Graduates regret not studying vocational degrees

Nearly half of graduates, 44 percent, regret not studying a more vocational degree, research has revealed.

Mike Fetters, graduate director at totaljobs.com, commented: “Despite the economic upturn, graduates are still struggling to find work after university.

“Our research shows that many graduates are starting to wonder if they should have studied for a more vocational qualification as more effective route to employment.

“Although a degree is an essential qualification for some industries, school leavers need to think more carefully about which route to employment is best for them as some may be more suited to an apprenticeship scheme.”

Vicky Daniels, Psychology finalist, is planning to study a postgraduate nursing degree after graduating this summer. She did not believe that studying Psychology was a setback for pursuing a nursing career.

She said: “Psychology is a very broad subject, teaching a number of biological subjects and preparing you for a number of differences in human behaviours and so accepted for the nursing course.”

She added that her experiences and skills from her current agency job at Nurse Plus already adds to her desirability.

When asked what difference it would have made if she had studied a more vocational degree, she said: “Definitely studying nursing in the first place would have been the brightest idea because when I graduate in the summer I would have been graduating straight into a nursing job.

“But there’s no difference in how easy or hard it would have been [to get into the profession].

“Although studying nursing to begin with would have been better for me, I think I needed these three years to grow and to adapt to the requirements and the workload of a degree and also to realise that nursing is what I want to do.”

Florrie Sheehan, second-year Philsophy student, said: “Personally, I think that taking an academic degree helps you more in terms of employment because it teaches you skills that can be applied to a wider variety of career paths.

“Vocational degrees can only teach you skills limited to that one vocation, so when it comes to applying for jobs, people with academic degrees provide a more diverse and flexible skill set”

Daiana Mirzarafie-Ahi, a first-year Philosophy undergraduate also did not regret taking an academic degree rather than a more vocational one: “My future plans [to do something useful, like activism] does not need a vocational course.

She added that she enjoyed studying philosophy and said: “My course is not useful in the way that this society is built – wanting answers. But philosophy is practical in the way that it shapes how we live our lives – veganism was just a quick one that came to mind.”

The survey by totaljobs.com, a UK leading job board, in December 2013 also revealed that nearly 40 percent of graduates are still out of work after six months and a quarter are job hunting a year on.

A third of graduates apply for more than 20 jobs a month. On the other hand, the research suggested that one in six graduates apply for fewer than five jobs a month.

Graduates are also willing to travel 35 miles on average to a job interview. One in six, however, would travel over 100 miles for a job interview.

Mr Fetters added: “Graduates need to prepare themselves for the fact that it may take them a few months longer than they thought to find the job they want. Though the job hunting process can be long, graduate jobs are incredibly rewarding.”

Graduate and trainee jobs, however, were up slightly by two percent, recent totaljobs.com data from 2013 showed.

The survey was conducted by totaljobs.com in December 2013 with 676 graduates.