University always seemed like the right choice, but was it? After 5 years in higher education, 2 degrees and £34,000 in debt I think I have finally decided whether university was really worth it.
Many young people before going to university torment themselves with the question of ‘is it worth it?’ because no one wants to waste time, effort and money for something that in the end proved insignificant to their life. To even begin answering this question, the person asking it must define what ‘worth’ means to them. What do they wish to accomplish by going to university?
While a large majority of people go to university to further their knowledge in a subject, others go because they feel as though they have no other choice. A 2017 International Student Survey found that 37.3% of respondents chose to go to university so they could find a job, and another 51.9% wanted to stay intellectually stimulated. Both goals that can be achieved in alternative ways. Unfortunately for most young people, they have been constructed to think that university is the only way.
Different options include: Joining a traineeship, getting an entry-level job, taking an online course, getting an apprenticeship or even taking a gap year and doing some volunteer work.
There are options out there that will even give you the same accreditation as a university, meaning you can still walk off with a degree.
Now, of course, different rules apply to different fields of study and ultimately work. For example, while alternative forms of development like online courses may work for creative jobs, it wouldn’t exactly be recommended for a future surgeon to try and get his degree online. While people looking to get into graphic design or even start their own businesses, can self-teach themselves through online courses, youtube videos and a lot of dedication, people looking to study law don’t have that same privilege because it’s a more rigid field of work.
Again looking back at the question of whether university is worth it? Well, it depends on your degree. After you determine what you want to accomplish by going to university, then examine whether your area of study can be mastered outside of university, and most importantly is a degree is compulsory for your job? Because you’ll find that in a lot of jobs, it actually isn’t.
The conversation about the worth of universities in the UK can’t be had without the obvious reference to money. University fees are not exactly cheap and on average a three-year degree including maintenance costs and high-interest rates costs around £50K. A debt of £50K is not something to take on lightly especially when you don’t know if it will be worth it in the end.
While it is the case that graduates don’t have to start paying their student debt back until they start earning £25K a year, it still remains a looming cloud.
One thing that is worth looking at when asking yourself if university is worth it in regards to money, is how much will you be earning from your prospective job? So if you’re going to university to be a lawyer or surgeon chances are you will graduate and go on to a pretty good salary, meaning you’re getting a good return on your ‘investment’ so to say. But if you’re going to university to be an English teacher, you will probably go on to a standard salary, meaning that although you’re not making a lot, student finance is still gonna be nagging you for those debt repayments.
In my case, while I do believe I could have achieved my current career status and talent through other avenues rather than university, I appreciate the structure that university gave me. At the time I was at university there were a lot of outside factors that came into play, and university helped me stay organised and grounded. Whereas I feel like if I went on to do an apprenticeship or tried to self-teach myself through online courses I would have just fallen off course.
So to summarise whether university is worth it, it depends on you and what you want to achieve. Just make sure to research all possible options before making a decision.
Comments