where do you go to university/TAFE, and what do you do?

[NickyJ]

^ And you're not wearing pants at all I take it? :D

 

[lostpunk5545]

What the hell are pants?

 

[yawning man]

Ballarat uni, Tafe - Cert IV Mental Health/AOD.

Loving it!!!!

 

[NickyJ]

THANK FUCK THIS SEMESTER IS FINALLY OVER!!!

Still rocking a distinction average in my MBA, 5 subjects down, 7 to go :D

I've thought quite a bit about changing down to a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration because I was getting so sick of not having any spare time. I'll wait and see how I feel once I get to the 8 subject mark before I decide on that

 

[xshivaspacetechnol]

I'm a bond uni boy, but will be paying for it for the rest of my life!

 

[tyrael]

'bond uni'? HECS?

During my enrolment year my degree costs me 31 grand! Compared with my ex who is a nurse and got a HECS debt of 12 grand. Fucken jipt!

 

[xshivaspacetechnol]

Bond University on the Gold Coast was what I was referring too. Unfortunately being a private institution the only government assistance I can get is 'FEE-HELP' that's similar to HECS etc, still paying off my HECS debt from my time at QUT.

Oh shit Tyrael, were you at Bond too? My fees are now 83,000 for the full course compared to 15,000 at a public uni (QUT)

 

[NickyJ]

Uni fees are thoroughly out of control these days and I think it's only going to get worse. I paid $600 per subject for my undergrad degree and am now paying $2000 per subject for my postgrad degree 10 years later.

Nursing and education degrees are always cheaper because they're a government priority.

 

[Busty St Clare]

I have to attend a compulsory 65 hours of continuing education every couple of years and they are a complete rort. $5000 for 2 days is about average. You do get lunch an tea and coffee thrown in though 8)

The only saving grace is I can claim them on tax so I try to make sure they are somewhere nice to tack on a holiday. Got to love a 3-4 day course held at a ski field

 

[sydkiwi]

Yeah I believe education, nursing and science are the cheapest degrees. I'm going overseas on student exchange and while I pay fees back to Newcastle uni rather than the overseas institution, I also can take out an OS-Help loan for some extra cash (up to $5600 but there was certain criteria like having a credit agreement for studies overseas with with the arts and education faculty at Newcastle and still having at least a semester left when I get back) to pay for my travels.

 

[NickyJ]

Science is definitely not a cheap degree, it requires a shit load of specialised equipment etc compared to something like business or law which just requires a chair to sit on.

Nice one, Busty! The holiday part that is, not so much the $5000 for 2 days. Do you at least get espresso or do they feed you International Roast?

 

[Busty St Clare]

I drink tea so I usually get twinnings or some lamo herbal tea shit.

I'm doing a botox and dermal fillers course in September but it is Brissie which kind of sucks and I have to give Soundwave a miss

 

[tyrael]

Oh shit Tyrael, were you at Bond too? My fees are now 83,000 for the full course compared to 15,000 at a public uni (QUT)

Nar UoA, and right after (one of the) the IT crash(es)!! Less demand in the profession! fees went up! TER's went up! >_< Stupid me ey!

Uni fees are thoroughly out of control these days and I think it's only going to get worse.

Agreed. One thing I did noticed though, and I guess this is (probably) Uni/degree dependant, that amount of people who graduated in my year and either "just" scraped passed or I'm amazed at all how they did! Granted I was never a HD student, but I comfortably kept my C average and got offered Honors. Still, I look at some and just think fuck! lol. My point being, a Bachlors Degree is no longer some "ultra high, unattainable piece of paper, only for the nerds or academics". Too much "profession saturation", maybe for all?/most?/just some? professions, definitely IT.

/jumps off soapbox/

Nursing and education degrees are always cheaper because they're a government priority.

And agreed, but understandable! (still shits me! lol)

I'm going overseas on student exchange

Good luck! Personally I reckon the Government should pay for/subsidise overseas exchanges for all Uni students! As cliche and it sounds you'll be surprised how much you'll learn, even about ya self! Especially if you're not originally for a capital city/big city and end up going to one. (fuck I sound old lol). Good times, good memories! I studied at a Japanese Uni for half a year (was doing my Adv. Dip in Lang. at the time along side my Bachelors) and absolutely loved it!

