Out of the five I've applied for, the first university have made me an unconditional offer. Pretty happy about that.

It's in the environment & renewables sector, which following on from some threads over the past few weeks, is a sector full of graduates without work..

It also follows on from what I've previously studied for two years at college, so is something I'm very much interested in.

Question is, is it really worth getting involved in with this, in current 'climate' ?, scuse the pun.

Thanks in advance! 😉

Three or Four year degree? The current market isn't so much as an issue as what it will be like when you graduate.

3 year Sir.

In 3 or 4 years time things will have picked up significantly and you'll likely be in a good position for working – all the best! I'm going back to uni to do something similar 🙂

what else you going to do right now?
go to uni', make sure it has good hills nearby, 3 years of riding ahoy

I managed to make it stretch to 4 in a similar kind of course (Countryside Management), I never intended to go, but a guy in my summer job at the time pointed out the opportunity to party and take it easy, enjoyed it, made a lot of good friends and rode about 6 times a week

my course was unconditional too, did lead to some pretty crap A-level grades when I found they weren't much of a requirement

What is your aim? to learn something you are interested in? to do a worthwhile job? To earn a bucketload of money?

Myself I wouldn't do a degree unless it would lead into decently paid work – however if its an area you are interested in and want to learn about why not. then the jobs a bonus

just make sure there is biking nearby!
Just about to finsh (graduate maybe) from similar course, jobs out there but you'l have to fight for em. Be different by the time you finish…

Thanks for the replies.

Funnily enough it was a Countryside Management ND course that I completed prior to these applications.

My aim is definatly to be involved in something I'm interested in, IMO a decent salary comes with the drive to be succesful, not sure of many degrees where you'll earn a bucket load just through completion (if so, where do I sign ;))

If it's of any relevance, the course is 'Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies'

Oh, and of riding would play a part! 😀

If I don't go now, I'll go travelling/work abroad

Ciao

Mine was HND with placement and a year top-up to BSc, so I got the experience as well. If you want money in the environmental sector, you have to aim for the bits relative to the construction industry. I've opted for less hassle for less money, and love it, thhat and getting to play with the toys myself.

'Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies'

Which is what exactly?

I work for a company making film for PV(photovoltaic)solar panels but you need to be a bit of a scientist for that.

The environmental sector is a big and varied thing. At the one end of the spectrum you have the charities (Wildlife Trusts etc) running nature reserves, then there are the consultancies helping developers to work within the legislation, and within that there are consultancies that purely deal with plants, animals and habitats (ie, ecology), some that purely deal with chemicals / drainage (ie, environmental science etc.) and others that are part of massive engineering consultancies.

Beyond that, there's the technological end of things – sustainable technology, renewables, insulation etc. etc.

Very different skill-sets and prospects in each sub-sector. It's not like going to be an accountant, where everyone trains to 3 or 4 main and similar standards.

In my view, there is no point in anyone going into the ecological end of things with a view to improving employment prospects beyond the level of "having a degree". The sector is very competitive, and it's one a lot of people are happy to volunteer in. End result is that hours and pay get pushed, and a lot of of charity jobs go to people who volunteer a lot.

On the other hand, the environmental science / engineering stuff is seen as a little more difficult and I suspect is better paid as there's far more potential for specialisation, and obviously there's no prospects for volunteers etc.

The renewable / sustainable tech side of things is likely to become more important, but I don't know much about it. I suspect it would be fairly useful across a good range of industries, and I'd be particularly keen to take any optional business modules, as it could skill you up to be a good fit for a management role in any business that's trying to improve its environmental performance. Generally good environmental performance can go hand in hand with improved business performance (ie, reduced waste).

Another point is to make sure it's as good a uni as you can get into, and that you get decent A-level grades. A hell of a lot of employers still want to know A-level grades, and a lot more only recruit from 60 or so "top" universities. Don't just go somewhere because the other place is stuck up or a bit further away, or because they've given you an unconditional offer! There are generally good opportunities during clearing if you miss your grades – my girlfriend got into a uni that wouldn't have had her according to their published minimum grades.

There are generally good opportunities during clearing if you miss your grades – my girlfriend got into a uni that wouldn't have had her according to their published minimum grades.

No offence tron, but this summer I sincerely doubt it:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8487354.stm

Paddy if I were you I'd stick your offer on ebay – you'd make a fortune come August! 😆

I'm not totally sure it's a sector full of graduates looking for work. However, if you do ecology like millions of people wanting to look at pretty flowers or stroke furry animals, then yes, carry on at Tescos and save yourself the debt.

Likewise the course you're considering, if it turns out to be lots of armchair ideals about how the UK should generate electricity, pros and cons of nukes etc, then again, buy a few books and save yourself the debt.

However, if the course allows you to specialise in one field (soil science in my case, but I know others who were interested in the engineering aspects of siting offshore windfarms), then you may have a fighting chance of a career if you work hard at it, choose a relevant 3rd year dissertation, and do well at that. Most consultancies seem more and more to want MSc and even PhD qualifications now however…

From my limited understanding of the renewables and sustainability field, there's two big parts:

1) Economics and social policy (NIMBYs etc) – where things can be put, are they worth it etc

2) Engineering – inventing the most efficient / new source of power.

If either of those ideas floats your boat, then go for it. If on the other hand you'd prefer to be an armchair politician about nuclear power, I suspect employment opportunities may be somewhat less forthcoming.

Good Luck!

I think should go.

