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Uni V. TAFE

Bulldog Force

Referee
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20,619
One of my old teachers taught at both Tafe and Uni. She left Uni to work at a tafe institute and came to the conclusion that at uni and tafe you learn the same thing, only difference is at uni they don't spoon-feed you. When you think about it, you can get a Diploma and Graduate Diploma from both.
 

Garts

Bench
Messages
4,360
Uni is above TAFE. However I am definately do not take a view that Uni graduates are so much superior to TAFE students. At least from my experience with TAFE students.
 

Martli

Coach
Messages
11,564
My two cents from the other thread:
TAFE is a technical school, with courses designed specifically for jobs, where as University is traditionally a place to study subjects for the sake of studying them as opposed to getting job qualifications. A university's main focus is research, not Job training, whereas TAFE is a pure job training centre. That's why you wouldn't get things like Social Sciences (at least in depth) at TAFE, but you get things like Accounting.

Of course now days University does offer courses that relate to specific careers (Accounting, Law for example), and this sort of blurs the distinction a bit. I think most people see University as a job training centre because most people want to get jobs, which is fair enough, but it can be a little innaccurate. Yes universities do train people for jobs, but that's one slice of a much bigger pie.

So to me it's a bit like apples and oranges. Depends what you want to do. I finish my degree in a year, thinking about doing some short Polytech (NZ TAFE equivalent) stuff over summer/next year at night to give me some actual practical skills as opposed to knowledge of where the hippocampus is or how human memory is organised.
 
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TooheysNew

The one above god
Staff member
Messages
1,386
By that I mean the core subjects are, my degree is a business degree majoring in accounting. A large chunk of my subjects are standard in every business degree.
Still don't agree. The large chunk of your standard subjects, one or two might be accounting. Economics, Law etc have nothing to do with accounting.

One of my old teachers taught at both Tafe and Uni. She left Uni to work at a tafe institute and came to the conclusion that at uni and tafe you learn the same thing, only difference is at uni they don't spoon-feed you. When you think about it, you can get a Diploma and Graduate Diploma from both.
No way, the course structure is completely different. TAFE teaches you to pass assessments. Uni teaches you knowledge.
 

Martli

Coach
Messages
11,564
By that I mean the core subjects are, my degree is a business degree majoring in accounting. A large chunk of my subjects are standard in every business degree.

What year are you in? My first year of accounting was general business related stuff, very generic. Then second, third and fourth years are largely accounting, commercial law, a little bit of finance + electives. It's not really business at all, just a very narrow view of it. But I switched majors after my second year any way :p
 

Martli

Coach
Messages
11,564
Uni teaches you knowledge.

This pretty much sums it up. If you compare it to martial arts, TAFE is like doing martial arts and putting all your energy into progressing to the next belt, whereas uni is about concentrating on the art itself and getting the belts as a natural part of your progression.
 

Jobdog

Live Update Team
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25,695
Having been to both, I must say there isn't a great difference between them. The only real difference from a generic kind of viewpoint is that at uni it's up to you to find the answers. At TAFE, they pretty much tell you everything.
 
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8,666
TAFE gives people the technical skills needed for alot of jobs as where Uni only gives people the Theory but not the skills needed for certain jobs. Thats why alot of Uni graduates end up working ins supermarkets and servos
 

Garts

Bench
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4,360
What year are you in? My first year of accounting was general business related stuff, very generic. Then second, third and fourth years are largely accounting, commercial law, a little bit of finance + electives. It's not really business at all, just a very narrow view of it. But I switched majors after my second year any way :p

Finished.

I can not remember exactly how many subjects in the business degree are standard no matter what your major is. Probably less than I thought. Maybe only in the range of 6 to 8 subjects from the 24.
 

Garts

Bench
Messages
4,360
TAFE gives people the technical skills needed for alot of jobs as where Uni only gives people the Theory but not the skills needed for certain jobs. Thats why alot of Uni graduates end up working ins supermarkets and servos

Not true, only the Arts graduates end up like that :sarcasm:
 

The Colonel

Immortal
Messages
41,997
Uni students are generally people who are too afraid to leave the school system and get a real job and really want to hang with their friends and party for three of the four years they are there.

TAFE students are generally people who left school not wanting to study anymore, got a real job that sucks and then realised that they need qualifications to eventually get a better one. They then spend half their life teaching Uni students how to do the better job they want because Uni students have spent four years studying and have a piece of paper that says they can do it better.

At least in Accounting and account related areas of business.
 

Martli

Coach
Messages
11,564
In NZ I don't even think you can become a Chartered Account without going to uni. Most accounting courses at Polytech will get you payroll/accounts admin type jobs which I used to work in based on uni papers and High School experience. Used more of my high school knowledge (ie bookkeeping stuff) than my university knowledge. That being said, University accounting isn't designed to get people working in account admin jobs, it's taxation, auditing, financial accounting, management accounting etc. at least in New Zealand that's the case. I have heard CA requirements are a bit more relaxed in Australia than over here though so perhaps it's different.
 

Garts

Bench
Messages
4,360
In NZ I don't even think you can become a Chartered Account without going to uni. Most accounting courses at Polytech will get you payroll/accounts admin type jobs which I used to work in based on uni papers and High School experience. Used more of my high school knowledge (ie bookkeeping stuff) than my university knowledge. That being said, University accounting isn't designed to get people working in account admin jobs, it's taxation, auditing, financial accounting, management accounting etc. at least in New Zealand that's the case. I have heard CA requirements are a bit more relaxed in Australia than over here though so perhaps it's different.

No would be the same. Must have done a degree in accounting to be given access to these programs. You can do the CA/CPA course if you done other degrees but you might need to do a bridging course.
 

Kiki

First Grade
Messages
6,349
gaaaah wtf

i didnt make this thread!!! this makes it look like i think im better than tafe students or something. not happy.
 

Martli

Coach
Messages
11,564
gaaaah wtf

i didnt make this thread!!! this makes it look like i think im better than tafe students or something. not happy.

You just had the first post in the tafe convo. Edit the post to explain it if it's an issue :p
 

Twizzle

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
157,825
gaaaah wtf

i didnt make this thread!!! this makes it look like i think im better than tafe students or something. not happy.

I split it from another thread that was being hijacked, and your's happened to be the fist post


internet stuff
 

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