Big dilemma for DD - what would you do?

[Blackenedsoul]

DD has accepted an offer for her Uni of choice to study Media in September. She’s been looking forward to going, had planned to live at home and travel the 20 minutes in every day.

She had a part time job for a few months in a local office attached to a very small but very busy manufacturing company. She’s very well thought of and works in the office on a Saturday, doing admin, answering enquiries, emails, booking appointments etc.

Today they’ve offered her a full time, permanent post in the office and have offered to start training her up in the use of their accounts systems etc, give her more responsibility. The salary is 18k to start rising to around a max of 25k once fully trained.

This has come as a bolt from the blue, DD really enjoys the job and thinks she’d be happy doing it full time but at the same time was also happy to go off and have the Uni experience, make new friends and study and have fun.

She’s aware that lots of students leave Uni and end up falling into admin roles vey much like this and is now wondering whether bothering with Uni is worth it.

We’ve told her the decision is entirely hers but she’s really finding it hard to decide.

So, the great of mumsnet - what would you do?

[TSBelliot]

I would, in the current environment, pick job over degree in Media every day. I would push for training and evaluate next year having deferred the course.

[Iggly]

See if she can defer her uni place for a year.

And see if the employer would support her to do foundation level accountancy courses as part of the role. Try it for a year and see how it goes.

[MixedUpFiles]

I would almost always encourage someone to get a degree. She will find her career advancement limited without that credential.

[bubblebubblebubbletrouble]

Work - 100% unless she was doing the media degree with a specific follow on job for which it's a pre-requisite.
£50k debt vs earning and gaining experience and transferable skills.

I might think differently if she was moving away from home learning to live independently etc.

[2021mumma]

My daughter deferred university did one year working and ended up hating it but knew she had uni to fall back on. If they offer study support and she’s interested in accountancy then take the job- she could be qualified in a few years and not have all the debt that comes with university and demand a higher salary than her university peers

[mathanxiety]

University - but not if her priorities are in the order have the Uni experience, make new friends and study and have fun.

It shouldn't be a case of deferring adulthood for three years. A decent undergrad degree opens the door for further study, specialisation, and better jobs than a third class degree would.

[PerpendicularVincent]

@TheFlis12345

Can she defer her uni place for a year and give the job a try? If she doesn’t like it she can go to uni the following year.

I'd do this, it keeps her options open.

[winterchill100]

I think she should take the job, see if they can make it an apprenticeship so she can get a qualification. She can then go to uni the following year if she still wishes - although, like a pp said, media is a fluffy degree.

[ILikeMango]

Uni definitely. Yes she can always do that later but life gets in the way and it’s never the same as when you are young. She can keep working p/t and when she’s done with uni maybe the opportunity will still be there — but most importantly she will have other opportunities as well. It’s too early to pigeonhole her into this one thing. Also uni is not just about learning a vocation, it’s about meeting different kinds of friends and teachers who will inspire, being confronted with new ideas, late-night conversations about the world, and lots of other things that can’t be replicated.

[PoTheDog]

Right now, job.

A degree is useful, but not in media tbh. I'd be worried she was wasting her one shot at getting a student loan on a degree with minimal contact time, limited career prospects and a poor reputation. She can always go back to uni if she needs to/decides what she wants to do long term.

[Hellocatshome]

I would almost always encourage someone to get a degree. She will find her career advancement limited without that credential. Personally I think this is fairly outdated now, unless your chosen career requires formal qualifications such as a Dr etc on the job experience is better than a degree in an unrelated field. OP what did she want to do with her Media degree? Unless she had a concrete career plan I would tell her to take the job but definitely talk to them about allowing her to gain some qualifications at the same time.

[WorkingItOutAsIGo]

If she’s that good without the uni degree she will be even better with it and can aspire to earn far more than that.

[Auntycorruption]

Can't she do both?

How much face to face teaching does a media degree have? Not much I would expect.

If the office can be flexible on hours then she could do both? University terms are only 10 weeks long , she could work full time for alp most half the year and just reduce hours a bit in term time

[Miarara]

Would she be happier working in media?
Would the employer support her to get qualifications? Apprenticeships go all the way to masters now, has she looked into that or spoken to them about it? Could be best of both worlds www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/?routes=Business-and-administration,Legal-finance-and-accounting

[travailtotravel]

Job. You can do uni later, and arguably get more out of it. You can do uni part time. You can go straight to professional qualifications. You can avoid all the debt! You can go on a gap year in a couple of years. When she reaches the 25k ceiling and is nicely trained, off we pop to somewhere they'll pay more.

[CatCup]

Uni.

Or defer for a year, earn some money then go next year.

[Bluntness100]

Honestly , and I mean this politely, but If she’s doing media studies I’d stay in the job. Generally I’d advise uni but this degree is not well regarded to be honest, and unlikely to lead to anything much better.

[Pebbledashery]

Personally...
I would encourage her to stay in her role.
I received a first in my degree... And I work as an Executive Assistant, I've worked my way up to a decent salary now but I started on 15k many years ago..

She can always pursue a degree later in life if she wants to!

And, just to say.. You are lovely parents :)

[ThereWasThisBoy]

I think university would be better. Education is never a waste and uni helps with confidence, friends, life experience etc. The job sounds ok and 18-25k may sound like a lot to her whilst she’s living at home but it won’t go far when she wants to move out at some point.

It’s her choice but I wouldn’t want my child settling for this if they had other options which your daughter does.

[Trixie78]

Job and training every time.

[LemonRoses]

I think the risk is £25 k sounds quite a lot to an eighteen year old and yet ten years down the line it has fallen behind graduate pay and has few prospects.
I think university is about more than the actual degree but living at home limits that somewhat. I’d encourage her to go to university, on balance.

[Litthefirealready]

Job - definitely. It would be even better if they would help towards a qualification as said previously but if not then defer for a year.

[Lollypop701]

If she has a specific career in mind that needs the degree then uni. If she’s undecided re work then job. Good Media jobs are few n far between so it has to be a passion. But if it is a passion then definitely go for uni. I took the job, and have done well but regret not going for my passion. My end result is fine, and I have a lifelong friend and great memories from working younger. Still kinda wished I’d gone with the role I’d planned.

[MintyMabel]

She’s aware that lots of students leave Uni and end up falling into admin roles vey much like this and is now wondering whether bothering with Uni is worth it.



And have you set her straight about that?

[ivfbeenbusy]

Did you/your daughter actually research the abysmal job prospects for taking a degree in media??? It's not a degree that's thought very highly of at all and certainly not one I'd want my kids to spend £10k per year and getting into debt for the rest of their lives for.....