If your DC didn't go to Uni, what do they do?

[Okki]

My DD isn't sure about Uni. Just finished yr 12. Is currently predicted ABB in humanities subjects. She doesn't know what she wants to do and doesn't want to get into huge student debt for no reason. Is currently planning a year out and thinking about joining the armed forces as a musician. If you/your DC didn't go to uni, what have you/ they done?

I didn't go to uni, DH did, so we both have different views. However, things have changed hugely since we were her age, plus neither of us grew up in the UK, so our experiences are different anyway.

I applaud your DD for not rushing down the university path. As others have said, it's just too expensive to go if unsure. The love of learning alone is no longer a viable reason sadly.

My friend's son has just gone into his father's trade which is construction. He loves this and will do any quals needed alongside it. The love of the job will drive the academic side.

Personally, I went to uni much older than my peer group and have never regretted this. I went when I had a plan, rather than going when my age group went and probably wasting the money. Being older and having a plan meant I was driven to work hard.

My oldest went to collage at 16 to do electrical installation then started an apprenticeship at 18

2nd is at uni and works for the CS part time

If she likes writing, consider communications and social media roles. They can be really creative, pay decently and you can find apprenticeships for these. We are launching one in my work for this autumn. Can also recommend social value roles.

Or get any old job for a bit, if viable save and travel a bit, ask anyone interesting about their job and get a sense of what is out there. One advantage of paying for uni is there is no financial benefit to going at 18, she can take a bit of time.

Lots of kids where I am go down the Apprenticeship route. There are degree apprenticeships available for things like project management, planning and cost engineering as well as more STEM based roles.

The starting pay is very good (around 25k) goes up rapidly once qualified and there is no student debt.

IT degree apprenticeship.
There was a slight gap while he worked in retail (he upped his hours in his sixth form part time job) and figured out what he wanted to do longer term.

That counts as going to university - Norland nannies graduate with a degree

My DS is planning on uni but I didn't go. I work for a large energy company and a lot of young people work here. You can progress to management level earning £50-£70k here with no degree required, if you put the effort in.

My DS got an apprenticeship at 16 now at 17 he is earning more than me and I have a degree.

I have and know some dc of friends that didn't go to university

Recruitment and earns around £40k
Events and earns £30k
Swimming coach and earns £16 per hour and has work coming out of ears as a shortage
Business degree alongside working but not at uni

All under 30 years old and none have debt but two are living with a mortgage

oh and another is an electrician

DS1 joined the army. He’s been in 10yrs now and is doing brilliantly. I won’t lie and say that it’s easy because it’s not. DH was in the RAF for 35yrs so we did know what he was going into, although imo the army is a lot harder than the RAF wrt to going away.

DS1 is looking at degrees atm. He’s thinking about the long term and what he wants to do when he leaves. The military will pay for it,

You can get a degree without going to uni - thats the point surely

Also OP not sure about your home country but you don't need to 'go to university' to get a degree in the UK. Apart from degree apprenticeships , there's distance learning, also top-up degrees.
The end result is the same. You have a degree, if that's what you want

My Dd worked in a pub for 18 months then at a charity for a while and now works at a uni in a management role and earns more than me and her dad combined

'Uni' = full-time degree at any institution of higher education. Which Norland College Is. Their tuition fee is lower, but they are a registered provider of higher education and their students are eligible for maintenance loan as per the usual calculations.
They also have stringent entry requirements, actually.

Everything I stated in the post below yours is a degree without going to university. The point being, the 'name' of the institution doesn't matter it's the expense of tuition fees + living costs that make people baulk. If it was all free or cheap we wouldn't need this discussion

I think "going to university" is different from getting a degree either by distance learning; commuting to nearby university; degree apprenticeship. It's a whole different life experience and new set of skills learned. And of course getting a degree by other means, in turn, gives you a different skill set.

It's not really the case that the end result is the same (unless you're viewing the end result purely as getting a piece of paper and not everything you have done and experienced on the way).

This is a thread about people who don't want to go to university - so we can safely assume they're not interested in the 'university experience'. Some countries don't have distance learning and in othere, the few are still looked down upon as being inferior to physical university.

As the OP and her husband are not from the UK, I was just reassuring them that all UK degrees, whatever the means of delivery, are seen as equal. Of course some institutions are more prestigious but with work experience it generally matters very little.

Also again in other places if you don't go when young it's extremely difficult to return to education...Again, not the case in the UK. Of course it's not easy when you have other things to juggle. But a lot of support is available for students in the interest of things like 'widening participation' etc.

I do think other countries' educational institutions aren't so concerned about the student experience. They see it as their job to deliver academic learning and that's it. If the student can't cope it's their problem not the universities. Lecturers here can be very lenient with deadlines extensions etc especially for mature students.

That’s so fabulous to hear @cryinglaughing

Can you join the armed forces just for a year? I thought they generally required a longer commitment.

DD trained as a carer and now has a job she loves.

It’s four years if you join after your 18th birthday

I didn't go to university until I was 25, I temped for a bit before getting a proper job in a telecommunications company (various roles), then did a stint in a few pubs because I was bored, worked in retail for a bit then went on to work in Accounts after temping in the company for a few months.

After university I worked in education for 15 years doing various admin roles, then got the job I do now in a completely different industry as a PA I like it, it's given me a new lease of life and opened so many doors for me.

I don't use my degree (English and Classics) and would probably be doing just as well without it. I did it because I wanted to and had an interest in the subjects.

DS (now 24) started as a document controller in the construction industry, a job he got purely through networking (his then-GF's dad introduced him to the MD, and they got on like a house on fire, and he offered him a starter job). Once there, he impressed sufficiently for them to sponsor his training as a planner/scheduler. He's now working at HS2, holds industry-standard qualifications, and is making better money than me.

He's a sharp cookie, but really didn't enjoy academic life, and I know university would have been a waste of time and money for him.

One worked for the NHS in HR now works for the council as head of a department.
My son is only 20 but has a full time job in a men's clothing shop and part time teaching fitness classes in a gym (he's a qualified fitness/PT but doesn't pay much initially).
A friends son is a chef.

DS had a great A level results and he worked as a kitchen assistant for years. Then he got married and got a job as a caretaker for an environmental charity. He was willing to help with other jobs there and after a couple of years he was encouraged to apply for a management position in the IT department. The job description asked for someone with an IT degree but he was given the job and has found where he belongs.