Half of graduates regret going to University..

The article is stating the bloody obvious, no?

Unless you get on a graduate employment program, the first 5 years after graduating are going to be spent catching-up with people who have been in the workplace for 8+ years by that point – and at exactly the time when the magnitude of your debt feels the most intimidating.  It’s almost as if they picked the sample demographic specifically to elicit this result.

As has been pointed out: “according to the research by Barclays, which runs its own apprenticeship schemes.”

It’d be better to look at outcomes over a longer period (20 years would probably be sensible), probably stratified by region and academic performance at school.

I think social mobility is hugely important – but the level of debt accumulated as an undergrad now is absolutely eye-watering – it does need to be a cold, calculated decision about value for money, we have turned it into that.

Unfortunately, we will become a society where the arts and less vocational subjects are/will only studied by the upper class

andykirk
Member

Some really weird narrow-minded comments here.

Why should degree choice always be linked to a job?  Does this mean everybody should only do a course that leads to a job even if they aren’t interested in it?  Get a grip.  Jobs and money are not always the goal.  Do something you are interested in and want to learn about, move away from home make new friends and have new experiences.  THAT is the point of further education.

Narrow minded?   I agree that Jobs and money should not be the only goal of going to university – but unless you have a spare 50K lying about, that’s the reality these days.  Would you advise a young person to saddle themselves 50K (average) of debt, without an understanding of how they are going to pay it back?  I think that’s the point, we have created system that only allows rich people to subscribe to your (valid) point of view.

Do something you are interested in and want to learn about, move away from home make new friends and have new experiences.

All of which can be, and is, done without further education.

Not enough jobs around for someone with a biology degree? I’m sorry but I dont buy it: I cant think of a single degree subject that limits you to one particular job. All first degrees offer wide enough subject matter to provide access to a large variety of jobs. It’s only post-grad courses where you start specialising. Even seemingly specialist degrees,  such a medicine, architecture, law etc. actually leave you equipped to do many different things.

Usually the problem is in the attitude and imagination of the graduate (and often employers as well). However,  this isn’t their fault as few people have a defined career path at that age.

They should make higher ed more accessible in later life, when people have had more of a chance to get to know what they like and want.

Mikey74 – nursing, social work, OT, physical therapist … loads of job specific degrees you could have thought of really.

i recently finished my degree. My degree was one of the jobs listed above .. so put me straight into a job luckily. But I feel sorry for these kids who go to university to study drama, media studies, history, and even law degrees because they simply don’t put you into a job. And will often require a further training contract or further qualification to start them  on the path to their chosen career.

university is without doubt just a cash cow. Those who say university should be about learning about a subject instead of leading you into a job are either those working for universities or simply detached from modern life.

They should make higher ed more accessible in later life, when people have had more of a chance to get to know what they like and want.

They do, Open University.  Difficulty is finding the time required when you have a job as well combined with the cost of it once you have mortgage and so on and don’t get a loan.

I never went to University as never wanted to but now at 50 I would love to do an Economics degree (something I had little interest in at 18) but I haven’t got the motivation alongside working.  Probably do it when I retire.

Why should degree choice always be linked to a job? Does this mean everybody should only do a course that leads to a job even if they aren’t interested in it? Get a grip. Jobs and money are not always the goal. Do something you are interested in and want to learn about, move away from home make new friends and have new experiences. THAT is the point of further education.

When it was free, then maybe.

Now it will cost you £50k+ in debt, it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever for a non vocational course.

It’s not like the only way you can learn about things is at a University. E.g. I’ve learnt far more since I left Uni than when I was there and much more useful stuff as well….

I don’t regret going to uni, I did a degree in 3dimensional design and really enjoyed all my time there. I also met loads of like minded individuals, including my wife.

However career wise it’s made little difference. The first job I managed to get was designing shops and custom shopfittings but others in the same company were two years younger, on more pay as they were more experienced.

My career path has benefited from having a degree on my cv, however it’s not been as essential as the education system would have me belive in my teen years.

I now run a village shop and post office, which certainly doesn’t require a degree but running the business has been aided by the retail design and build career my life took as a result of it (not to mention the wife and family I now have).

…then we must gather the collective forces of STW to vote in a political party that does not saddle students with such a ridiculous level of debt.

