to ask if any parent is unenthusiastic about University as an option?

[SimpleMathsQueen]

The average student now leaves university with £60,000 debt hanging over his or her head, often for the next 30 years, with interest added. (In 1994 the average debts were £3,000, and in 2009 it was £15,000).

At the same time degrees, except for STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) have largely been devalued in the job market.

Finally, many colleges are overcrowded, anonymous places.

I'm a believer in lifetime learning, by the way. I just don't really see the point of 'university' anymore and think society's obsession with this at 18 is having a negative impact and narrowing young people's horizons ironically.

My mother and I constantly bump heads over this. I have learning difficulties, and hire education is really difficult for me. I really want to go and finish university. I have tried, and been unsuccessful. I have had the same work for 12 years, and I run my own organization so can be flexible and change when I need to. There are some things I would like to do though and it would be a lot easier if I had some sort of qualification but it’s difficult to find things without reading or writing involved. I’m very good at languages, I speak nine, but it’s just a question of getting some sort of qualification.

9 languages? Wow, I'm in awe.

Everyone, yes. But I don't have a qualification, and it really upsets me. There is an interpreting class But to get to level III you have to do 50 hours of voluntary work. I am visually impaired and a lot of organizations ask you to go to different places and do a few hours of each. So it has been a bit difficult to get the volunteering done. And tests like the translation exam in January haven't been so accessible for me. They just don't know how to accommodate a visually impaired student who also has learning difficulties.

@tonton no degree is useless if the student makes the most of their time at university

Exactly

@tonton no degree is useless if the student makes the most of their time at university

Well that depends on what you mean by making the most of. Perhaps you could enlighten me?

I did a degree in English lit at an RG uni. It's been pretty useless career wise. However, I worked on the student paper, acted in a couple of plays, ran for the uni, played on the lesbian pool team, had three amazing boyfriends, waitressed all over town, shared a house with four fab people who are still my friends today. It absolutely made me as a person!

I worked on the student paper, acted in a couple of plays, ran for the uni, played on the lesbian pool team, had three amazing boyfriends, waitressed all over town, shared a house with four fab people who are still my friends today. It absolutely made me as a person!

You could still have done all of that if you hadn't gone to university.

Not in my home town I couldn't!

Oh and also I got to read hundreds of books. It was ace. Working in a low paid job is absolutely not that fun or empowering!

You worked a low paid job waitressing and could have moved to a bigger town and could have read all those books.

The problem is when you speak of university only as enriching your life in ways that are in fact not related to university and you could have got by moving from home into the world anyway.

Not unless they particularly want to. Out of a handful of 10 friends the ones with trades behind them earn vastly more than the ones with degrees. They also run their own businesses and dance to their own tune.

Tree surgeon: pulls in more than 100k year subcontracting to power companies
Gas engineer: employs 5 people and only works a half week himself
Bricklayer: ridiculous amounts of money, doesn’t work if it rains and is one of the happiest people I know

I’d rather they all got a trade behind them and then did a degree in later life.

Why not do a degree then learn a trade? It's not the same being a mature student.

When I was in my teens I was told all I had to do was go to university, then my life would be easy. I was lied to. I got a degree - the wrong kind of degree and I've been a low paid worker ever since. I think I had terrible career advice, plus I never really knew what I wanted to do, as no careers seem that appealing to me. I think in many ways my degree has been a hindrance in life rather than a help. But at least my degree was free and I started out debt free. I've managed to stay debt free all my life too.

I will encourage DD to do well at school, but when she leaves I don't think I'll be encouraging university, unless she has her heart set on a career that requires a specific degree, that pays really well and that she has a good chance of succeeding at. She doesn't know what she wants to do yet. Most of the time a degree isn't necessary for a successful career.

@tonton where do I start? Endless opportunities...join a society, play sport, learn a language, meet people from all over the world, access amazing placement opportunities. All of this alongside getting a degree. All will make an individual extremely employable.

Perhaps if a teen doesn't see any benefit in those things they'd be better off not going.

Really??? I have a degree (the wrong kind), I have lots of skills (the wrong kind), I've travelled the world, lived in 4 different countries, met people from every corner of the globe, have lots of interests and hobbies.

I'm not employable, much above minimum wage.

In most employment situations I've been in people aren't educated or well-travelled and are annoyed that I am.

I agree with Dish and Twistella. It's so much not then just the academic aspect and what level of job/career you can access after. It's about meeting people from different parts of the country/world, trying new experiences or sports, learning new skills. About learning how to research, analyse, present your thoughts and knowledge to an audience etc.

My DD will be at her new university in a month's time. She id chomping st the bit! She will be studying Biomedical Sciences but is just as interested in meeting her new hallmates, joining societies, growing up! Tbh, she would drive me and herself mad if she had to stay at home for much longer and look for a job. She needs to grow in confidence and be more outgoing, things I know she will gain by being a student.

"You worked a low paid job waitressing and could have moved to a bigger town and could have read all those books." It's not as easy to move to a big town nowadays. Back in the mid 80s when I was 18, you could move to London, find a job pretty easily and manage to flatshare on a fairly low wage. All the indicators are that social mobility has gone down and prices are up so it's very difficult.

I think it's a huge shame that careers advice at schools and colleges are still lacking. How do you become a sound engineer, for example. There are so many careers that we never actually hear about which young people could train in, if they knew they existed.

Lastly, someone mentioned ppl working as bricklayers and electrician/plumbers, that kind of thing. All very well and much in demand, but what happens if you become physically unable to do that kind of job. Ppl I know in their late 40s started having physical issues because of the demands of their job.

@name you might have the 'wrong' degree and 'wrong' skills for certain jobs but not all..... especially as around 60% of graduate jobs don't ask for a specific degree. As for people being annoyed that you've travelled extensively etc. That's just bizarre. Not all work places and people think like that.