I'm at the stage where I need to be deciding what I'm doing next September. I know it obviously depends on what type of career you are looking to follow, but what is your opinion on either getting a entry level job (in your chosen career area) or doing a degree? Aren't more and more employers looking for people who have proved that they can actually do the job, have knowledge of the required work rather than just the theroretical knowledge. You see I don't think I'm the sort of person to go to university (can't sit still for 2 or 3 hours, not really great at assignments / stress!) Thanks

If you have the academic ability - which isnt really that high TBH then I would say go for it. Employers will see you have had the commitment to Study for three of four years - regardless of subject. On top of this you will learn, organisational, motivational and time management skills - all of which Employers love.

Add this to the social aspect of Uni and theres no choice. Meeting people from all over the country (even world), making friends you will probably keep for life.

Do it man (or woman?) stop wasting time here and get that UCAS form filled in! I mean if you really hated it after 1st year you could jack it in, better to do it this way than to regret not going 10 years down the line when your stuck in some dead end job.


Do it...........


Mat:D

there's nothing to stop you getting decent work experience at the same time as your degree, in a related subject, without taking the emphasis off your degree!
you can still prove you can do the job AS WELL AS the degree!!!!

When I went to Uni it was virtually fully funded (grant, fees paid, income support in hols, housing benefit etc), and less than 10% of the population went to Uni. These days you will come out of it with a large debt and be competing with the other 40-50%, so much tougher. As an IT employer now I think the first degree has been considerably devalued.

However you will get a great social/life experience at Uni which going straight into work won't give you.

Personally I would advise getting a good trade (plumbing, joiner, etc ) - many degrees are so light on lectures/tutorials that you will have time to learn this at the same time. Go to an evening class to try these (Dearne Valley college has an excellent construction centre). Or otherwise get some other decent work experience.

This way you'll have much better idea of what you want to do and also have more options than your colleagues.

(For anyone wanting to get into IT I strongly advise getting some solid Linux expertise and you will mint it in the next decade.)

Good luck!

my friend did my dream degree - english - now he works ibiza as a promoter.
my hubby failed his a levels - owns his own software comp?
go figure......
Go with the flow mate

Thanks NatalieSheff! Thats what I'm sort of getting at! People who have degrees don't always get the best jobs do they!?

nope my man was a builder, rugby player and bouncer for years. thru a friend of mine he met the guy that changed his life - at gatecrasher i might add! and turned into the top sales rep and the rest is history. i did the whole education stuff, uni for a bit til i caught a virus, didnt go back as was ill for ages - now ive got ace job, dont earn loads but am well happy. you could always try volunteering for a bit - its an eye opener, or door canvassing - done that and wow! traumatised!!:hihi:

Having done a degree. I would go for the work option.

Its a fact graduate the majority of graduates aren't well paid nowadays, and only the very few get onto a graduate training scheme. Most end of massively in debt, on a low paid job.

Getting a job straight away with training and career prospects, means you learn a job from the ground up and in all likelyhood will be earning more than a graduate in 3 years time without the debt.

If you do a degree make sure its a sandwich course... that way you at least get a whole years work experience in too...

what sort of work do you want to end up in? or have you not decided yet?

I'm currently on my 2nd year of my computing degree, applying for work placements, and its definitly a good idea to have both work experiance and a degree, even for work placements they really want examples of situations outside of Uni, where you've been working etc...

and whoever mentioned getting a good footing in Linux is bang on the ball... if you can specialise in something like Unix/Linux or 3D Studio max, or some other specialist area your sorted, most general areas seem really hard to get into these days, or so it seems

Its a difficult chioce in this day and age - personally, I found my degree relevant and useful, and I wouldnt be where I was today without it.

BUT - you must always remember, a degree is not a golden-ticket or anything, its not a passport to a successful career. Ultimately, you have to pull your finger out and do something! :thumbsup:

As someone else mentioned, doing a degree is more than just a course/qualification, it gives you the chance to experience a whole lifestyle, and (I think this is maybe one of the most important aspects) the chance live more independantly of your existing family/friends. Dont underestimate the value of this!

Another piece of great advice which has already been brought out in this thread - try and spend summer/other holidays gaining relevant work experience - if you do that, youll be well ahead of the game!

Life is wierd...you spend your whole youth being told that "stuff" is important and will affect your whole future, but the truth is, you can do anything you want. Its never too late to change your mind - so dont worry that youll make a "mistake" - thats just bull.

good luck!:thumbsup:

Originally posted by ukstudent
Thanks NatalieSheff! Thats what I'm sort of getting at! People who have degrees don't always get the best jobs do they!? Nope, people with drive do. If you haven't got that then you'll need to take a more conventional route :D .

This thread opens up the old catch 22: Overqualified/underexperienced. Getting a job is one thing. Winding up where you want to be is something different.

What do you want to be when you grow up? ;)
And don't say 'rich'!

I depends on what you ultimately want to gain from the degree.

I'm now doing an MSc to specialise because with my undergraduate degree, there were no jobs I could have got that I couldn't have got without the degree anyway. And is likely that after this I will have to do a PhD if I want a job relating to my MSc and undergrad degrees.

Obviously this depends on what degree you do. However the social life was fantastic and I feel that moving out of home (albeit not permanently) was an important step. But you have to balance this with how much debt you're prepared to get into (which is likely to be over £20k when the new tuition fees are introduced) and whether you will ultimately be happy taking a job you could have got without the degree anyway.

