Reply to: State of the Market

[gables]

I am absolutely sure this is going on and I'll bet the figures are higher than that... but... it's actually quite difficult to get an AI generated report through. My other half is doing a post grad course at the moment and they run the assignments through a checker and it comes back with a percentage probability that AI or copying has taken place. Looks at old submissions to see similarities amongst other things. It needs checking carefully even if you've not used AI or blatently copied anything. It can bring something as simple as quotation of well known phrases or even reference to her companies policies which are mentioned by most of the students from her work.

I would think any straight up AI document would fail it spectacularly but these people are pros at this con so will be working just as hard to using AI to get around the AI checkers.

Being simplistic about AI, but as it's trained on past data\publications surely it's bound to fail plagiarism checkers. Seems like it would be easier just to write the thing themselves and then translate if English not the strong point.

[northernladuk]

There was a BBC story the other day about an investigation they have been doing uncovering a scandal where large numbers of foreign students are enrolling on UK degrees but having poor English skills. They then pay people to do their assignments, use AI to write essays etc.

A whistleblower quoted a figure of 70% on some courses who have poor English, even on some masters degrees.

I am absolutely sure this is going on and I'll bet the figures are higher than that... but... it's actually quite difficult to get an AI generated report through. My other half is doing a post grad course at the moment and they run the assignments through a checker and it comes back with a percentage probability that AI or copying has taken place. Looks at old submissions to see similarities amongst other things. It needs checking carefully even if you've not used AI or blatently copied anything. It can bring something as simple as quotation of well known phrases or even reference to her companies policies which are mentioned by most of the students from her work.

I would think any straight up AI document would fail it spectacularly but these people are pros at this con so will be working just as hard to using AI to get around the AI checkers.

[jamesbrown]

use AI to write essays etc.

Doubtful, not the story, but that it works. All uni. essays go through automatic screening for generative AI and plagiarism nowadays, also using AI, so unless generative AI can write in a way that evades AI detection, it's doubtful, plus generative AI isn't that great at writing technical content anyway. It goes along fine for a while and then you'll find something outrageously stupid that gives it away. I mean, unless this is a conspiracy at tulipe universities/ex-polys, which it could be, I suppose, because most fee income is generated by overseas master's students nowadays.

[oliverson]

At least your degree was free. Kids are coming out with £40K+ debt these days.

The first lesson they should have would be maths. Is it actually viable incurring a load of debt for the career you plan on pursuing should you graduate?

Better to learn a trade these days. AI won't be rewiring your house.

[dsc]

There was a BBC story the other day about an investigation they have been doing uncovering a scandal where large numbers of foreign students are enrolling on UK degrees but having poor English skills. They then pay people to do their assignments, use AI to write essays etc.

A whistleblower quoted a figure of 70% on some courses who have poor English, even on some masters degrees.

Don't you have to present your final paper / project in person? surely then the lack of English skills would be evident?

[edison]

The Masters from Oxford I paid for using savings and did using annual holiday from work. Defo not free, although I did manage to get it for £10k/3yrs after some accounting magic.

Just checked, same course, is £70k in fees alone now. No idea how people can afford that TBH. But when the students are driven to lectures in a rolls, you tend to wonder, if they will ever use it.

Son has just graduated from Notts in Economics has not told me what his debt level is TBF however I suspect it will 70k.

There was a BBC story the other day about an investigation they have been doing uncovering a scandal where large numbers of foreign students are enrolling on UK degrees but having poor English skills. They then pay people to do their assignments, use AI to write essays etc.

A whistleblower quoted a figure of 70% on some courses who have poor English, even on some masters degrees.

[Fraidycat]

Thinking about becoming a teacher.

Right, going boxing to punch someone in the face. He doesn't deserve it but I don't really care.

Quite an old video that I had completely forgotten about until your posts:

"Failed in the real world? Be a teacher"
"Filled with pent up rage and want to lash out? Be a PE Teacher?"

[dx4100]

Anyone done a PGCE? Thinking about becoming a teacher.

My wife quit her director life to become a teacher.

Its taken her roughly four years to take her salary from something like £27k to around £43k which is far faster than most teachers due to her industry experience and being able to fast track herself into leading her department etc. The working hours are long (fancy marking and lesson planning all night?), dealing with the kids and parents can be awful but the pension is nice.

Oh and she has a student loan again after paying off the last one.

So yeah, if you want to be poor, overworked and undervalued - go be a teacher.

[SchumiStars]

At least your degree was free. Kids are coming out with £40K+ debt these days.

The Masters from Oxford I paid for using savings and did using annual holiday from work. Defo not free, although I did manage to get it for £10k/3yrs after some accounting magic.

Just checked, same course, is £70k in fees alone now. No idea how people can afford that TBH. But when the students are driven to lectures in a rolls, you tend to wonder, if they will ever use it.

Son has just graduated from Notts in Economics has not told me what his debt level is TBF however I suspect it will 70k.

[Fraidycat]

What was the point of breaking my face reading all those stupid books about software development.

At least your degree was free. Kids are coming out with £40K+ debt these days.

[SchumiStars]

What was the point of breaking my face reading all those stupid books about software development. I could have just partied and worked in Mcds if the end result is the same.

Right, going boxing to punch someone in the face. He doesn't deserve it but I don't really care.

[Cookielove]

It is grim ....nothing coming up jobs wise....you can probably earn more being an Uber driver....I know someone doing it and they make about £40 plus an hour and hours that suit...what has it come to that highly skilled iT work is decimated...and you earn more driving a cab these days

[SussexSeagull]

Yes, I think the contractor and perm markets are now highly correlated. And most contractor positions are now only slightly higher cost than hiring a permie over the short run. Contractor rates have not kept up with inflation over the last 25 years.

As several people predicted at the time it was announced and subsequently, Inside IR35 contracts have become a way to get cheap resource, without having to pay Employer NI contributions, with no employment rights. With a relatively healthy permanent and contract market those roles would mostly get ignored but people are beginning to have no choice now.

[CodeCobbler]

What makes absolutely no sense is that with all this tech world tulipe + low GDP growth pretty much anywhere, the stock market has seen some crazy % growth, 20% last year and over 80% across the last 5 yrs. How is any of this tulipe possible? how can it be so great yet so bad at the same time?

It means billionaires are doing alright, basically. Plenty of gaslighting from the media up until October but the US election results finally said out loud what everyone knows.

The job markets everywhere stink. I think IT is especially bad right now though. At some point these overvalued tech companies have got to come crashing down.

As I have been seeking perm work, anything, I don't think perm is in better a situation either.

[SchumiStars]

I have no idea how the stock markets work. In fact, I don't know how anything works tbh. I just want to write application code and do some sports.

Anyway, think I am giving up for any hopes of a recovery soon. I might try setting up an only fans account, perhaps someone will pay for my used y-fronts.