Does the uni you get your Commerce degree from affect your employment prospects? (1 Viewer)

[gapathetic]

Just wondering if it really matters which uni you get your commerce degree from. In terms of chances of employment, rate of pay etc. Or is commerce the type of degree where companies look for skills instead of what uni you went to?


cheers

 

[Azure]

From my experience, a commerce degree from either UTS, Macquarie, USYD or UNSW are regarded pretty evenly in accounting (and in probably most other commerce related fields). There is an emphasis however on grades, extra curricular activities and work experience.

 

[mitchy_boy]

UNSW and USYD grads will get best grad jobs.
MQ and UTS do alright.
The rest have to work harder I guess. (this has come from everything I've read on here.)

But if you have good extracurriculars and epic marks, you can get a great job from a lower uni.

the problem lies in the sheer number of graduates flooding the markets each year

also depends on major.

 

[Azure]

^^ Absolutely incorrect (edit: not you but what people usually post on BOS - usually 2010ers or people without real experience) - which university you go to is largly irrelevant in the field of commerce. The firm I was at had a majority of MQ graduates.

From first hand experience, many employers actually hold UTS, MQ and USYD in the same regards.

What you can do to seperate yourself from other graduates is to focus on maintaining a high GPA, and getting involved in extra-curriculars and gaining some work experience like I mentioned before. Commerce is a highly practical field, and this is therefore what employers look for rather than which institute you spent the last three years at.

 

[ninetypercent]

actuarial => Macquarie

for Finance, Accounting => UNSW and USYD

but UNSW is the king of Commerce

 

[twistedrebel]

no offense azure, but other people who have gone for grad jobs say this "majority at assessment day/interview are from UNSW/Uysd, and maybe 2-3 from maq/UTS and barely anything from the rest"

 

[mitchy_boy]

^^ Absolutely incorrect - which university you go to is largly irrelevant in the field of commerce. The firm I was at had a majority of MQ graduates.

From first hand experience, many employers actually hold UTS, MQ and USYD in the same regards.

What you can do to seperate yourself from other graduates is to focus on maintaining a high GPA, and getting involved in extra-curriculars and gaining some work experience like I mentioned before. Commerce is a highly practical field, and this is therefore what employers look for rather than which institute you spent the last three years at.

as i said my opinions have formed from what i've read of this site.

but i think you'll find that employers may choose graduates from certain unis as they are more competitive to get into, and maintain a high mark at. it shows hardwork, and motivation. i was told this by someone who has actually had to go about hiring graduates for a grad position.

 

[Azure]

no offense azure, but other people who have gone for grad jobs say this "majority at assessment day/interview are from UNSW/Uysd, and maybe 2-3 from maq/UTS and barely anything from the rest"

I've worked for three accounting firms (two mid-tiers and one big four) via cadetships/work experience, plus know quite a few people in the commerce field (most from MQ) and can say this is sounds largly over exaggerated.

Actually had a pretty interesting convo with a HR manager at one of the firms I worked at and her opinion was pretty much the same. She said university is kind of the foundation, or the starting line. It's what you do with your degree that really matters.

as i said my opinions have formed from what i've read of this site.

but i think you'll find that employers may choose graduates from certain unis as they are more competitive to get into, and maintain a high mark at. it shows hardwork, and motivation. i was told this by someone who has actually had to go about hiring graduates for a grad position.

I wasn't knocking you - you're only going off what you've read here, as I said.

 

[Deathless]

The most important things are:
(1) how well you do in a degree (whether it is commerce or anything else)
(2) work experience
(3) what you try to do with your degree

A degree's prestige matters more in the UK than in Australia. Experience matters more in Australia.

 

[seremify007]

Agreed with the above but you can't deny that in a lot of grad jobs in industry, the majority seem to come from a minority of universities.

 

[Azure]

I actually wouldn't mind seeing some statistics. There was a site somewhere that gives statistics that are two years behind that I can't seem to remember. According to a careers advisor at uni its inaccurate since not everybody opts to complete the survey when they graduate, but I guess it would still be interesting.

Does anyone know what site I'm talking about?

 

[Shadowdude]

Graduate Careers Australia?

 

[gapathetic]

thanks guys.

to Azure: i was thinking of majoring in accounting. and at MQ now. So it was good to know from someone in this field.

 

[Studentleader]

You have to consider the people most likely to apply for the grad jobs are from UNSW/USyd hence why most of the grads are from UNSW/USyd

Go8 unis have more like minded peers in terms of getting grad jobs though MQ should be fine

 

[RDX]

Maybe a bit for your first job, but shouldn't be too much of an affect assuming you get decent grades etc.

 

[ZAvenger]

Think of uni as branding. Your own branding. As you move on in your career you'll have more brands to slap onto it. So thinking of it in that way, the perception of where you went to uni is quite important. Yes all the unis sort of teach the same thing and you need to do well to get a good grad job, but what uni you go to does matter. People who say it doesn't aren't actually going to one of those which matter.

Having worked with many HR people as part of a student society and having had friends go through internships and grad jobs, I can safely say that UNSW and USyd grads do better at the bigger firms. So if you're thinking Big4 Accounting or retail banking you should really consider UNSW (or USYD if you really have to, but personally I think I'd rather go Macquarie than USYD).

 

[Omnidragon]

Nah it doens't. You should go to the $hittest uni possible...

 

[gapathetic]

but personally I think I'd rather go Macquarie than USYD).

why would you rather go macquarie than usyd?

 

[Shadowdude]

Sydney is lol.

See Good Uni Guide.

 

[Studentleader]

UMelb