Are any of your teenagers NOT going to university?

[SnowfallSnowball]

I was just interested in hearing other people's situations and what their teens are up to now after completing their A-levels, BTEC, T-levels? My daughter decided over a year ago that she didn't want to go to uni but had applied for a college course months ago in a different field to her A-levels and starts in September, which is great and already has a work placement associated with said course.

Sadly she did fail her A-levels and she was and is disappointed in that but glad she has other options.

There are a lot of teenagers that will be starting a new chapter in their lives in a few months but wondered about those where the path differs from those going to university.

DC1 went to uni and it was great for them but their current employment was not a result of their degree.

DC2 did a crap apprenticeship post A levels then went travelling. Currently studying part time in night school while working 2 part time jobs - 1 in hospitality and 1 in role relevant to study. Plans to go off travelling again in 12 mths

DC3 got A level results yesterday, didn’t get first choice uni and has now decided not to go. Is looking into a L4/5 apprenticeship and possibly trying to get winter work in a ski resort!

DH & I both went the traditional uni route, DH still working in a role related to his degree. I’m on my 4th ‘career’ after retraining 10 years ago so DC are very aware that the decisions they make now don’t have to define them for life.

My DS got A level results last year. Turned down his uni place, just crossed his arms and said I’m not going I’m taking a year out. He’s worked as a lifeguard since the end of his exams and is bored now, but has a lot of money saved. He’s just announced he’s going to apply to train as a commercial pilot!! So he’s busy looking up different ways in.
Tbf although he’s really academic ( three As at A level) he’s always hated ‘book’ learning and school, really did have to drag him kicking and screaming to A levels.
So I’m just glad he’s found something more practical that hopefully he will enjoy

DS deferred last year's Uni offer for a year. His grades were really disappointing but he still got his offer. It made him realise he didn't have the discipline to study hard enough to succeed at a high an academic level even though he is really bright.

He got a job in a supermarket to tide him over while he decided what to do. He had previously worked as a lifeguard for two years but wasn't enjoying it. The supermarket work was great for his confidence and learning to work in a team and dealing with people. Lifeguarding is a lonely job in comparison.

He managed to arrange an unpaid internship by contacting and impressing the CEO of a small underwriting company in London.

He did the 6 weeks ( working around his shifts at the supermarket because his boss was fantastically flexible ) and got some great experience and advice on how to progress in the industry.

He studied for the first stage of professional exams , passed them with flying colours and after many many interviews he got a great job which he started in June.

When he started his job he was told that he had won the job over a grad with a first from an RG uni. He is absolutely loving working in The City and the socialising that goes with it.

So many of his school friends are turning against Uni and that's from a grammar school that assumed all of its pupils will go on to do a degree at Uni or a business/degree apprenticeship.

The rental costs/tuition fee debt and the stories of grads not being able to find work are really off putting.

He has got to cancel his Uni place in the next few days but is waiting for the clearing madness to die down so he can get through in the phone.

Correction - it was a paid internship not an unpaid one - not sure why I wrote that.Although I think he would have done it unpaid anyway!

Middle child did a BTEC in local college, no Uni. Doing great now working and married recently.

DS isn’t which I think is a good choice even though he did (surprisingly) very well in his A-levels. He hates classroom learning and has wanted to be a pilot forever. He got quite far in the BA pilot training application earlier in the year so is going to give RAF pilot training a shot because why not and if unsuccessful, work, finish DoE Gold and get his driving license. Then next year he’ll reapply for broader roles in the RAF. He gets the same pot of money our eldest got to go to uni and can pay for his own private pilots licence out of that if needs be. My eldest has just done his MA and had an interview for Subway last week (and I haven’t heard from him so I’m not sure he even got it).

University at 18 is not always the right trajectory.

Ds got merit, pass, pass on his b tech course, we are very proud that he managed that. He has already started working 4 days a week, at minimum wage but in a lovely place and volunteering one day a week. Hes done great, and at only 18 has a lot of options ahead of him. I think it’s very easy to only hear about the straight A students off to top universities, which is also great.

DD didn’t go. She has almost finished a level 4 apprenticeship and it was definitely the right option. A surprisingly large number of her friends didn’t go either

DS3 has a degree level officer cadetship in the merchant navy starting September
it’s what he’s always wanted to do, my DF is a very senior captain, my boy always wanted this

he got ABB yesterday, still following his dream

I’m delighted he is taking a vocational route

my other DS both have first class degrees

I'm really interested to read this - DD is about to start secondary school but we have lots of friends with older DCs off to uni, but I want to make sure she knows her alternatives (and she massively struggles with maths, even though we both help her).
She's very creative and good with her hands so I'm trying to persuade her to try something in building.

My DD never wanted to go to Uni after A Levels. She joined the Navy 15 months ago and loves it.

My stepson didn’t go to uni. Did ok at A levels but was fed up and no idea if or what to do at uni. So he went off to Australia for a few months, working various jobs. Then came back got a few jobs (like call centre type). Finally ended up at a hospital working in the HR department. Fast forward after ten years he quit the NHS after various promotions and now runs a department at a London council where he works from home half the time. Not mega bucks but decent enough salary.
My son started a vocational qualification in 2020 after GCSEs - nightmare. Couldn’t do the work experience, couldn’t make any friends with all the lockdowns. But at the same time he also got a job as soon as he turned 16, was made redundant from that during first lockdown, got another job and now does it full time. Perhaps not his career (he’s just turned 22), but he likes it and it’s good enough for now while he figures out his next move. He’s very dedicated and it has given him structure and confidence. He is getting hands on with social media, stocks, selling and managing a couple members of staff.
I am of the opinion that most jobs don’t require a university degree, and it sort of pains me to see graduates getting on training schemes that have nothing to do with their degree while those that have worked in the sector are overlooked or have a harder slog up the ladder. A friend’s DD got on a Tesco graduate scheme out of uni and has worked as a buyer for years, travelling all over the world. She did an unrelated degree in media with no job experience other than shifts at a pub. Whereas my son, who has several years retail experience, would not be able to get on the scheme as he’s not a graduate. And saying ‘they learn other things at uni like analytic skills etc’. My friends kid didn’t. And nothing she dyes couldn’t be learned by someone who already HAS several years in the actual sector.

