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10% of what you learn? (1 Viewer)

noneother

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Is it true that you only use 10% of what you learn at university in the work force?
 

Atticus.

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wikiwiki said:
is it true that frogs are more surreal than crunchy buildings?

no statistics are ever true. 90% of statisticians agree.
i heard that 90% of statistics were made up?
 

Raiks

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AtticusFinch said:
i heard that 90% of statistics were made up?
That's actually wrong, it's 73.6% of statistics are made up, 87.3% of statisticians argree while the other 24.2% display different opinions.

Uni is different to such things as apprenticeships as a lot of things are theory rather than practical but it doesn't mean you don't learn them. A lot of the stuff you learn applies in your general development in learning rather than the practicalities but there's no definite rule, it changes from degree to degree, course to course, subject to subject, tutorial to tutorial...
 

stazi

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it makes a lot of sense. You learn the theory in uni but applying it in practice is different.
 

braindrainedAsh

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Well my statistics say that you don't actually remember 66.4578364% of what you learn at uni, so if you don't remember it how can you use it?
 
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Shuter

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It's probably more like 90% of the time at work you only apply 10% of your uni knowledge... but you damn well better be able to call on your other 90% pool of knowledge you possess in certian situations (depending on the job).
 
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LeftrightOut

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Depends on your degree, depends on your job.

University isn't just about learning your subject matter, you should also be able to pick up a large chunk of negotiation skills and create social networks. Those you will probably use more than the subject matter.

If you went to uni to learn about IT and you end up stacking shelves at Coles then I doubt you will use much of what you learnt. So it all depends, I use a fair amount of what I learnt but then again I am teaching those subjects at a lower level now.
 

loquasagacious

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Also while you may not use specifics you have learnt every day you will rely on the background knowledge provided by uni.

Not being specifically trained to perform specific tasks also makes you more flexible (and hence a more valuable asset) in the workplace.
 

PrincessSJ

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lol.. i find that at uni I'm learning a shitload of theory... when I get into a classroom in my head I'm either thinking
a) ooh, ok, that demonstrates theory x; or
b) well there goes theory x out the window....

and I think that once I have all that theory behind me, I'll be able to make more educated decisions about the best way to teach the group of kids I'm faced with in my classroom..

thats my 2c.. enjoy at will
 

yourdad

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wow i would be surprised if any uni was used in the real world. I did "Organisational Behaviour" (managment unit) for an elective, then got a job in the holidays and realised how little use it would be if you were actually in charge of employees, and that was meant to be a 'real life' kinda unit.
 

LeftrightOut

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yourdad said:
wow i would be surprised if any uni was used in the real world. I did "Organisational Behaviour" (managment unit) for an elective, then got a job in the holidays and realised how little use it would be if you were actually in charge of employees, and that was meant to be a 'real life' kinda unit.
No offence but I highly doubt you were at a position in the company where the usage of OB theory would have been much use. The theory is quite good in giving you a ground step to build your own methodology on top of and if you do an MBA or go for any kind of management training at any organisation the same theory will come up again because it works in most cases :)
 

Mambomeg

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Lexicographer said:
I'll probably have to use every single thing I learn at some point in my career.
Myself also.

I think it really depends on how practical the stuff you are learning is, and how it relates to other stuff you are learning. for example, you may not have to recite the names of muscles when in practice, but you sure have to know what you are chopping through when you are in surgery.
 
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xeuyrawp

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noneother said:
Is it true that you only use 10% of what you learn at university in the work force?
What a pointless thread, hunny bunny. Whose truth? What do you learn? What degree? Which Uni? Which work force?
 

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noneother said:
Is it true that you only use 10% of what you learn at university in the work force?


Any statistic that is 10% is hard to believe :p
 

noneother

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PwarYuex said:
What a pointless thread, hunny bunny. Whose truth? What do you learn? What degree? Which Uni? Which work force?
what a pointless reply
 
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xeuyrawp

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noneother said:
what a pointless reply
How was it pointless? This thread is just silly. How can anyone objectively quantify what you learn, and then what you use? Even then, wouldn't everything you learn and use have to also be qualified? Then who's going to do that, how would it be done?

If you're looking for a serious answer, I'd say a lot of what you do in a law degree is used directly- this is information, though. If I end up going to the bar, Ancient History will serve me well as it forces you to learn how to research, write and analyse- this is skills, though. Obviously information's useless if you can't write, and writing's useless if you don't know anything about law.

So how is anyone supposed to answer your question?
 

frog12986

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You know what they say...

"there's lies, damned lies and ...statistics"

The previous reply effectively conveys that it is not necessarily about the content, but rather the skills that one acquires. Many professions require vast amounts of analysis and research, which many of the social sciences, although not relevant, do provide individuals with these necessary skills.
Moreover, the ability to reasearch and analyse don't necessarily need any form of practical application to be useful to an individual, but rather enhance the ability of one to use their mind in a vast aray of situations.
 

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