To be disappointed that my ds has decided not to go to uni.

Exactly and this is his choice

Before you mentioned having tuition fees paid I would have erred on the side of Yabu, even though it would be understandable to
feel a little disappointed.

But with the tuition fees not an issue then yes I feel it’s a missed opportunity especially as uni life means so much more than just a qualification.

You don't really 'need' a degree in business management to manage a business. If he's currently working full time in a business he'll probably get as much, if not more, knowledge about how to manage a business from doing that (if he wants to train to be a pub manager or landlord, for example) than from doing a business management degree and will have earned the whole way through.

Is this the daily mail one where they also included Law? And did it by university of which included very few RG unis in the list if any? Mostly unis based in London which has a much denser population?

Hi @Fearandanxiety he’s making a wise decision on not going if he was going to study business and management. He could look at an apprenticeship. Your parents money would just be wasted on fees and that degree most likely won’t give him a job at the end of it. I did a similar degree

I don't understand the issue, given the fact that he is working.

Perhaps he's conducted his research and decided against this degree for this very reason.

Not everyone is ready to commit to the studying at 19. My son is 23 and starting uni in September, I went at 22 and got so much more out of it than if I’d gone in my teens - studying felt like a privilege rather than a chore.

could you suggest to him that he defers a year to keep his options open?

Was reading a list of university courses that led to the highest unemployment figures yesterday. Business management was one unfortunately.

If the grandparents are willing to pay let it be for a couple of years. He's working, bringing in money. He's happy. His mind set may change as he matures.

Best not to go unless you absolutely want to go. He’s young and has plenty of time to go in later years if that’s what he wants to do.

Don’t sub his lifestyle though.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place here.

If he goes he sounds like he doesnt want to be there. What is the point in an unmotivated student wasting time? He might just quit in 12 months time and hold it against those that pushed him to do it.

If he doesnt go it sounds like you are going to resent him for making a hard decision that may be a disaster or may be the best thing he could do. Whats your life plan for him? Are you thinking he is going to walk into a job after his business degree and be set for life?

Whatever he decides its going to be a better decision with your support and advice without putting pressure on him.

Is there something he genuinely has an interest in and wants to study? If not, it’s pointless going.

Even with fees paid it's still £30k of debt for student accommodation and living costs, 3 years or your life and no guarantee of a job at the end.

We held an employer forum recently on Ai with some of the major graduate recruiters.

What many of them said was that the want AI literate graduates- that the workplace is evolving but they still want new graduates - it’s just the roles are changing.

No there really aren't!
500 new grads stand no chance if getting a job in Wales this year. Situation is a little better in England but not by much.
NHS is suffering because older nurses are doing retire and return and not moving on, also vacancies being "frozen" or downgraded to band 4.
A nursing degree is no longer a guarantee of a secure job for life.

That's an interesting question. I think that the answer to that question may look quite different in four or five years time compared to today.

The reason I say this is that AI is just starting to have an effect on the sort of jobs and careers that were possibly thought to be immune.

Many companies are looking at replacing a lot of the routine tasks that might have been done by entry-level new graduates with AI.

For example, take the so-called 'Big Four' accountancy firms. Now, accountancy firms don't require any specific degree subject but they are large employers of new graduates.

Last year they reduced the number of new graduates they take on by 20%.

Can I also say- to those on this thread saying that uni is a waste of time, get a mortgage, etc etc.

All the experts in the world- brain surgeons, people doing cancer research, people trying to to solve climate change or developing a solution to insect decline or researching depression in kids or training to be psychologists or are doing financial modelling to solve global poverty. Or preventing the next global pandemic. Meterologists. People preserving our cultural heritage Whatever.

Experts basically- need a bloody education to do it.

And unemployed school leavers don't forget? This isn't something that is just hitting graduates.

I agree with apprenticeship as a great option. You can end up with degree level qualifications without the costs of university. What is he interested in? Tradesmen get extremely well paid and can do part time college and part time on the job. If he’s interested in business he can get set up his own business after a few years of working for someone else.

One of my DSs made the same decision. He is now mid 20s and in a far better position career wise and financially than his older siblings who went to uni. He also had no idea what he wanted to do other than that he was sick of study (he worked hard at school, got excellent A level results and had good uni offers) and didn't want debt.
We spent time together looking at options and eventually hit on an apprenticeship. This is going to sound bad, but, because he was academically capable of 'more' he very quickly stood out and has recieved multiple promotions. All the time gaining work experience, earning and saving, and demonstrating work ethic. He had been told multiple times by employers that they admire him for getting stuck into work young rather than uni. He now manages people slightly older than him who went the graduate route.

He certainly needs a plan. However uni isn’t for everyone and there are far too many unemployed and underemployed graduates. Does he have a job at the moment?

I agree with that. If he is not ready to go, he shouldn’t.

I just don’t like it when people say that unless you get a good job, university is useless, because that’s not true. Money is not my measure of success.

Having three years of your life paid for so you can study and enjoy social life sounds like a dream to me. I never had that option, as I had to work full-time alongside my studies to support myself.

But people need to be aware that not many people return to education later in life. This is mostly because, in the UK, they don’t make it easy. I taught at a university for over five years, and not once did I have an older student.

In my country, you can do university courses at weekends and in the evenings while working, but in the UK that option is not really provided. With a full-time job, it will be much harder to go back to education later than it is now.

I’ve got one child who decided not to go, has worked full time, put himself through training relevant to the job and taken every opportunity open to him. He has hated some of what he’s done, but he’s currently on a secondment doing something he really enjoys and it looks hopeful that it will become both full time and permanent in the autumn.

ive got another child who has left Uni half way through a four year course having absolutely hated it. He has no real plan currently, he’s going to need some time to work it out.

Your son needs a plan. I would also suggest that he looks at rental costs. My oldest and his girlfriend would love to move out but they’d be looking at a room in a shared house and their objective is to buy. They’ve saved a lot already, but their salaries aren’t going to be enough for a good while.

As others have suggested, would he look at transferring to a local university?

Oh ok so slightly biased then and talking from your own POV.

Why would I need to work at a university to conclude that finance and accounting are the superior degrees?

I've held senior positions within finance; therefore, I have real-world experience.

You don’t have to go to uni at 18/19. He can change his mind in 2,3, 5, 10 years. I work in HE and see many students drop out because they’re not ready.
His girlfriend being controlling is a separate issue I think, but I’m not sure what you can do about it for now other than monitor it.