DC3 has just failed his Highers for the second year in a row. He's not academically inclined, has no interest in university or years of exams, and so is joining one of the armed forces (providing he passes his medical).

Thank you all so much for sharing your DC’s experiences, it is reassuring and interesting to hear about the different pathways they’ve taken or plan to take!

Of course it’s great to hear those that have passed and will go on to uni but ultimately it’s not for everyone for various reasons and that’s ok. It’s interesting to read that some of your DC’s have gone off to the Navy too although I read the programmes and training is really good.

My daughter had a realisation that she’d much rather go for a vocational path which I’m more than happy to support, I just hope she’ll enjoy it!

My son didn't go to university (all his sisters did) - no 3 out of 4 children. He's 28, just married and has owned a house since 2022. No help from us. He and his dw work hard but play hard and have fun.

I literally googled your thread title yesterday as DD isn’t going to uni. She passed her A Levels and might go next year but no firm plan as she couldn’t find a course that she felt was worth the debt right now - so reading the replies has been so refreshing!

Don’t forget @SnowfallSnowball it a clear majority nationally who don’t go on to Uni.

DC1 is doing an apprenticeship at an accountancy firm. He works full.time.and studies two evenings a week. It's hard work but he enjoys it and there is the opportunity to keep progressing. He is still at home and has loads of money in the bank.
DC2 got great a levels yesterday but isn't going to uni. He is working part time in a supermarket and is going to think about what he might like to do. He hasn't got a clue but doesn't want to rush into anything. All of his friends are staying too.

Good to hear these stories
My dcs are younger and academically capable but I’m not sure uni is a good choice these days with the job market as it is, unless for a very specific profession

There’s a great piece in today’s Times about the truth behind the stats of who benefits (financially) from going to university. Sadly, students, schools and parents have not got the full information behind how beneficial a degree might be. I’m afraid an age where going to university was considered to be reasonably elite. Most of my siblings’ peers did apprenticeships whilst most of my peers went on to university (or got married). My siblings went to a secondary modern school whilst I went to a girls grammar school. We got student grants so university cost us very little. We could enjoy taking courses in Victorian literature or Viking history purely for the enjoyment knowing we wouldn’t be saddled with the debt today’s students are.
People still believe the myth that a degree is instant access to a ‘better’ job on a high salary. Sadly, that just isn’t true. As the article points out, most people with an English degree end up earning the same as someone working in a fast food chain but with the added bonus of £50k student debt. My plumber friend left school at 16, did his plumbing apprenticeship and now earns far more than minimum wage! Tony Blair sold us a pup with his claim that everyone is able to go to university and benefit from it.
www.thetimes.com/article/a5388a6b-932b-4e53-b05e-e4739abfa84d?shareToken=0c8cb8d7010257fde2a138d07326c23b

My DD is just starting her GCSE journey - hubby and I didn’t go to uni - he did alevels and went into IT and I did travel and tourism and went into the travel industry until I had kids…

DD is very able but has ASD and struggles with burnout and anxiety/gets very overwhelmed

Im so interested as we start this journey where she will end up x

There is a very interesting article on this subject in today’s edition of The Times. The author says that many university courses do not lead to a job or at least a well paid job and the government line that being a graduate will give you an extra £100000 in salary over your lifetime is now false. Apparently the statistics showing the employment rate for every course in every university are known to the government but are not made available because then they would have to admit that uni is not for everyone and some courses are just not worth doing.

Good to read these 👍 my son passed his A levels but not the grades he wanted and had no intention of going to
Uni. He wants to join the Fire Sevice but his best mate and his girlfriend are off to university ( not together lol 😜) and I think he’s having second thoughts or is confused about what he wants to do. It’s such a minefield!!!!

My dd dropped out of university eight years ago,worked since 16 in a supermarket and now is assistant manager of a different but similar shop. I think she's on about 32k.
My ds did a level 2 at college but couldn't pass his maths,left at 18 and did a few jobs and then had a change of direction and joined the army as a paratrooper. He has been to Oman,Texas and other places in the last two years.
My 17 year old ds ( sen) has just left college after one year of doing a construction course. He hated it and it was a struggle getting him there in the morning. He did stick it out and we will wee if he passes his maths resit on Thursday. He also didn't pass the theory side of the course so results also come o.n Thursday . He has worked at a pub since he was 15 and has announced college is not for him and he will work five days a week at the pub. My parents are worried but the amount of 'neet' kids around here,I think he will be ok. I've just bought him a moped so he can commute and not rely on me as pub is six miles away via very quiet country roads.

DD did A levels last year and got fairly underwhelming grades. However, she had no interest in uni and wanted to do a gap year and figure out what she actually wanted to do. She got a job and worked hard, saved lots of money and then went travelling for 3 months. She's back to her old job next month and we'll take it from there.