Work hard, get involved in lots of things outside of your degree course (stand for positions in the cycling club etc.) but ultimately you should be aiming to get the best degree you can not the minimum acceptable.

You have to pay the money back so don't waste it all on booze (waste some on going biking and not all money spent on booze is wasted), get a job to fund your extracurricular activities. Preferably get a job inthe sector you want to work in when you graduate. Do an industrial placement or summer internship if you can they are very highly rated by employers. The biggest barrier to getting work is never having worked before.

If all esle fails, abandon your hopes of working in your degree subject, sell your soul and apply for one of the big 4. Was certainly the fashion when I graduated.

A lot of degree choice depends on what sort of person you are. A mate did Comp Sci & Management, and went straight into highly paid work in IT consultancy. On the other hand, the majority of people don't work in the area they graduate in, so choosing a difficult subject may be better than an overly technical one, if you don't have seriously clear plans for your life.

I would certainly not recommend drifting into uni because everyone else is – defer the place for a year and get some work under your belt…

You should specialise in sustainable transport, particualrly in upland areas.

Having just done environmental sustainability, I would make dam sure you specialise and know exactly where you want to go with it. I did mine partly as I had a strong interest in sustainability in general – key word being in general. As much as I enjoyed it, I may as well have read the guardian environment section for a year and when it comes to getting a job I get the impression employers think the same. Environmental engineering is mostly where the jobs are, not just knowing why climate change happens.

If I don't go now, I'll go travelling/work abroad

I know what I'd be doing if I was 18 again…

Do any of the unis have records of employment achievements of former graduates?
What is the standard of tutor?
I ask that because in my daughters case a lecturer/tutor was venting off about the quality of reports her class year was handing in and that none of the pupils would ever achieve an MA(in Ed) My daughter put her hand up and politely informed said lecturer that she already had on(MA art/design)and did she?
Tutor about turned and walk out ❗
My daughter is/was stunned at the quality of tutor on her teacher training course compared to her art one where most of her tutors had worked or were still working on national and international magazines and companies.

My son is currently attending Bolton uni on a construction deg. His class and some in previous years have had problems with a lecturer who has`n t got a clue. ie e-mailing students telling them he has made mistakes in their assignments etc ❗

Sometimes I am glad to be simple………………

In my view, there are a lot of idiots in teaching. I know, because I was taught by them. I suspect you can get teach at PGCE level simply by being a teacher for a long time, so it's hardly surprising.

I've had a few below par undergrad lecturers, generally Phd students being arm twisted into teaching a few research methods modules. Actual full time teaching staff have been very good in my opinion, almost all Phds.

My son is currently attending Bolton uni on a construction deg. His class and some in previous years have had problems with a lecturer who has`n t got a clue. ie e-mailing students telling them he has made mistakes in their assignments etc

The clue's in the 'Bolton uni' bit…

I work for a waste disposal company and we are currently working on a number projects like waste to energy and waste to ethanol. There is a lot of work going on in the waste sector at the moment and lots of the bigger companies are investing in new plants.

My degree is in Environmental Engineering (did alot of work on landfill design) and have been in the waste sector for the last 13 years. Its a growth industrya theres always going to be waste produced. It will get less and less over the years to come but it will always be there.

Remember the saying "wheres theres muck, theres brass". Its true!!

I doubt environmental science has a significantly worse outlook than lots other courses at the moment, and probably better than many.

I think the key to uni is to do something you're interested in that also has decent prospects*. If you're passionate about your subject then getting the right balance between parties and assignments is much easier.

*A school friend of mine started on an Accountancy course claiming it would make him rich, he hated the course and consequently did very poorly spending all his money and time in the SU bar. After the first year he switched to Pharmacy where he was much happier, started working and graduated with a 2(i).

skiprat – WtE is what I wanna do innit. Any pointers?

Thanks for the really informative replies everybody, very helpful.

@ Trekster. Looking at the course, it's very technically based, with a large amount of engineering software (Altium Designer, EWB Multisim, HP VEE, MATLAB & Simulink, ABAQUS, AutoCAD, Fluent, ProEngineer, SolidWorks) use being part of the course. It's very much focused around these technical aspects, rather than just being an 'environment related' umbrella course. At least that's how it appears.

I'm 21 years old as well, messed up my A-Levels completely, hence why I went to college for two years. Fortunately getting a decent end grade at said college ( No waiting for exam results, I already have those)

I'm not just considering this due everybody else going either, I genuinely cannot get a job anywhere at the moment, although a part time job gives me a bit of money, as well as plenty of riding time! The Job Centre is an absolute joke, so we won't even go there..

I don't drink either, so p*ssing a student loan up the SU toilet wall wouldn't be so much of an issue.

I'll be visiting the university in question for a look round soon anyway.

And yes, travelling is still an option..

Ciao 😉

Jimmy – i came into this company 10 years ago to build the hazardous waste side of the business. My boss was/is just a very forward thinking man who is willing to take chances with his own money.

To get into the waste to energy side you need to look into the smaller but strong waste companies. The big boys are still very landfill orientated as they need to fill the holes in the ground up. We had one wanting to buy us out just so they could stop us going forward!! Once we get fully up and running on this side of the bussiness, we'll be taking waste from all over yorkshire and other areas of the UK as we one site on the side of the docks, one has sea and rail links and another has rail. All are along the M62 so have good road links. Getting the waste off the road is nice and green too, so customers think your super green!!

What are you doing/wher you working now?