Applying for uni next year..

skippy2421 said:
I think what fox is trying to say is that in your case uni seems like something you feel you have to do as oppose to you wanting to do it. Which is not the right attitude as you'll flunk out immediately if your heart's not in it. There are plenty of other options out there should you not want to go to university. You're timing hasn't left you in a good position however. Might be useful if you answer Fox's question of where do you want to go in life?
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I'm unsure where I want to go in life.

I'm wanting to do something more into building PC's, and repairing them. My uncle, well not really my uncle, has sons high up in companies, they're all dealing with computers, and he told me if I went to uni and all that I'd be able to get into one of these companies, the work is like maintaining computer systems, that's something I would like to do.

Please don't flame me.

Basher said:
If you are expecting all information to be handed to you on a plate, University is not for you.
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Where did I say I expect all information to be handed to me on a plate? Oh wait, I didn't
 
A Foundation Degree is usually a course that people do to get them to University level as it were. People usually do this before doing a Bsc if they don't have enough UCAS points to get into the course straight away. And it usually is course relevant so if I wanted to do a Biology degree I would have to do a Foundation Degree in Biology. Depending on the modules you have done etc you might be limited to what course you could get onto, best to ring up the uni personally and ask before submitting your UCAS application. Yes some people go straight into the second year, when I was applying to uni, those that offered me a foundation degree said it would be possible, just depends on how I do, not only in exams but my overall performance. I have never met some one who has skipped their first year of the degree though.


I do know an Irish girl who went to uni when she was 16 and an Irish lad who was in uni and only 17. Ireland's system is a lot different to here I think, guessing it's the same for Scotland.
 
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willhub said:
I'm wanting to do something more into building PC's, and repairing them.
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Right. Don't go to Uni then.

People with degrees do not (Unless they give up finding a grad job or dont get where they want to go) do jobs building and fixing PC's. If you want to fix PC's, you dont need a degree. You need to get a job with some sort of IT support company and wont take very long at all to progress to PC technician.

Building PC's is unskilled manual labour.
 
I'm not intent on wanting to skip the 1st year, if I have to go in at year 1 and if that would be the best way then that's what I'd do.

That's something I'd like to do, but would that sort of thing provide a good salary in time? (Yes, salarys are not always good coming straight out of college/uni I know that).

I need experience, I've not even had a propor job before (I know it's bad, I don't need a lecture on it), I've done some voluntary work that is currently on going, but it's not in IT, I need a placement.
 
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ok if I hijack this a little?

I'm too looking for a place in uni for next year (or maybe the year after). I know 100% what I want to do; software dev, but how can I learn more about universities that offer the course?

I got fairly average marks on my BTEC... it bored me to tears, way too easy and didn't motivate me in the slightest, teachers were a bit clueless too (except one who was brilliant... if youre reading... yes paranoid).

So... what is the best way to find info on different universities, and not just what courses they offer?

fanks x
 
willhub said:
That's something I'd like to do, but would that sort of thing provide a good salary in time? (Yes, salarys are not always good coming straight out of college/uni I know that).
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You'll never be rich building PC's. It's bottom of the ladder work because its dead easy and anyone can do it. This means you wont really earn much but it also means its easy work and you dont need a degree.

I need experience, I've not even had a propor job before (I know it's bad, I don't need a lecture on it), I've done some voluntary work that is currently on going, but it's not in IT, I need a placement.
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It sounds like what you actually need is a job.
 
steve-h said:
ok if I hijack this a little?

I'm too looking for a place in uni for next year (or maybe the year after). I know 100% what I want to do; software dev, but how can I learn more about universities that offer the course?

I got fairly average marks on my BTEC... it bored me to tears, way too easy and didn't motivate me in the slightest, teachers were a bit clueless too (except one who was brilliant... if youre reading... yes paranoid).

So... what is the best way to find info on different universities, and not just what courses they offer?

fanks x
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I did a BTEC, was a National Diploma, I too got fairly average marks, the only way up I found was a Foundation Degree, I certainly could not get into Uni from a BTEC I found.

[TW]Fox;15476827 said:
You'll never be rich building PC's. It's bottom of the ladder work because its dead easy and anyone can do it. This means you wont really earn much but it also means its easy work and you dont need a degree.



