, quality of students etc! Eventually this will get through to the profession and in it has in many places.

Your best bet is to work hard, get some excellent work experience, do some extra-curriculars and get some good general life experience, this is the stuff that really counts and is being increasingly sought out by employers.

It really depends where you want to work but unless you want to work for some of the stuffy top tier firms then you should have a problem. If an employer looks down on you because of the university you went to then would you want to work for them? I know stacks of great law studentst from universities all over.

Best of luck and try not to let it get you down. Work hard and give it your best, prestige is becoming less of a deciding factor and hey in may be even different after you graduate in 5 years time!

 

[Newell]

Thanks guys.

I should add that I'm unsure of where I want my career to go after uni (five years away is a long time), but I do plan to get into some extra-curricular stuff.

 

[babikakez]

Chances are she'll have to do honours at UWA to try get a job - she only went to ECU because it was 'closer and prettier.'

Off topic, but how the hell did she perceive ECU to be 'prettier' than UWA???

 

[Studentleader]

Off topic, but how the hell did she perceive ECU to be 'prettier' than UWA???

UWA is pretty ugly - everything except the science library and the business school really old. Its a nice drive along the River however peak time pubic transport and the city are yucky (in my opinion anyway.)

ECU isn't much prettier though I guess.

I asked my girlfriend and she said: "She goes to ECU and makes it prettier. Duh."

 

[blue_chameleon]

This topic inevitably gets a run every year, however it's good that people are actually asking questions rather than making assumptions or falling for whatever is presented to them.

In my opinion, it can depend on the profession/industry you are looking to build a career in. As melsc pointed out, prestige has been a factor in recruitment in law for a while, however things appear to be shifting lately.

I'd say that flows through into the banking industry (non-IB) and accounting profession based on my experience.

Having studied at a non-G08/regional university and completed a single degree from a faculty that wasn't particularly recognised for any major contributions to the universities overall reputation, I found myself competing against other students from UNSW/USYD/UTS, most who had double degrees, for a single graduate position at a very well known company in its field. In the end, I got the offer ahead of the others, even though my university held nothing special in terms of reputation/prestige. I did however have some decent marks and knew a bit about what the company had been doing lately

Bottom line: Don't ever underestimate yourself or your abilities. When you finish university, it's all about how well you sell your skills and knowledge (weighting of these depends on industry).

Tl;dr
- Importance of prestige differs amongst industries/professions, but it is shifting in a lot of industries as employers recognise that it doesn't necessarily translate to talent in the workforce.

 

[babikakez]

UWA is pretty ugly - everything except the science library and the business school really old. Its a nice drive along the River however peak time pubic transport and the city are yucky (in my opinion anyway.)

ECU isn't much prettier though I guess.

I asked my girlfriend and she said: "She goes to ECU and makes it prettier. Duh."

Nice comeback she has

After I posted this I realised I had only seen the Mount Lawley campus. I take it Joondalup is better looking then?

 

[Survivor39]

Thanks guys.

I should add that I'm unsure of where I want my career to go after uni (five years away is a long time), but I do plan to get into some extra-curricular stuff.

Yes good thinking. Doing extra-cirricular activities is the way to go if you want to learn skills beyond what your courses teach you. It will also make you competitive if you wish to apply to overseas unis after your undegrad here in Australia.

 

[Survivor39]

Bottom line: Don't ever underestimate yourself or your abilities. When you finish university, it's all about how well you sell your skills and knowledge (weighting of these depends on industry).

Couldn't have said it any better myself.

Just to add to that, get more experience outside of uni and learn new skills. The perceived prestige of a degree or a University only goes so far. It will help a bit if you want to get ahead in academia but it really comes down to you and your capabilities.

Good luck!

 

[Einsteinium_101]

how could ECU be prettier than UWA. What a load of Bull. UWA is very pretty