In my experience, however, a degree is very helpful to working in HE, for several reasons.

1) It shows you have an interest in, and an aptitude for, the central service/product on offer by the university or college you are applying to – education is at the core of their business and their values, and you would be best placed if you can demonstrate the role it has had in your life as well.

2) Higher education is an increasingly complex and dynamic industry, and advanced studies lend themselves to the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are valued in that kind of environment.  Having a degree doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be a flexible, adaptable, pro-active employee, but it may show that you have a pre-disposition towards this.

3) Working with others who have advanced degrees and/or who are at the top of their field – you won’t automatically be able to get the respect you deserve from a fellow staff member just because you’ve got some letters behind your name, but when you’re working in a place that places a great deal of importance on teaching and research, you may find it easier if you know your quantitative from qualitative evidence, and are able to demonstrate this tangibly not only from your professional working history, but also from having taken appropriate courses at some stage in your career.

All of this will of course depend to a certain extent the role that you have as well as your relationship with your peers and of course the institutional culture where you work.  But in my experience, you will likely find it easier to get settled in a new role if you have had some prior experience of university-level study and how a university organizes itself.  And certainly as a hiring manager, with all else being equal, I would certainly prioritise an applicant or a candidate for promotion who showed a continuing interest in their own personal and/or professional education, and would certainly encourage him or her to take courses at the institution.

Another option to consider is joining professional networks and memberships.  Most professionals working in higher education (on either the academic or administrative side) hold multiple memberships of relevant professional organisations, which are also selective and often also require studies at an appropriate level in order to gain membership.

There may be a “degree” of academic snobbery at work here, in that members of the academy expect that others in the organisation should have achieved a similar standard of education. But when you think about it in terms of an institution’s brand values and mission in society, what does it say if they conclude a degree isn’t important to success?

In my fairly short career so far I’ve been in departments that have closed, ones that have been restructured and in places where voluntary and compulsory redundancies occur so here are my tips for dealing with these sort of issue:

1 – Get your head out of the sand

Anyone who has been watching Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe recently will realise that change is inevitable, and as the ‘arrow of time’ moves on, all things will eventually change. Recognising this helps massively in being prepared to deal with these situations.

2 – Communicate!

A lack of communications from others can have a negative impact, while effective communications can have a positive one. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, you need details about the change, so that you can determine how it affects you. Don’t just sit back and wait for things to happen.

3 – Keep doing your job

Although times of change can be very uncertain try to avoid the temptation of ‘if I might not have a job why should I bother’ attitude. If you keep on with your work you never know who you might impress, particularly if others are not putting in 100%.

4 – Be Positive

Keeping a positive attitude can help you deal with the uncertainties of change. For example, instead of worrying about changes you will have to make, focus instead on how you can leverage your existing skills and experience. Looking for opportunities in the new organisation, and becoming involved, will hasten your adjustment.

The session started with a 15-minute brainstorming on the craziest ideas the students could come up with, followed by a half-hour session on actually developing the idea that they chose to go with. The students had to do that in teams. To help them with this stage, I gave them a template with the main points they would have to develop – such as what gave them the inspiration, what distinguished them from any competitors, or what their market entry strategy would be.  After that, each team would present their idea in front of their classmates, answer questions and receive feedback. All this of course in a fun and informal way.

I was impressed by the ideas that came up. Some had to do with sports, but several were about completely different topics, such as the environment, non-smoking, teaching and learning etc. The ideas were presented with a good sense of humour, yet most presentations were also comprehensive and well thought. Some of the ideas were pretty original and I thought that they might actually have a good chance of being successful in the real world. More than anything, it looked like the students involved had a lot of fun, learned a lot and were pushed to broaden their horizons and to think “out of the box”.

a)      Why not enroll in a professional course? Unless you have your mind set on science-heavy subjects, a professional course on your chosen field from a private organisation may prove as beneficial as a higher education degree and has other advantages. It will normally be shorter – thus hopefully cost less, it will give you practical experience in your field as opposed to theory-focused university courses, it will allow you to enter the workforce quickly, and it will provide you with an excellent knowledge base and a competitive advantage if you are still serious about pursuing higher education studies in the future.
b)      Why not enter the workforce? It is a myth that every job requires a higher education degree. In fact, lots of very successful professionals and entrepreneurs never went to university and still thrived. If you have always wanted to train in some profession or start your own business, go ahead. You will have to estimate your resources and gather information and help, but it will be a valuable learning and career-building experience. Also remember that many of the top firms out there offer experience placements for school leavers, so make sure you check those schemes out too.
c)       Why not combine travelling with volunteering? The traditional “gap year” is always a tempting alternative. Just make sure that you do something useful with it, such as take part in one of those programmes which will help you travel the world for a good cause. If you opt for this alternative, make sure you make the most out of this experience, as it will make valuable material for your CV, be it to build your career or enter university at a later stage.
d)      Why not try again next year? If you are really set on a higher education degree, then study harder and make it your goal for next year. At the same time, try to develop your interests and personality as well. Take up a new hobby, learn a foreign language, attend conferences and seminars, read papers on your sector of interest. This will make you more knowledgeable and confident, and this confidence will shine through your applications and admissions interviews.

