One of my daughters has been accepted into Uni - she's quite bright and academic but now she's seriously thinking through the consequences of getting saddled with a shed load of debt given the recent price hike in the UK's University fees - so that'll be a minimum £27k of debt just for the getting a graduate qualification! Will a degree give nowadays give advantage in the job market?- given that so many graduates have them Is there an alternative to education, education, education?
Depends what the degree is in. I did Sport Science, got s first class honours degree, loved every minute of the social side and learning part as well. I'm now working in asset finance a year later, nothing to do with my degree however I wouldn't be the person I am today without doing it. Massive life experience for me. So for me personally, it was worth every penny.
My 21 year old son just qualified in his Engineering apprenticeship with Tata steel this year. He has full time employment with Tata on a bloody good salary, and has a guaranteed salary for the next few years at just 21, with potential career and further study options he's currently considering. My 21 year daughter has just graduated from Uni with a 2:1 in Architecture and Venue Design and is now looking for full time employment in her chosen field. If she finds it, then it will all have been worthwhile. That isn't quite guaranteed though. My son has no debt. My daughter has 3 years of Uni debt, around £35k, and may, or may not, end up in her preferred career. Just to add, my son's girlfriend has just left school with A levels to kill for. She has a Uni place guaranteed but has 2 Apprenticeships on offer as well. She favours one of the apprenticeships. She talks to my wife and I, and values our opinion. Her family want her to go to Uni though as she'd be the first in her family to do so. It's such a tough call Diddles. To be honest mate, 5 years ago, I wanted both my son and daughter to go to Uni. Then the government changed the rules and turned grants into loans. Whilst the debt doesn't work out too much, after tax, each year, nothing at all if you're not earning enough in fact, it's still there to be paid off over 25 years,then written off. If I were you, I'd advise her to seriously consider an apprenticeship if it's available. It would obviously have to be in her chosen career path and to suit her skills and aspirations, otherwise that would be just a waste as well. Both have their benefits and costs, and not just those financial. Kids learn so many life skills at Uni as well as their chosen subject, And that shouldn't be under-estimated either. Both paths have so much to benefit from. At the end of the day, it must come down to personal choice. As long as you guide your daughter to consider her strengths and weaknesses alongside each other, base her decision on that basis, then youll have done as much as you can. After that, you just support her choice 100%!
It certainly was worth it in my case and got me a promotion that has increased my income by about 70%. I do share your concerns though as the cost of a degree has rocketed now and my oldest son is going to leave Uni next year with a massive debt.
Granddaughter qualified with a science degree two years ago but still has no job allied to her field simply because there are none available in UK. The danger may be that Unis thrive on student population so will take in regardless and provide a nice piece of paper to prove someone is bright enough to employ. On their own after that. Crystal ball time, but an apprenticeship with a worthy company has the guaranteed (?) end product at least.
Totally agree Nostalgic. Having seen the training my son has had at Tata Steel, in the growing confidence projected by him, and through his eyes in off-guarded moments, it's made a man of him. He has the respect of the men who've trained him. I'm not sure how you put a price on that. It's turned my attitude of apprenticeships 100%
Yep. My daughter is at Sunderland uni studying psychology at the St Peters campus. Most university fees never reach the stage where they are actually owed.
Thank you I appreciate all the opinions and comments - I wholeheartedly agree that being at Uni for the 'life experience' -I successfully finished my first degree a couple of years ago (being late bloomer academically) and now I'm contemplating taking my taken my Masters or even a PhD - but being in my 50's I'm not expecting major career changes - it's just something I enjoy doing, I just feel for my daughter that this government have moved the goalpost somewhat with the University fees. I feel she should step back a bit and look at all the options - and taking apprenticeship I reckon is more beneficial - as my son is now contemplating an Engineering apprenticeship and joining the navy .
If things haven't changed too much in the last 30 years, she'll be in the same buildings as I was in what seems like 1,000 years ago now. I hope she enjoys every second as much as I did Billy.
Well I took her to the open day just before she started mate & it all seems very 'brand newish'. She's loving her time there though. Never thought a thick squaddie would have a bairn to grow up to become a doctor. Must've been her mothers influence, lol.
I have a degree from Durham, and my Mrs from the university of south Carolina. It's a double edged sword when you ask if it's worth it. The experience HELL YES!!! The education HELL NO!!!! I learned a lot and it's great when i speak with employers, the fact they appreciate i stuck with something for 4 years. however they still have to train me to perform the specific task. So yeah it helps you get hired, but other then that a waste of time. On the other hand , i wish after having a $2k bill for fixing my A/C last week , and a $9k labour bill for re wiring a apt . I wish id learned a trade, and so does my wife. The trades are short of skilled labour and always will be. She makes $50k a year managing a shop, had she learned a trade she would be on double that. Me ? i work for my self almost exclusively since i left uni , so I appreciate the connections and the life lessons i got from uni more then the piece of paper. I wish i'd learned a trade (blacksmith, electrician, AC would be my top 3), id be in a lot better spot then i am now.
There are also other alternatives to get cheaper degrees abroad. They do degrees in Holland that are taught in English (http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/students.html) for 1,951 euros per year for example. If I was employing someone and looked through a stack of CVs, I'd be more likely to chose someone who had studied abroad than someone who's gone to an average UK university.
I wouldn't have my job without a degree, even though what I learned at Uni had minimal practical application - I knew that though, and I'm comfortable learning on my feet/being chucked in at the deep end etc. I had a great time at Uni, which included study abroad in Amsterdam for my postgrad, which went towards my professional accreditation. God knows how I got through that degree, at the peak of my hedonistic days! I worked though Uni, which gave me cash and kept the debt minimal. So for life skills Uni was great, it also increases your mobility as many countries won't accept job applicants/the visa process is far more difficult, without a degree. Some great life long connections are also made. Taking time to learn a practical job/trade skills is a great idea, as is learning a language.
