Would you go to University?

I didn't go to Uni, through choice, but sometimes I look back and think I made the wrong one.

I don't regret my decision based on my job now. I think I'm doing OK in my professional career and have made it to the level I am with nothing more than college education, experience an a bit of drive.

At the time I decided not to go to Uni because I didn't believe in myself. I knew what I was like and as someone who was/is very easily distracted I know I would've been one of those people in Uni leaving it all to the last minute just to get a ****-poor grade.

Though now, I realise the benefits having a degree does have. If I wanted to move abroad I'd find it difficult as why would a country want someone without a valuable degree? Though my partner has one so I could just marry her and piggy back lol.
 
It all seems like a scam these days. The vast majority get into large debt and then don't even use their degree at all. Not to mention accommodation is extremely expensive in most areas

I don't think you know what education does, or at least understand the scope of it.

As an example, we have site engineers at work that can't write a site report properly. They write things like, "I went and got my tools and steps from the van." If they'd done GCSE Science, they'd know that a) that was irrelevant and b) a report should be written in the third person.

Not only that, but the quality of people's spelling and grammar is appalling. This doesn't seem to get completely fixed by university, but it's certainly better.
 
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I don't think you know what education does, or at least understand the scope of it.

As an example, we have site engineers at work that can't write a site report properly. They write things like, "I went and got my tools and steps from the van." If they'd done GCSE Science, they'd know that a) that was irrelevant and b) a report should be written in the third person.

Not only that, but the quality of people's spelling and grammar is appalling. This doesn't seem to get completely fixed by university, but it's certainly better.

I'd say those that go to university already have this skill, or most of it.

Apparently "those that go to uni earn more".
But I personally don't think this is due to actually university. Some cases yes. But a big factor must be many are innately capable/competent/technical and are thus drawn to it. These people would probably out earn the average Joe anyway. Even if they didn't go to uni.

So so many of us have said our degrees are worthless and have never been used.

I do kind of feel I was scammed out of time and cash myself.
 
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I don't think you know what education does, or at least understand the scope of it.

As an example, we have site engineers at work that can't write a site report properly. They write things like, "I went and got my tools and steps from the van." If they'd done GCSE Science, they'd know that a) that was irrelevant and b) a report should be written in the third person.

Not only that, but the quality of people's spelling and grammar is appalling. This doesn't seem to get completely fixed by university, but it's certainly better.
You have to ask, if your spelling and grammar needs fixing at university, is it really the right place for you?

I personally wouldn't bother with a degree unless you specifically need it for the role you want (ie teacher, doctor, engineer etc). I'd advise anyone who wasn't sure what they wanted to do now to just pick a trade and work your way to 70k+ income after 5 years. Either that or coding or something with a core skillset that's transferable.
 
I hated school as a teenager, achieving middling grades having put in absolutely no effort. I went straight into work but was unable to get a career off the ground.

I went to university in my 30s and studied chemical engineering, which I now do as my job.

My regret is not doing university earlier, but realistically I did not have the maturity or work ethic to succeed when I was young.
 
I didn't go to Uni, through choice, but sometimes I look back and think I made the wrong one.

You can always do it part-time - see the Open uni, the University of London's online/distance learning courses and various local colleges or universities that might offer part-time programs.
 
You can always do it part-time - see the Open uni, the University of London's online/distance learning courses and various local colleges or universities that might offer part-time programs.

I have flirted with the idea of doing a OU degree in something completely unrelated to my professional career. Just between working and having a toddler I don't have the time at the moment but it's something to think about in the future for sure
 
I don't think you know what education does, or at least understand the scope of it.

As an example, we have site engineers at work that can't write a site report properly. They write things like, "I went and got my tools and steps from the van." If they'd done GCSE Science, they'd know that a) that was irrelevant and b) a report should be written in the third person.

Not only that, but the quality of people's spelling and grammar is appalling. This doesn't seem to get completely fixed by university, but it's certainly better.

My spelling and grammar has always been poor yet I excelled at Maths and Science with straight A's but struggled with English where I barely scraped a C.

Everyone has skills in different ways.
 
Not only that, but the quality of people's spelling and grammar is appalling. This doesn't seem to get completely fixed by university, but it's certainly better.

Mine's down to 100% laziness, I'm glued to devices that have spelling and grammar checkers all day. If I actually proof read the stuff I write then it wouldn't be so bad but I have staff to do that at work... lol

It could also be down to the fact that my English teacher was a ****...
 
