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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Why are so many YP going to uni, when uni isn't right for so many YP? AIBU to think fewer YP should go to uni as it's only giving them a huge debt?

298 replies

MerryAquaKoala · Today 08:41

It seems such a waste of time for so many, racking up huge debt and gaining no benefit from their degree whatsoever. It seems to me that uni's accept such low grades from A Level these days, it's literally a scheme to keep money going to the university and definitely not for the benefit of the YP.

It probably even comes further back to A Levels - A Levels aren't right for so many YP yet currently it seems they're funnelled into doing them anyway.

Something doesn't feel right with it all and in the end it's a YP left with huge debt for the rest of their life (usually). Seems so wrong.

OP posts:
TiredCatLady · Today 10:09

Did you go to university OP? If so, what did you get out of it? Career? Stable income? Met your life partner?

I’d be interested to know.

tomorrowfollowstoday · Today 10:09

MerryAquaKoala · Today 10:05

Wow - That's your conclusion after reading my post? Not sure what to say.

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You're not making a coherent argument, it's hard to understand what you want overall.

Original poster
MerryAquaKoala · Today 10:08

Katastrophyy · Today 10:07

Its a massive scam. It's a scam as well how they've put some professions behind "degree walls".
Why should you need a degree to be a nurse or a social worker

Totally agree on this one.

OP posts:
EmeraldShamrock000 · Today 10:08

FirmSnake · Today 10:04

If we push more people into the trades, they will no longer be well paid. Tradespeople make money because there is a shortage. Fix the shortage, it will be low paid manual labour like it used to be.

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They’ve always made great money. My Dbro is in his 50’s are as his friendship group. There wasn’t a shortage when he started 35 years ago. He has made a few million.
You need to be smart to do an apprenticeship and build a business.

Original poster
MerryAquaKoala · Today 10:07

FirmSnake · Today 09:59

All well and good but protecting supermarket jobs from AI isn't going to replace university is it?

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Really? That wasn't the point of my post. A very basic example of putting people back into jobs, instead of technology.

OP posts:
Katastrophyy · Today 10:07

Its a massive scam. It's a scam as well how they've put some professions behind "degree walls".
Why should you need a degree to be a nurse or a social worker

tomorrowfollowstoday · Today 10:07

MerryAquaKoala · Today 10:01

No no no I am definitely not anti education in any way. School, college, university, any other form of getting an education. I am simply saying a degree (and even A levels) isn't (aren't) the right route for all. Even more so when the stakes are so high with massive massive crippling debt and no jobs.

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But the majority of graduates still earn more over a lifetime even after debt repayments are factored in.

godmum56 · Today 10:07

QuirkyHorse · Today 08:50

Sadly, it is still something to aspire to, even if it is a 3rd rate university doing a pointless course that doesn't lead to some related career.

I think it was Tony Blair who said everyone should have the opportunity to go to university.
He has clearly never worked at the bleeding edge of education to see there are many, many children who shouldn't bother.

I remember this and his "everybody should be able to get a degree" thing. Not sure what the situation is now, but at the time it happened it was a semantic exercise.

Vitrolinsanity · Today 10:06

Current experience with DS suggests getting into Oxbridge must be easier than getting an apprenticeship. Despite the grades no response at all from the Army or Air Force. TFL looked promising until he couldn’t tell the recruiter during a phone interview he was a certain characteristic. These are just 3 of the very many he’s applied for.

EmeraldShamrock000 · Today 10:06

TeenLifeMum · Today 10:01

So many jobs pointlessly insist on degrees. Band 7 managers in the nhs now seem to expect masters. It’s nuts.

Yep. They pay the wage to match the qualification.
A lot of government employees are over qualified. They could save a fortune by employing less qualified on paper. You need a masters degree for some government customer service roles.
The local call centre pays a lot less and is never short on experienced staff.

MajorSamanthaCarter · Today 10:06

UnaGatita · Today 09:52

Have you ever typed DH, DS, DD, DMIL or similar? Because they are really popular on this site.
I agree OP, somewhere in the annals of time one PM had the mantra ‘education, education, education’ and a goal to get 50% of students to university. I think we are now suffering the consequences, degrees that don’t actually involve developing the skills needed for the workplace, a ‘loan’ system that is essentially a personal education tax and graduates who are fighting over meagre job pickings.
I wholeheartedly encourage students to consider degree apprenticeships after A-levels.

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Actually no I haven't 🤷‍♀️ I do use op but find DH etc stupid. It takes no more time to type husband, son, dog, hamster.
I will, however, endeavour to get over myself and stop being a twat 🙄

Yupstillhere · Today 10:05

I completely agree, my DD is 23 and was pushed at school to go to university and fill her potential etc. I didn't think it was right for her, she decided not to go. She now sees lots of her friends who have massive debts and are struggling to any work. She also saw the other side of uni life, house mates, drugs , people dropping out etc. I'm glad she didn't go. Apprenticeships are a better option for most young people I think.