Ceremonies took place at the Guildford Cathedral, which looked much bigger and nicer than I thought. The place was literally huge – probably with a 6,000 seating capacity or even more, which felt a little daunting.

The preparation for ceremonies

Once inside the cathedral, we were given our gowns to put on, were briefed on our duties and off we went. I was in charge of seating guests, and as there are no designated seats apart from a few honorary guests, everybody else had to go first come first serve. As you may imagine, there were occasional complaints about restricted view, not getting isle seats (how could all of the 1,000+ guests get isle seats, I don’t know), not wanting to sit in the middle of the row, but it was fine most of the time and most guests were lovely. Once a ceremony was over, we had to help them guests and graduates out of the cathedral as soon as possible, clean up the place, put new graduation booklets on each seat – imagine three or four people being in charge of 6,000 seats – and prepare for the guests of the next ceremony to arrive. As I was expecting, lunch resembled a sprint, but I could still have a nice sandwich and a fruit paid by my institution, so no complaints there.

The ceremonies

The ceremonies were quite impressive given the venue, the organ music, the procession of senior staff and academics in gowns, and the general happy-emotional climate that always characterizes such events. During the ceremonies was the only time when I could relax and sit down to rest my sore feet. I didn’t feel envious of people who have to stand on their feet for a living. Despite the tension of the day, I really enjoyed attending the ceremonies, watching our students get their awards full of pride, and their families and friends clap and cheer and take pictures and videos of them.

It was a really nice experience and I felt good about being part of it and contributing my bit in the day’s success. The organizers can count on me to be there again at the next ones in March.

Well, our next one is late this week, and our Events Office was looking for members of staff to volunteer to help. Needless to say, as I have never done it before – at least not from the non-student side, I happily offered my time to do it.

The distribution of roles

There will be people checking tickets and stopping non-ticket holders from sneaking in, people responsible for seating students and guests (I’m in the latter category), people who will be directing students towards the stage, and other people who will be helping them back to their seats. At the end of the day, we will all be expected to help clean up the place, and we will also be tidying up in between ceremonies. It is going to be a busy and full day. What I like the most is that we will all be wearing the gowns of the universities we graduated from, so I’m expecting that us stewards will be a very colourful crowd.

The challenges of the day

1) Getting to the venue: my institution used to be part of the University of Surrey up until a few years ago, so graduation ceremonies are still held at that university’s emblematic Guildford Cathedral. Having never been there, it is going to be a challenge for me to commute and manage my time so that I get there early enough.

2) Getting there early enough: we are expected to be at the venue at 8:15 am (yuk!) to be briefed, put on our gowns, and familiarize ourselves with the place. This means I will need to leave home at around 7:00 am, and wake up before 6:30. Now that is a major challenge!

3) Because the time between each ceremony is very short, lunch is going to be another challenge. We will basically need to sneak out to have a very quick bite – a sandwich or something light and quick – and come back in as soon as we can manage.

I will be posting about my experience later this week, so stay tuned!

Can universities help?

In my opinion, universities can and must help. Here are a number of suggestions, although the list is by no means exhaustive:

1. Create some sort of ‘skills sessions’ which will help students get an idea of what soft skills employers are looking for. This is particularly relevant to those looking for a graduate job in the current market
2. In line with the above, incorporate more practical elements in modules. Theory is great and useful but no employer will ever judge a candidate on his or her knowledge of theory, unless of course the candidate is applying for an academic-type job.
3. Actively help students have a plan B (and if necessary, even a plan C) by pointing them to alternative directions that may suit their professional goals. Alternatives can range from volunteer work and internships to working abroad, pursuing further studies and starting their own business
4. More courses offered at universities need to include industry placements. Competition is fierce and some sort of industry exposure is not only valued but expected by most employers nowadays. Unbelievable as it may sound, I know of graduates who have been rejected from graduate, entry-level jobs due to lack of relevant experience.
5. Offer mentoring schemes, ideally with alumni and/or peers who have managed to find their way through the recession and have landed jobs/internships/placements.