Careers and jobs - thread to help our young people not going to university

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DH, DC1 and I all went to university. We each had a type of career in mind and pursued that, with a few twists and turns along the way. DC2 wasn't keen on university, tried university, didn't stay and now, like thousands of other young people, is looking for a way forward.

I often read or hear people say 'I (or my child) didn't go to university and now earn £xxxxx' (sum of money much beyond minimum wage) That's great - but what do these people all actually do and how did they get into it? Are you one of these people? What do you do and where did you start? Was it accidental - right place, right time, or was it a specific job that has a development career pathway? Do any of these exist now? Are there other courses young people can pursue that will help them get a job and move beyond minimum wage?

I'm not talking about degree apprenticeships nor trade apprenticeships.

DC2 has a part-time job but there is no career progress in it.

I think much beyond minimum wage is la la land for most, really.

DD says the same, she’s resentful and feels she wasted time doing uni to end up doing something that she didn’t actually need uni for etc etc (im sure she won’t say that once she starts progressing because of the degree but for now i bite my tongue), all her friends who didn’t go are much better off etc etc - it’s all I hear all the time, but personally I don’t find it that accurate.

Most people I know who ended up with very good wages with no formal studies started their own businesses and pulled it off or do jobs that are physically very demanding - ie, building and scaffolding.

The most original one I know is a friend of DD who has a trainer cleaning service. Apparently it’s going surprisingly well!

The most reliable routes beyond minimum wage aren't usually about finding a magical job title, they're about employers who train. Worth looking at: the Civil Service, where entry-level operational roles come with genuinely structured progression and internal-only promotions; large insurers and brokers, who fund professional exams (CII, CIPD, AAT) for staff in admin roles and then promote them; and big retailers' head offices, where people move from shop floor into buying, logistics or data roles. All of these hire school leavers and pay for the qualification alongside.

A practical first step for your DC: pick two or three large employers nearby, look at their entry-level vacancies, and apply for anything admin-facing rather than customer-facing only. The qualification matters less than getting through the door at an organisation with a promotion ladder. The National Careers Service site is also worth a browse, as it lists careers by qualification level and shows which roles are growing locally.

It's a slow build rather than a leap, but plenty of people get there without a degree.

Thank you - these are useful responses.

I have suggested that DC thinks about training in something they could have their own business in eventually but as they are young and lack that maturity or confidence in themselves, this doesn't seem like a plan that suits them, or not at the moment. I think most people's own business aspirations grow out of having worked in a particular career or gaining a skill through employment first. Or else they are naturally entrepreneurial and make a success of something like the trainer cleaning business!

My personal experience of people in their 40s and 50s that are paid well enough but did not go to University, is that they had to keep working for the same employer for a long time to achieve that. When they fancied a change, it wasn't possible, or they'd have had to find a way to do a degree or study later in life. But it's a small sample of people. I know that there are sectors where people end up doing some kind of professional or industry qualification. I'm trying to get a feel for what those might be. I have little commercial/corporate/business experience myself and it is hard to know what goes on behind those closed doors.

gradroutes - thank you. This is very useful. Your username suggests you have experience in this area. Any other pointers very welcome.

Glad it was useful. A few pointers that seem to make the difference for people who go the non-degree route: pick a direction rather than waiting for one to appear, even roughly. Then get any job inside that direction, even a low-paid one, because the title matters less than starting to collect relevant experience. Free online courses and short certificates can fill specific gaps, but they only count when they back up experience. Encourage DC2 to talk to people already doing jobs they like; most will happily spend fifteen minutes explaining how they got there. And keep a running note of every small win, however minor. After a year that list is worth more than any qualification in an interview. The first proper step usually looks underwhelming, which is why so many people stall. Better a small move in the right direction than a perfect plan that never starts.