Should I finish my degree?

Question

I am 2 months into the third and final year of my BA hons graphic design degree. But I'm not happy with it anymore, I hate going into lectures and I find the work a drag. I have thought about taking a year out to work, or find some work experience, then going back to it.

Another option is to quit my degree, and find a job, but what are my prospects? Do employers avoid taking on people who didn't finish their degrees? I still want to go into graphic design, but I feel so lost at the moment.

I would love to hear from people who were/are in similar situations and their opinions.

Answer 1

When I was in college I remember someone quitting their course in their last month. This caused them not to get credit for their two year BTEC qualification. I never did understand it.

Seriously, you have a few months left. Coast if you have to, do the minimum you can get away with. But at least finish the degree. To throw it away now is utterly stupid, you will have wasted over two years of your life.

As an employer myself (you asked about that) I would view you as a loser. Someone that starts something and doesn't have the will power or commitment to follow through. I think I would rather hire someone with no degree than someone that dropped out because they were bored or it was too hard for them.

Forget about taking a year off. By the time you do that, one year will lead to two, and before you know it you will never complete your degree. It's very hard to go back to a degree after quitting for a while. You go from the real world of employment back to doing tedious little projects where you pretend to be doing your real job. It sucks. I've been there, done that.

So cut back on the lectures. Put less effort in. Coast to a 2:2 if you can get it, and move on with your life. You will do a lot better in the future if you take this advice.

Answer 2

If you really find the work a drag, then who's to say that you won't find actual work as a graphic designer a "drag" too.

I think you should try to strike out on your own a little. Let's face it, graphic design jobs are quite competitive, but if you can produce masterpieces of graphic design to show people, they might be impressed enough to take you on. You could even try this while still signed up at uni, someone may "rescue" you early if you put yourself about

If its what you really want to do in your heart of hearts, go and do it for REAL and don't worry too much about lectures and all that crud.

First: work out if you really want to do it, and whether you are good at it or not, if you are, just do it: endure the lectures, get through the year with a pass, you get the rubber stamp of a degree, which even if you just scrape through is always better than 2/3 of a degree.

Answer 3

Hi Jo.

Well, what ever you do DON'T give up.

You CAN do it.

If you feel you need a rest then by all means have a rest. There is nothing wrong with that.

Completing your degree is significant to employers because it shows them that you can learn and retain information to a high level. It also shows that you can take on a task and see it through to the end. It shows commitment.

It does not surprise me that you are getting tired at this stage of the degree. Motivation and momentum can be lost or slow down at this stage. It is not unusual and there are a lot of students who feel the same way as you do. There were times when I felt like giving it all up when I was at uni. I stayed with it and have 3 degrees, one of which is a masters degree.

Talk to a councillor or tutor at your uni. They are very helpful and will help you arrive at a realistic decision.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Answer 4

I always say to my kids..."if you have the chance to better yourself..do it" and" don't be a quitter, if you start something, finish it." I also went to school for graphics design and I agree, It is nerve racking but I am glad I did, (even after being out of school for 25 years) now I have a great job and I can give my family what they need without "skrimping". Finish your degree, all the hard work you did so far won't mean a thing to an employer except prove you are a quitter if you don't finish.

Answer 5

You should definitely talk to a tutor or an academic counsellor about your decision, check out all your possible options.

I would definitely advise you to finish, but taking time out might not be such a bad idea - if you lose motivation entirely then you'll probably end up doing badly in your final year and not end up with a good degree. My brother got really disenchanted in his final year and ended up failing.

Having a degree isn't the be all and end all, especially in graphic design where your portfolio is really important too, but with so many graduates floating around desperate for jobs, it just gives them one advantage over you if you don't graduate.

Good luck with it, whatever you decide!

Answer 6

I have a friend who is in a slightly similar situation as you. Problem with my friend was that they were always being lazy, always kept thinking outside of the box. You know how it is, you spend so much time of ur life studying & going to school. That u have limitations to what you can do in ur free time, due to coursework, portfolios, assignments, project group work etc...

Well my friend was already behind her studies, she didn do anything for her final 2 modules & then she fell pregnant. So she kept on getting morning sickness etc. Well she did all her modules except one, she didn bother & applied for some kinda extension or something so she could retake the only module that she was referred on. Well this was round May time, she was supposed to graduate this year & now she has yet still to get back to the University & finish off her last month. I mean she could've atleast prepared in the meanwhile then rang the uni & arrange for a time to give the work & graduate. But her attention span is short. Realistically you have only 5/6 months left, you should complete ur course, u've gotten this far already & u say that u'd love to be a designer in ur future career. then why not? even apply online for graduate jobs/replacements just to motivate u even more.

Answer 7

Definitely finish it, because you really haven't got long to go! It will be so much easier to find employment with a degree, and you can always do whatever you want after you've graduated.
I'm only in second year, and sometimes feel it would be so much easier and more fun to go and be a waiter or something, but I can't see myself doing that all my life, and with a degree qualification, so many more doors will be open. Good Luck

Answer 8

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Answer 9

alls i can say is do what your heart tells u as no one knows how u really feel , if you are happy to take a year out do it . i took a year out and found it was the right thing to do . im back at uni now .

Answer 10

Finish your Degree, your gone past half way, there's no point throwing in the towel now, you can always work at something else after college but you'll have your dergree which proves you can finish what you start....