I don't think you know what education does, or at least understand the scope of it.

As an example, we have site engineers at work that can't write a site report properly. They write things like, "I went and got my tools and steps from the van." If they'd done GCSE Science, they'd know that a) that was irrelevant and b) a report should be written in the third person.

Not only that, but the quality of people's spelling and grammar is appalling. This doesn't seem to get completely fixed by university, but it's certainly better.
Education is largely dependant on interest in a subject. I never found education very interesting, and therefore was very average, but I still have done OK. Many people would do better to learn hands on, rather than bury their face in a textbook for a degree that a lot of the time has 0 worth. If a person can find value from a uni degree then excellent, but I generally don't hear that very often.

I've spoken to a few people who went to uni, completed their degree and then were unable to get a job due to lack of experience. I've also spoken to more than a few people who went to uni and never even came close to making use of their degree and found a career in a completely unrelated subject. This seems to be a trend (from the people I have spoken to), and at the end they say they at least enjoyed the social aspect of it. I don't personally see the appeal of building debt for a social, but that's just me.

Obviously not everyone follows suit, but it seems pretty common to me.
 
A degree with a mathematical/statistical component is pretty much a requirement in my area of work, although degree apprenticeships are now a route in - getting paid to work and study with a qualification at the end sounds like the best choice.
 
I think they're a great choice though the "best" choice is somewhat dependent on the type of person and career they want.

Degree apprenticeships tend to be more vocational, certainly could easily be better than a similar vocational course at a mid-range uni or indeed could be a better option than just going to an ok-ish Russell Group type uni and not taking things any further academically + career in average-ish graduate employer.

For people who want to take things further academically to a master's or PhD then they don't seem quite so ideal as getting a more academic degree. And likewise for some particularly competitive and highly paid fields then the likes of Oxbridge, London, Warwick etc. have an edge.
 
I get that, and I’ve experienced that being very typical with dyslexic people. Doesn’t mean you can’t write in a certain style, though

I am not dyslexic I just found English literature very boring and kind of pointless. I never understood the point of learning about a way of speaking English from hundreds of years ago. I had no issue with History for example which requires the use of English to explain your thought process. I also absolutely hate reading fiction. Non fiction reading where I actually learn something I enjoy however.

It was the same at college too. I absolutely loved coding and would spend my spare time often into the early hours of the morning making games in Visual Basic and all sorts of things like that. I used to absolutely detest doing the coursework however. I had friends who couldn't code to save their lives but put the effort in the coursework which is wrong imo.

At least now I have realised I am a very practical person and office jobs are just simply not for me.
 
I am not dyslexic I just found English literature very boring and kind of pointless. I never understood the point of learning about a way of speaking English from hundreds of years ago. I had no issue with History for example which requires the use of English to explain your thought process. I also absolutely hate reading fiction. Non fiction reading where I actually learn something I enjoy however.

It was the same at college too. I absolutely loved coding and would spend my spare time often into the early hours of the morning making games in Visual Basic and all sorts of things like that. I used to absolutely detest doing the coursework however. I had friends who couldn't code to save their lives but put the effort in the coursework which is wrong imo.

At least now I have realised I am a very practical person and office jobs are just simply not for me.

English literature is not English language…
 
English literature is not English language…
I'm glad someone else jumped on that.


FYI for other contributors - I have dyslexia (why is that so hard to spell? Cruel :cry:) and I have a Ph.D (and six published papers in journals/conferences) so formal education is not impossible - you just have to try a bit harder and make use of coping strategies.
 
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When I was younger I had naive dreams of being this high flying finance guy that would be flying all over the world working for one of the big 4 audit/consultancy firms. The trouble was those jobs were few and far between and the competition to get into those companies was fierce and I just wasn't good enough at the of day. At the of my time at university I ended up with a middling Bachelors degree in Accountancy and Finance.

The degree I got whilst ok I don't think has helped my career at all, I was stuck in a low paid job for 5 years after leaving Uni at small company that never had any money. Eventually I got job at large multinational and I've been there for 14 years and I'm on decent money these days but it's been hard struggle to get where I am.

Whilst I enjoyed my time at university and didn't end up with to much debt (about £3k) if I had my time over I would have done things differently. Instead of university I would have finished college and gone into work and studied for my professional exams. If I had done that I reckon I would have got to my current position about 8/10 years earlier.
 
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