Sydney Life

By now you are probably looking at your UAc preferences, trying to decide what to choose,and which order to place them in. If you are anything like me, this is a harrowing task that I see as entirely unnecessary during the festive season!

One of the biggest predicaments facing me was the choice between 'generalist' and 'vocational' degrees. My first UAC preference was Arts/Law, and everyone I knew seemed to think this was an acceptable choice. I assume this was because they thought I'd get a job easily when I graduated. But my other preferences were degrees like Arts (Media and Communications), Arts (Languages), Liberal Studies and Arts/Commerce. My Mum would constantly ask me why I would want to study for over 3 years if I wouldn't walk out with a specific job in mind. Even now, when I tell people I major in History, their common response is to tilt their heads slightly sideways, squint in puzzlement and ask, "And what can you do with that when you've finished?"

A lot of people want to go to uni so that they can get a job. And unless your last name is Murdoch, chances are you'll need a job at some point, and uni is a great place to start! But some people go to uni with a specific career in mind. Usually, they will choose 'vocational' degrees like Veterinary Science, Engineering, Pharmacy, Medicine, Dentistry, Physiotherapy and Education. These degrees are specifically tailored to help you learn what you need to know to work in these fields.

Other people might choose 'generalist' degrees - a degree which doesn't necessarily lead to any one vocation. Examples of these include Science, Arts, Commerce, Visual Arts, Health Sciences, Law and Economics and Social Sciences. When you finish studying these degrees, you have numerous opportunities awaiting you, depending on which subjects you study within these courses.

Doing a generalist degree, like Liberal Studies (possibly the most general of the generalist degrees!) allows you to study a variety of subjects. Even if you know what career path you'd like to take, studying other subjects can be really rewarding, informative and fun! I have a friend who's always wanted to be an accountant, but she is doing a Science/Commerce degree so that she can major in accounting, but also study things like Psychology, Biology and all other things scient-terrific!

By now, I am used to people asking me what the 'point' of doing a generalist degree is. I think that studying a few different subjects is good if you're unsure of what you want to do eventually: it gives you a taste of different fields and it will also expose you to different kinds of people. Employers see general degrees (and double degrees) as advantageous because potential employees will be wel-rounded and have generic skills that will assist them in completing different tasks.

Considering most of us will change careers at least three times in our lives, doing a generalist degree can be a really big advantage, as you'll know a little about a lot!