To wonder if it's worth going to university?

[SirJamesTalbotAndHisSpeculum]

I think a lot of people think that going to university is the be-all and end-all of life.

In fact, having a degree doesn't always mean that you're more likely to find employment. It also means that you start off life with a huge debt.

What do others think? AIBU to say that there are many other routes into employment?

hit you're wrong....so, so wrong.

Some of the big accountancy firms specifically target history graduates. They LOVE the skills they develop studying that type of degree. Don't discount degrees like that just because you can't see the direct link to a career. Those graduates can incredibly employable.

It completely depends which career you wish to pursue I suppose. You can’t do many jobs without a degree, I couldn’t teach without one.

Interestingly accountancy firms, including the larger ones, aren’t always looking for graduates now. They are happy to take on trainees with just A-levels and work up to the professional qualifications, which you can do quicker than via university. So you can be on a qualified salary quicker with no debt.

I know university can be good from a personal level, not just academic, so help young people become more independent. But I don’t think that it is the role of the State to pay for that. Which in effect it is if students are simply going to university as they don’t know what else to do and then end up working on a salary below the level they need to pay their loan back in full.

My child went to a coding course for 4 months. £6000 cost
And is earning more than I ever have and I was a teacher

The police now require new starters to have a degree, a lot of careers require them now. If you don't have a degree you will have fewer options.
Personally I don't agree with it. Good A levels should be enough for a lot of careers that now require a degree. But I'd encourage my DC to go to keep their options open.

There are other routes which are equally as good, depending what you want to do; hairdressing, plumbing etc are excellent careers with lots of opportunities and a degree wouldn't help you in those fields. However I think university it extremely worthwhile, although it depends how much you get involved and if you have any work experience alongside it. If you don't join any clubs (being on the committee is excellent for future job applications), don't get a part time job, and don't do anything beyond get the degree itself I think its a shame and a bit of a waste. People always go on about Mickey mouse degrees, but all over a range of skills if you break down the modules, even if you don't go into that field; arts is also an interesting one as everything we use or see has been designed by someone, all of my friends who did arts degrees are in good jobs.

Uni isn't the be all and end all so YANBU - but it really depends on what you want to do. If it's IT, sciences, medicine, you'll probably need a degree to get where you'd like to be.

I graduated with debt, was able to get a good job and paid it off quickly. One of my DS wants to go to Uni, the other isn't sure - just depends on what they think they want to do as a job.

Of course it isn’t “the be-all and end-all of life”

But it is often the right route. It was for me. Not for my brother.

I would have loved to go to university, FWIW.

Come to the Open University SirJames, registration is still open to start in October.

YANBU. I’d only want mine to go where it’s necessary to have a degree for the job they want.

It’s very expensive, many degrees go unused and I reckon the amount never paid back in loans is astonishing. If it were compulsory payment six months after finishing the course then it would be better.

@FaFoutis

I would love to register at the OU.

I am about to retire (from midwifery) and qualified as a nurse and midwife a bit before they became university courses.

I think I shall study Forensic Psychology. Or Music, maybe?

Yay! Sir James Gets A Degree at last.

I don't think it's just about getting a better job
I see it very much as education for education 's sake,a broadening of horizons etc

I didn't go to college or university and I earn £8.75 an hour. I'm happy with that though and I'm not really the sort of person who wants a demanding career and lots of money, I live a simple life. I don't live beyond my means and have no debts.

I think it depends on what career you want.

I have just started to register at the OU.

So far the site has asked me to change my password four times as it doesn't recognise any of the new ones it is asking for.

This does not bode well for my future as a university graduate.

But Sir James Talbot is never daunted for long.

"An error has occurred while using this site" will not deter me.

I shall be a B.Sc if it kills me.

I went to uni and for my career I wouldn’t say it’s worth it. We now take 18 year olds on as apprentices, they work 4 days a week with one study day, their degree is paid for by the company and they also get paid to work. The starting salary is 19k going up to 23k by the time they have finished their degree, which is pretty decent for a 21/22 year old, especially since they will have no debts and also 3 years work experience with a big bank. They have no obligation to continue with the company when they finish, but are guaranteed a job offer if they choose to do so. If my children choose to go down a technical route I would definitely encourage them to go down that one.

Hithere12 History is generally a very respected degree. Banking & Finance and Law are crammed with historians. The analytical and critical thinking skills that history graduates possess make them popular with graduate recruiters in the city.

It’s not just about the learning. I had the best time at uni. It was so much fun and a period of time to just learn to be who you are, become responsible (at times) and learn from mistakes.

I did select YABU but think I’m on the fence.

If it were compulsory payment six months after finishing the course then it would be better.

No it wouldn't.

Placing such conditions on graduates would make it an experience for the wealthy and elite. No teacher, solicitor, social worker or any other career which requires a degree, could afford to pay back their tuition costs within 6 months.

Short answer is, it depends very much on what you want to do.

I knew what I wanted to do since I was 13, and I needed a degree for that.

If my kids don’t know what they want to do by the time they’re 17 (or at least begun to narrow it down) I won’t be encouraging them to go to uni.

I had been about to suggest, SirJames, that your career history might enable you to skip a first degree altogether and proceed straight to a Masters. But that would probably only apply if you propose to study a subject related to your current occupation. And I’m not sure that people can apply for Government Postgrad Loans if they don’t already have a first degree.

But yes, you should definitely investigate the possibilities.

daphine2004 you don't necesarily need to go to university to do that though. I started full time work at 17, moved 200 miles away from my parents and lived in a shared house. So pretty much like a university experience except I was working instead.

I worked in a bar and life was a non stop party for 4 years until I moved back home for a bit. I look back on that time fondly. And that's where I met the future father of my child.

What Xenia said.

I know there will be exceptions to this, but in terms of well paid, quality of conditions employment, I would also add that I think university education for daughters is far more important.

I know men in well paid careers, like engineering who didn't go to university. The well paid women I know all have degrees in law, medicine, dentistry etc.

There are roads for men, which aren't there for women. That might be because a woman doesn't want to work with loads of men in a typically male environment though. I know it's changing.

I want my daughter to be independent and to earn enough not to have to rely on a man's wage coming into the home. I will be encouraging her to gain a degree as above and steer her away from doing hair and beauty.

It's less stressful painting nails, but it may require another income from a partner to make ends meet. Lack of money sounds stressful to me.

I did a degree in one of the above and I will be encouraging her down a path to a degree that is extremely useful for her life choices.

I'm not as Tiger Mum as I sound

Good on you SirJames. I have heard of this problem with the OU website so I don't think it is anything you are doing wrong. (It may or may not be a test of the determination you need to get your degree.) Try phoning them, it tends to be quicker and easier.