 

[sydkiwi]

Good luck! Personally I reckon the Government should pay for/subsidise overseas exchanges for all Uni students! As cliche and it sounds you'll be surprised how much you'll learn, even about ya self! Especially if you're not originally for a capital city/big city and end up going to one. (fuck I sound old lol). Good times, good memories! I studied at a Japanese Uni for half a year (was doing my Adv. Dip in Lang. at the time along side my Bachelors) and absolutely loved it!

Nice!!! I thought about going to Japan but I thought I'd actually need to know more Japanese than 'kon ichi wa' I'm going to Hong Kong so should be an interesting experience.

Am also getting travel grant from the uni to help pay for airfares and a scholarship from the government on top of loan I also believe if you get Austudy, it still gets paid to you while your overseas as well. What I'm getting to pay for my trip is ok but if I was going to the USA or Canada I'd need to go see the bank manager.

 

[NickyJ]

Agreed. One thing I did noticed though, and I guess this is (probably) Uni/degree dependant, that amount of people who graduated in my year and either "just" scraped passed or I'm amazed at all how they did! Granted I was never a HD student, but I comfortably kept my C average and got offered Honors. Still, I look at some and just think fuck! lol. My point being, a Bachlors Degree is no longer some "ultra high, unattainable piece of paper, only for the nerds or academics". Too much "profession saturation", maybe for all?/most?/just some? professions, definitely IT.

This is actually to do with reduced government funding for universities and it shits me right up the wall. All universities in Australia are pretty hard up for cash these days and have been for a while now and often take the approach of pushing all their students through (even if they're utterly useless) just to keep their retention rates up and keep the money coming in. If they fail someone they're more likely to drop out which means lost revenue.

Of course it's a double edged sword, if uni's keep putting all these useless bastards out in the workforce their reputation will soon go to shit and enrolments will drop. It really annoys me because there are sooooo many utterly incompetent people already in the workforce with the same qualification I have, they're certainly not doing me any favours.

I am very pleased to say that at least some parts of my uni is waking up to this and are marking a bit harder and failing some people. Mind you, this is postgrad course work where people are probably a bit more serious about their degrees in the 1st place.

I've always thought uni was far too easy. After all, I was virtually stoned for the entire duration of my undergrad degree, how hard could it have been?

 

[tyrael]

.... and it shits me right up the wall....

Glad I'm not the only one.

....Of course it's a double edged sword, if uni's keep putting all these useless bastards out in the workforce their reputation will soon go to shit and enrolments will drop. It really annoys me because there are sooooo many utterly incompetent people already in the workforce with the same qualification I have, they're certainly not doing me any favours....

Too true. Specifically in IT, I often see, think the stereotypical nerd, able to program (or whatever, IT can obviously be very general) perfectly, yet with absolute no people skills! Meh, it's not my career on the line. I personally think, although maybe not having a HD average, I actually have people skills to be able to talk with a client!

....I've always thought uni was far too easy....

Agreed again. Yet again, most people who go into IT have been building website/software/networks/etc long before even thinking about Uni.

 

[vanth]

Yeah science degrees are definitely not cheap, for the reasons nickyj mentioned. Also the contact hours per week are high so that increases the cost as well. Plus the fucking text books. I had one that was something like $180 this year.

 

[OPP]

Around 10 years ago I did a Diploma of Marketing and Diploma of Business and then found out that I hated working in an office!!

Now I'm a few months away from finishing my carpentry apprenticeship.
Did my Cert 4 of Building over the last two years.

I think that I need to learn to keep myself interested. Thinking of going to uni next year to do something that actually really interests me like psychology or veterinary science.

Or join the airforce and fly FA18s!! Now that would be cool.

Each time I do a course I learn something obviously but also about myself.

 

[NickyJ]

The text for my last business subject cost $175! Can't decide whether I should sell it now or not

What science are you doing, Vanthy Pants?

 

[tyrael]

Yeah science degrees are definitely not cheap, for the reasons nickyj mentioned. Also the contact hours per week are high so that increases the cost as well. Plus the fucking text books. I had one that was something like $180 this year.

Yes! Although I only bought the text book if I knew I would use it in my career. Otherwise I'd borrow/photocopy the required pages. IT text books are ridiculously expensive!