It sounds like what you actually need is a job.
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I hope you're not getting the impression I'm lazy and all I want is easy work? I do like challenges and I'm far from lazy. I do need a job, I want to earn a living, but I don't want to be confined to scraping through all my life.

I keep thinking maybe I should take a year off, and look for work, but at the same time, I don't think I'm likely to get any work apart from shelve stacking or something rather than work in a subject that actually gains me experience and is in a subject I might want to do for a propor job. I do need to get more work experience on my CV, but I don't know if taking a year out to do a full time job in a shop is something I should do?

I also think about looking around companies, and trying to see if I can volunteer to work in a company (for no money), to get experience on my CV, but this is sort of not an option, I'd have to move home and obviously and fairly earn my keep, which I want to do (earn my keep)
 
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Its really hard to keep offernig opinions without coming across as a **** but if you only managed fairly average marks in a BTEC National Diploma you wont come out of uni with a 2:1 or better surely? So why waste all that time and expense - why not get a job and work your way up using your practical skills?
 
[TW]Fox;15476776 said:
Building PC's is unskilled manual labour.
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Only if you get given he right "raw materials" and are told to put the Mechano set together.

You do not NEED a degree to do anything computing, very little is open to interpretation and in my opinion, when it comes to IT - experience is worth its weight in gold. Site to site will vary hugely and one solution will never be a catchall for everything.

I see the merits in getting a degree, specifically for the programming side of things but anything which is actually worth lots (CCNAs in the Networking and Security fields for example) are all qualifications outside of a degree.

I agree largely with your other comments though Fox, specifically with regards to actually wanting to go to Uni. How were you supposed to know without "being informed" Well, your not 8 years old, its not Primary school and if you want to go to uni then you should best learn to find out things for yourself!
 
Tummy said:
How did you manage that?
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[TW]Fox;15476731 said:
I mean 'How did you manage to go to University straight out of school at the age of 16'.
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I'm in Scotland, so we can go into university after our highers. There are rules in place about leaving age and I wasn't meant to leave when I did but after discussion with my school, head teachers & guidance teacher they agreed that it would be best if I left and signed the appropriate papers.

Of course, I had good grades and got into the course that I wanted. I was also accepted into 3 other Universities (Aberdeen, RGU & Glasgow) but fancied Strathclyde the most.

There were various family things going on also and my parents were happy for me to leave for University. I turned 17 in late November, so was only 16 for two months or so...

There was no problem from the University...

Nitefly said:
I can't say I have ever met anybody who has skipped their first year of studying for a degree, so I wouldn't go as far as saying it was 'common'.
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Strathclyde is quite a renowned Engineering university across Europe because of this quite a few people from England and especially N. Ireland came across to it. Because of their A-Levels many of them were able to skip first year. I think that's why my experiences differ from others, I was only able to speak for that one institution.
 
You sound exactly like me 3 years ago.
Last year of college not knowing what I want to do, not really wanting to 'waste' 20k at uni but not really wanting to face the real world yet either.

The most important thing to realise is, as Fox says....
[TW]Fox;15476776 said:
Building PC's is unskilled manual labour.
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Unfortunately for hardware enthusiasts (read nerds who build their own pc's and tinker all day) whilst this may seem like a dream job, it simply does not exist.

You must put your knowledge and passion of computer hardware to use in a market where theres jobs. For me this was Computer Engineering. Tired of basically secretary work presented to me through college 'Computing' CompEng seemed like a 'proper' course for me to do and something I could sink my teeth into. Look it up.

Regardless, my first choice at this time was an apprenticeship with Volvo in electrical automotive engineering. I put my eggs in this basket, and rushed through a UCAS application to a few interesting sounding courses, just for the sake of it. Summer rolls around and I get an offer to do CompEng and I take it mainly because I want to delay the real world by a few years :p.

Anyway, now I'm in my third year doing a year long internship at Broadcom and loving every minute. Uni ***.


I don't really know what I was trying to say in all of the above.
 
willhub said:
I did a BTEC, was a National Diploma, I too got fairly average marks, the only way up I found was a Foundation Degree, I certainly could not get into Uni from a BTEC I found.
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Paying thousands to get 'taught' by the same people would have been an utter joke... not even an option.
 
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