Alittlefrustrated · Today 10:05

5128gap · Today 08:49

Absolutely. I think its been very harmful to young people because we now have a culture of two options, uni or failure. Which pushes people to strive for uni, sometimes any course they can get on, even though their skills and aptitude might be better suited in another direction. Unless a young person has a career goal that requires a degree, there should be alternative options that are just as highly valued as uni.

The misfortune is that many careers are now requiring a degree, which didn't in the past.
It's actually leading, in some cases, to the "wrong sort" of people being attracted to those careers, and others, who may have been better suited to the job, being excluded.

Original poster
MerryAquaKoala · Today 10:05

tomorrowfollowstoday · Today 09:59

So you want young people in the UK to work on checkouts, rather than in more skilled roles?

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Wow - That's your conclusion after reading my post? Not sure what to say.

OP posts:
Benjithedog · Today 10:05

There are so little options out there for school leavers at the moment that for some there really isn’t an alternative. The Government seriously needs to look at youth unemployment /increasing the amount of apprenticeships as a priority.

FirmSnake · Today 10:04

EmeraldShamrock000 · Today 10:02

I agree. There needs to be a heavy investment into trade training. There was a scheme in Northern Ireland. Invest NI. The government paid a percentage of the apprenticeship costs for two years. I can’t remember the exact details of the scheme.

My Dbro made a fortune as a builder. His friendship group are mostly tradesmen, plumbers, electricians etc. They have all earned very well.

If we push more people into the trades, they will no longer be well paid. Tradespeople make money because there is a shortage. Fix the shortage, it will be low paid manual labour like it used to be.

QuirkyHorse · Today 10:04

Dollymylove · Today 09:07

Its a racket. Some of these youngsters can barely string a sentence together yet off they go merrily and accrue 1000s in debt and a pointless degree.
Best go for an apprenticeship ship instead

This implies that those who go down the apprenticeship route are thick, for want of a better expression. I don't think that is remotely true.

TappyGilmore · Today 10:04

Because they’re all pushed towards university by schools, and sometimes by parents but definitely by schools. Many kids don’t even know what other options there are. I agree with those who have said that there is a lack of alternatives, but it doesn’t matter how many there are if kids don’t even know about them and think that uni is the obvious next step after high school. That’s certainly how I was brought up, admittedly I left school 30 years ago, but I don’t think anything has changed.

Spaniels4Eva · Today 10:03

My DD has just qualified as a Midwife. She did an access course first then 3 years at uni and worked countless night shifts for the NHS for free under the guise of training. She now has £70k worth of student debt and can't get a job so that's been a joy for her.

JenRummy · Today 10:03

Far better if they want to study that they work and do Open University. Excellent quality and no or little debt.

EmeraldShamrock000 · Today 10:02

I agree. There needs to be a heavy investment into trade training. There was a scheme in Northern Ireland. Invest NI. The government paid a percentage of the apprenticeship costs for two years. I can’t remember the exact details of the scheme.

My Dbro made a fortune as a builder. His friendship group are mostly tradesmen, plumbers, electricians etc. They have all earned very well.

Original poster
MerryAquaKoala · Today 10:01

tomorrowfollowstoday · Today 09:58

So what's your actual position - the UK should have lower levels of education than other countries, or the student's debt should be lower?

You sound very anti-university, and removing education will weaken the country. Why would you want that?

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No no no I am definitely not anti education in any way. School, college, university, any other form of getting an education. I am simply saying a degree (and even A levels) isn't (aren't) the right route for all. Even more so when the stakes are so high with massive massive crippling debt and no jobs.

OP posts:
TeenLifeMum · Today 10:01

So many jobs pointlessly insist on degrees. Band 7 managers in the nhs now seem to expect masters. It’s nuts.

Bikergran · Today 10:00

You are not being at all unreasonable, however, a person on her late 20s working in HR in a big law firm told me she doesn't consider anyone for any job (including admin and clerical) without a degree, as in her words "anyone can get a degree these days". With attitudes like this, we will miss so many talented intelligent people.

FirmSnake · Today 09:59

MerryAquaKoala · Today 09:52

I honestly don't know. I think the powers that be need to put a strangle hold on AI taking over, and basic things like for example supermarkets not using manned tils, make the human involvement more important, stop technology taking over (history has been here before, Luddites etc). Obviously this is a radical approach (progress but going backwards) - the way society is going, it will need it.

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All well and good but protecting supermarket jobs from AI isn't going to replace university is it?