Degree

[Tengu]

Yes, I would agree with that.

I have been reading academic books since I was big enough to pick one up, but it took me a degree course to understand how to use it, and how to understand the referencing.

 

[Paul_B]

A ) What is your Degree in?
BEng(hons) Energy Engineering (mechanical)

B ) Did you have to pay for your Degree?
No. Day release through work when i was mid twenties.

C ) Do you actually use your Degree in a relevant way to your current Job ?

Yep. But a function of getting the degree after getting into a career. Not my first choice of career but left school at 16 in a recession and got strongarmed into an apprenticeship by my parents.

D ) If you had your time again - would you have you advise yourself to do the same subject? or maybe forgo the Degree path entirely?
Would still probably be in some kind of engineering as it was in the family. (Really wanted aviation) Was not a studious person, more practical, so found it hard going. But would probably advise myself to do a degree again as for me it unlocked a different level of thought processes and ways of approaching problem solving.

I was at Leeds university and I believe the energy engineers had a rivalry with mech engineers. Something along the lines of energy engineering students learning everything mech eng students did but with energy engineering on top. There was a short and quick saying about it that the energy lot had. Although it might have just been a friendly rivalry between the only in two people I actually knew say leeds dog b those subjects.

My engineering course shared the odd course with mech, energy, chemical, civil and structural engineering. It was run by a lecturer in civil/structural engineering with architecture and a lecturer in architecture. The former used to wind the latter up by saying architects draw pretty pictures and a structural engineer designed it. Despite lecturing in architecture as well as structural engineering he had a negative attitude towards architects.

I think there's a sometimes healthy and sometimes unhealthy rivalry between certain courses.

 

[Paul_B]

Different way of looking at things? It's not just university that did this for me but school too.

I went to a further grammar school that went independent when the local council started shutting grammar schools down. As a result it had to charge fees but it also offered full scholarships for bright local kids just the ones helped by grammars originally. The teaching was rigorous and aimed high, but the most important part was that they worked on developing the child to think critically. A different way of looking at things you could say.

One big influence read GCSE English teacher who woke my awareness and critical thought big time. Another was a guy who left school at 13, eventually got a job at my school as a caretaker and while working got his o levels and a levels. Even got a degree in English literature then teaching qualification. He then came back as a teacher at the school he started at as caretaker. When I joined the school he was 60+ and deputy head. He only taught what was called tumble then later on in our school career it became general studies a levels. The purpose of those classes were to round the child out. A scientist learns literature, music and art. A humanities or arts based student learnt science, computer programming, etc. We all had our educational gaps filled in.