The truth about degrees is as follows.

1) If you do a hard degree such as engineering subject you will have no trouble getting well paid employment for the rest of your life.
2) If you are not prepared to work very hard, give up drinking and socialising when you have to, and you only scrape a third. Then you are probably wasting your time.
3) If you do a subject such as art/history/philosopy/psychology then you may wind up working in a call centre or as a secretary, with no hope of paying off your loans in the next decade. I know several of these people who are long term unemployed or are so traumatised by their dead end career and unmanageable debt, that they think they made a massive mistake.
4) If you do a chemistry degree you may have to go on to get a phd before you can progress further in your career. I have met several middle aged chemists who work as glorified lab technians and lots who gave up chemistry to do other things.
5) If you are no good at job interviews anyway, then a degree won't help
6) Final exams are a traumatic time. Most graduates I know, including myself, have nightmares about having things to hand in years after.
7) After graduation you are unlikely to just walk into a job, most people have to work really hard doing lots and lots of applications, and it may take months or a year or more. And when you start you are next to useless , it will take months for your company to train you up, you will make tea!
8) Go to a different city for your student days. Staying with parents is a big mistake. You need to be on your own to study, and of course the lifestyle is much better.
9) You will make the best friends you will have in your life, and will stay in touch with them for ever afterwards.

This list is all fact! gained from my own experience and my friends & relations experiences.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
1) If you do a hard degree such as engineering subject you will have no trouble getting well paid employment for the rest of your life. Well that still depends on the economy. At least bieng a five foot tall female is less of an issue with employers now than it was when I aquired mine. Or perhaps they now think I'm beyond child bearing age??

Save all the hassel of university and student loans.
Get a medical degree, (available from any post office), these cost 37 pence, same as the old dog licence fee. and as much use

Do what suits you.
You can go back in to education later if you choose not to do it now.
My only advice, since I don't know you is to ask yourself a few questions.
Do you want to go to Uni?
Now or later?
What would you like to do instead if not?
How will you earn money either at Uni or home?
Do you think you will be happy in your choice?
Imagine you've chosen Uni, convince yourself of it - how do you feel? Then try the other way.
In your choice of course or job - what do other people who are successful in the field have - degrees or experience or both?
Unlike some people I hated Uni but I worked all over the place after I left (after the first year) and I have a fantastic reputation in arts- my degree subject after working instead of Uni. Now I've done my teaching cert, my childcare cert and Im on 3rd year counselling - all big money earners. That's what suits me, suit yourself:!:

Originally posted by ukstudent
I'm at the stage where I need to be deciding what I'm doing next September. I know it obviously depends on what type of career you are looking to follow, but what is your opinion on either getting a entry level job (in your chosen career area) or doing a degree? Aren't more and more employers looking for people who have proved that they can actually do the job, have knowledge of the required work rather than just the theroretical knowledge. You see I don't think I'm the sort of person to go to university (can't sit still for 2 or 3 hours, not really great at assignments / stress!) Thanks

I didn't go to University after college, I went abroad instead. It was one of the best times of my life.

I have a good job at the moment but I have decided that now is the time for me to go to Uni. I am a lot more aware of my capabilities and a lot more motivated to do it now. I don't really feel like I have lost out by not doing it before (I am 32 now) and I am probably on a par with my friends who did.

That is just my experience though. I would say that if you are half hearted about it why not wait a while, earn some money and do it when you feel more ready. That approach has suited me.

Originally posted by bonny
I have a good job at the moment but I have decided that now is the time for me to go to Uni. I am a lot more aware of my capabilities and a lot more motivated to do it now. I don't really feel like I have lost out by not doing it before (I am 32 now) and I am probably on a par with my friends who did.


I know I've already had a go at this one, but Bonny makes a very valid point. If you are a mature student, you are much, much more likely to succeed and do well. When I was at college and Polytechnic myself I was so imature, and so were all of my mates. We really didn't work hard until the last minute. Older students are always much better motivated, and their success rate is very high. I am now back at college, part time and am much better at managing my schedule and my time.

An interesting point to make is that revision and preparation for exams and coursework is never taught, it is just something which you get better at the more you do or the less you put it off.

The job market has changed so much over the past few years IMO. I have friends with decent degrees who ended up taking jobs that would have been considered "entry level" 5 years earlier. Having been intellectually challenged by their degrees, they were so disillusioned with these low scale jobs and really struggled for a year or two wondering if they had done the right thing.

However, my friends have all since been promoted far, far quicker than their colleagues without degrees, many of whom have worked for the companies for longer. So even if you are prepared to go in without a degree and work your way up from the bottom, you may find a "glass ceiling".

As for me, I had to carry on to do a PhD before any employers in my field were interested.

I would suggest taking a year out and working at so called entry level. This will give you

a) more time to decide if you want to go to uni
b) a good bit of work and life experience - maturity has been mentioned above, and even a year can make a difference
c) a bit of savings (provided you can still live at home)
d) a foothold somewhere for vacation work (and possibly part time during term) if you do decide to go

I had a fantastic time at uni. But I was lucky enough to be the last cohort to go through who qualified for grants and my parents, plus vacation work, paid the rest of my living expenses so I came out with no debts. :) There was no question over whether I would go or not. I appreciate that this is a tough decision for people nowadays. Let us know how you get on.

Hope that helps.