Soon i have to decide whether to decide go to university but im undecided. There is arguments to go such as getting a degree, the social side of it but the expense of it and is it actually worth it is putting me off somewhat. What do you lot think? Experience uni life or get a job you student sponger?
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I didn't go to uni, but had tons of friends that did, which was great, as i had the money to socialise with them, but not have to live off baked beans and do work at the weekends! there are advantages and disadvantages to both. my main reason for not going was that i didn't know what to do, as i didn't necessarily have a life plan, ie didn't want to be a teacher, architect, doctor etc and therefore thought a degree i chose might not be useful. so didn't go. i don't regret the decision, as for every uni friend my friends have, i have work friends from previous jobs. some are still paying off their debts now and only the teachers are actually teachers and all those that did degrees that weren't for a specific career aren't useing them at all. ie, my brother did government and politics degree, and is now a dj. (although he did learn how to dj/do radio doing student radio in the union!)
1. You will have some dough in your pocket and therefore be able to have a much better social life than these students try to kid on that they have. (who wants to eat beans and share pints all the time?)
2. With a bit of hard work you can reach the top in just about anything you want to do, degree or no degree.
3. You wont have that "the world owes me a living" attitude that most student-types seem to adopt - even though they've been sitting around on their arses for years before deciding that they need to take a year off to recover from the stresses of doing nothing (what stresses?) and "work out what I want to do" (years on your arse and you still don't know?!)
Alternatively, you could always be miserable, grow your hair, not wash, smell, watch daytime telly EVERY day, eat pot noodle, do nothing and moan a lot about how tough your life is - if that's what you think might prepare you better for life on earth.
As you can see - I'm undecided myself!
From personal experience, is it possible to enter a fairly decent job with a levels or is that your start right at the bottom of the pile?
You can always do a degree or a MA/MBA later but more important is to decide what you want from work. Money, success, prestige, enjoyment, job satisfaction, make a difference, Travel, security, flexibility, friendship, creativity. etc etc. Get it down to three words that put what you want in context. When you have those three words then test each option you have against word. Eg Lighthouse keeper won't give you any friendships or prestige or travel but may well be secure.
I think the last thing to think about is the expense. If you want to do it go for it and work part time etc etc but don't miss out just cos you think that you might be in debt. You'll regret it if you do.
The way that they look at it is that you've got experience in problem solving and being analytical. Its doesn't necessarily have to be in say Computer Science if you want to get into IT for instance, but a degree in something analytical (Maths, Physics, Economics, Biology etc) will go along way to proving you have the "soft skills" to undertake a role and will put you ahead of other applicants. ]
If you want any further advice mate drop me an email to charlton_dan@netaddicks.com
.... but on the other hand, I'm glad I didnt start my working life, at 21 or 22, with several thousand pounds of debt.
If you were to do the degree, the most important thing is knowing in your mind that you will be able to not only stick it out, but to come through with an acceptable grade. Failure to do that will completely waste the years and make it even harder to get the right job.
And also how much confidence do you have in yourself ? If you have confidence and feel you can present yourself well in interviews then you are likely to be better off going straight into the workplace. The is no denying a degree helps you get on the ladder and helps you get favoured for new jobs, but not as much as proven performance. You social skills are likely to develop a lot more in the years if you were at work.
If however your not sure you can sell yourself that great, then the extra qualifications will be a godsend.
The part about hard work and socialising is irrelevent. To do well in either you have to work hard, and though you may be able to get a few more lie ins at Uni, you'll have the money to have had a better night out the night before, and afford a proper breakfast !
Let us know what you decide.
Thats the thing information from school always seemes to be centred on go to uni otherwise you cant get a good job. THe more people go to university the better it looks for the school. I just thouight it would be interested to see peoples view points from both sides
thanks very much, got a bit of time to decide but might do that cheers.
Also cheers to everyone else, some interesting views
I guess it depend on if you're going to Uni for the sake of it or have a career path you want to follow? I reckon Uni is a waste for well over 50% of poeple that go. Also do you still want to learn and study or are you going to waste those years? Don't just go for the hell of it.
Employers take a dim view of selecting the wrong category :-)
Pleased to hear he got himself sorted mate. Sounds like he landed on his feet!
One thing to note on the finances front - you can always stay at home and go to a London uni. I know it's not ideal and you don't get the living in halls experiences, but it means you're only liable for the tuition fees. Staying at home and working part time (you've gotta love Safeway!) meant I came out of Uni with no debt and I wasn't overtly scrounging money off my parents (hate asking them for money) - they just carried-on doing the weekly shopping etc as before.
You can still have the uni life going to a London uni, plus you've got a bit more secruity living at home
I think that the debt thing is / can be overplayed by people who haven't been to Uni...altho I'm sure it is worse now then when I graduated (13 years ago).
Once final thing to consider...you will work for approx 45 years of your life (yes, there are exceptions) - it's a bloomin long time, why rush into it?
If you want to work in say PR then try to speak to some PR employers and ask them. They make the decisions.
Learning is good whatever it is so make sure whatever you do you are learning new skills not just earning money to go out on the booze.
Tell us what you are interested in and what are you top three skills and three biggest weaknesses. Dan works in recruitment and I'm a business coach so between us will sort you out. If all else fails Suzi will get you a job in a noodle bar ; )
Especially in the fields you listed.
Wont he need a degree in Sashimi?
What are your strengths and weaknesses? What subjects are you good at? Are you academic, practical or sporty? Do you prefer Science or the arts? Where do you want to be in five years time?
There are a lot of questions to be answered before you decide if it's Uni or Work
Don't listen to Dan....He works for the Army. He'll have you in Iraq before you can Saddam Hussein. Remember Private Benjamin? That could be you...
I stayed at home to do my degree as well (journalism degree, London College of Printing, 1992-1995) - thankfully before the days of huge debts, so I only ended up owing the grand sum of £400. It all worked out fine for me, but then I wasn't really interested in that whole "going away to university" thing.
Depends what you want to do for a living, really - some careers (media work, for example) now tend to be an almost-closed shop for graduates only when they never used to be a decade or so ago. And when you graduate, the wages can be utter crap when you start out and you find yourself competing with loaded Home Counties types who can afford to work for peanuts (erm, media work again).
I think if I was in your shoes, I'd get a job, and be on a good wage rather than deep in the red by 21, but that's more because being in debt terrifies me.
Just make sure you get as much advice as you can, especially from the "real world" - it doesn't surprise me that schools steer people into universities, they're probably thinking of their reputations more than anything else. Good luck!
Do you have an interest in a given subject? Do you want to see how far you can go academically? Do you have a hobby, e.g sport, which you can try and maximise your potential in with the flexibility and holidays of a university?
A degree is not only about your career. It can enhance other areas of your life too.
you wouldn't get a job with us as we dont serve sashimi.
And although I didn't appreciate it then Degree in Economics and Social History from University of Liverpool has stood me in good stead since; believe it or not.
Also I went to 53 league games in my first season (I mean year) at Liverpool it was just so cheap in the late 80's.
I have now 15 years later re-started and am now studying to top up to a Law degree.
If you dislike studying and want to get a job after a year then fine, but you'll spend along time in work, so what's a few years delay?