DS contemplating not finishing

[Jibbee]

DS is talking about leaving uni. He has completed yr 1 and 2 with a high 2;1.
Anyone have experience of this happening and what was the outcome, job - career wise?

He went to uni after having a year out working in a pastoral setting which he really enjoyed, i think he embarked on uni because his peers, his ex teachers were encouraging him to do so.
I agree he should stay, he is doing sociology btw but as a fully grown adult I am v aware these are his life choices to make for the good or bad.
My post was seeking people that might have done similar and how things had worked out

Has he fully considered all the options - would transferring to a different University and living at home for the final year be a possibility?

He can suspend his studies. I know a couple of students who did that, 2 years of uni is a lot to throw away. What is his reasoning behind leaving?

It’s literally 9 months to go. He’d be nuts not to finish. The graduate job market is in the toilet- that’s true- but the non- graduate market isn’t great either and he’ll be in a sort of no man’s land of having been to Uni but not finished. There’s a risk that employers infer something from that that might not be helpful to him- ie he couldn’t cope with Uni or he’s just flaky/ lacks resilience. It’s hard to think of a good ( honest) answer to the interview question “why did you drop out of uni?” that’s going to sell you to an employer.

You’ll get anecdotes either way but I would strongly be advising him to just stick it out for the sake of a few more months. It sounds like he’ll get a decent grade if he can just lock in.

sorry if that sounds harsh but there’s a thin line between pressuring them to do something they don’t want to do and letting them make bad life decisions out of naivety about how the world works.

Personally I would encourage him to "cash in" his level 5 qualification (DipHE?) which would give him flexibility to top up to a degree at a later stage either through another university or vocation level 6 linked to future work.
If he has worked throughout his gap year in a job that he liked then that would put him in a good position for future work. One of the main issues with graduate roles is that many candidates do not have sufficient work experience.
What's the point in continuing to obtain a degree if he is going to be miserable? As a parent I would say that your son's well-being and mental health are more important than having a degree at this stage in life.

Don’t worry about it. If it’s meant to be, he’ll find his way.

DS now early 40’s dropped out towards the end of his final year after doing a 4 yr degree with a language. He’d just had enough. 😂

He got a couple of shitty jobs and moved into a horrible damp flat against my better judgement (!) but then worked for X company in a very junior role having to deal with some complete assholes and got spotted by a manager. They asked him to move to London for a promotion and he’s not looked back.

He earns 6 figures, gets regular huge bonuses and has been head hunted twice.

I kind of knew he’d land on his feet as he’s a bright lad.

I can't understand the downside of suspending to have time to reflect? It's called hedging your bets.

This . He will be leaving with a qualification. It’s up to him to make this choice. As long as it’s an informed one then he needs to choose his own path.

This is why I suggested it. It allows a year of thinking time, working to build up some cash, and after that he can either go back and finish final year, or still decide to leave and cash in his level 5 credits for a DipHE. I had a student who took a year out because a lot was happening for them, they worked for a year, then decided to come back, were well motivated and got a good result and job after that. It's a 'don't burn your bridges' route that keeps other options open.

I was totally burned out by uni in my second year, but third year ended up being amazing.

I preferred the wide range of choice we had in modules, and the independence of pursuing my own research for the dissertation.

Also, contact hours were minimal in third year, so I was only on campus 2 days a week, for two 12-week blocks.

I'm not sure if his previous experience was pastoral (outdoors, in nature) or pastoral care (support work), but having the degree will give him the option to pursue postgraduate conversion courses in either area.

He could always use a DipHE to build towards another qualification at a later date, but those I know who have taken this path have found it harder.

It's easier to pursue education when you have a cohort around you. When you and/or your friends are all working, in relationships and have kids, studying can feel lonely.

But that was 20 years ago - pre financial crisis in a job market with a structural labour shortage. Even post financial crisis the job market was better than it is now for entry level roles. Now he wouldn’t even get the shitty job because he’d be screened out by AI and he wouldn’t be able to afford the damp flat because rents are so insane. Dropping out with a year to go is a really badly calculated risk in this market given he doesn’t even hate it that much.

He should finish. It's not a whole year it's a cluster of weeks before protracted holidays. Total less than 9 months of 12. He can pivot after.

Otherwise that is 2 years wasted.

Unless he's having some kind of major mental health crisis, just push to the end.

I would strongly encourage him to go back unless he has another plan. He might not love it but he’s invested 2 years of his life already, seems a shame not to see it through.

There are always stories where folk have dropped out of education and everything turned out ok in the end. But it usually takes years longer to achieve the same goals. This DS was lucky and obviously has talent but his career progression relied upon being spotted by his manager. Thats a risky approach in a competitive market.

And I am not saying that having a degree is the only way to achieve career goals. But as a PP has pointed out, it can be a difficult sell to explain to an employer why the final study year was not completed.

I hope there is a good outcome for the OPs DS regardless. Its a tough old world.

I really struggled to finish my degree for various reasons. Loved my first year but went downhill after that. I was supported to stay and complete my 3rd year but didn't do my dissertation. I postponed this and did it PT from home, whilst working PT. This really worked for me and helped a lot.
I'm very pleased I did finish it, but haven't worked in a related field since.
I was diagnosed with depression early in my second year. The university were pretty rubbish about supporting me and I relied heavily on my parents to get me through.
See if your son can explore all the options available to him in order to make an informed decision!

If he's doing sociology, his final year will have some optional modules that he can choose (as opposed to compulsory/core modules). It can also often include a dissertation/project of some sort so he can choose to do a project that he is interested in. Sociology being quite broad I can imagine many topics will be applicable (I say this as someone who did sociology till final year in the dark ages). Might that be appealing to him? I know he's an adult now and he should make his own mind up but might he make an appointment with his personal tutor at university and perhaps have a chat with them (adult, but not parent)...? and try and figure out what the issues are?

good luck whatever happens.