^ I thought the point was to meet differently minded people, broadening horizons and all that.

For a large proportion of people (including myself), it’s actually a chance to meet their future spouse, but these days of £50k debt it seems rather poor value for that. Also an entry ticket for some jobs but surely not for 50% of the population.

…then we must gather the collective forces of STW to vote in a political party that does not saddle students with such a ridiculous level of debt.

If only such a utopia could exist within the UK 😉

Hey maybe we could start the STW Political Party!

We could ‘agree’ our manifesto on here.  That would be fun.

…very middle of the road.

Had a quick read of the comments. Lots of focus on employment and wealth, less so on the societal benefits that come with more people who are (should be?) better at critical thinking, being able to write coherently, work through tasks that they don’t really want to do (says the man browsing a forum instead of working…)

I went to uni in my mid 30’s and saddled myself with approx £45k of debt, it was very much worth it as I quite like what I do now and I learned loads of things that were on the periphery of the relatively narrow course content as well as a few things about me.

Yes, it’s a load of cash, but the deductions are made prior to the cash landing in my bank account, so I don’t really miss/notice the payment.

I did study a ‘vocational’ course, but any higher education is still valuable.

Maybe my experience was different as a mature student, but a lot of my academic peers are all going to good jobs and earning more than their mates who went straight into work.

^ I thought the point was to meet differently minded people, broadening horizons and all that.

You are allowed to do this in the real world as well….

nursing, social work, OT, physical therapist … loads of job specific degrees you could have thought of really.

They all still give you lots of transferable skills.

I would have preferred to go straight into work rather than spend 3 years at uni

BUT

without my degree I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.

I’m far enough away from being a grad (15 years) that not having gone to uni would make little difference right now (i.e. they don’t check that I’ve been to uni), but I progressed quickly in a professional services firm that wouldn’t have let me in without a good degree. Good means subject, attainment and uni. And having no degree would probably look odd at my level. But my degree is not in a related field

I’m far enough away from being a grad (15 years) that not having gone to uni would make little difference right now (i.e. they don’t check that I’ve been to uni),

I was just asked for Certs from exams taken in 1995. God knows what someone in HR hopes to learn…

i work in engineering.

my colleague who has no degree had to supply his city and guilds in joinery – that he jacked in right after he qualified as a joiner – to be a CNC machinist….- hes 52 now…. thats 30 + years ago he did that.

its all about the bit of paper to complete a file.

stupid.

Not enough jobs around for someone with a biology degree? I’m sorry but I dont buy it: I cant think of a single degree subject that limits you to one particular job. All first degrees offer wide enough subject matter to provide access to a large variety of jobs. It’s only post-grad courses where you start specialising. Even seemingly specialist degrees, such a medicine, architecture, law etc. actually leave you equipped to do many different things.

Our receptionist has applied for many related jobs but failed to get one hence still working with us.

Usually the problem is in the attitude and imagination of the graduate (and often employers as well). However, this isn’t their fault as few people have a defined career path at that age.

Whatever the reasons may be there simply not enough to go around.

They should make higher ed more accessible in later life, when people have had more of a chance to get to know what they like and want.

Not that easy if they have family commitments and need to bring in income.

Hey maybe we could start the STW Political Party! We could ‘agree’ our manifesto on here.  That would be fun.<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>…very middle of the road.</span>

Sounds good – what would our policy on out of control dogs be?  😉

Sounds good – what would our policy on out of control dogs be? 😉

Put the owners on the leash …  😀

I went because it was expected of me. I picked a subject I found interesting but had no idea where I would end up. Definitely regretted going when I spent the next 6 years doing low paid jobs after graduating but like batfink said in hindsight that’s the time spent catching up with everyone else who have real world experience (I think the reality of that gets a lot of graduates down).

And it was the time where I realised what I did want to do and set about getting the specific knowledge and skills to get there – that’s one thing uni does teach you is self sufficiency in various parts of life.

Now I don’t regret it (apart from stuff like the time I jumped over a hedge and forgot the 6ft drop the other side – thanks snakebite and black!) as I wouldn’t be doing what I do now if I hadn’t been.

“Now I don’t regret it (apart from stuff like the time I jumped over a hedge and forgot the 6ft drop the other side – thanks snakebite and black!) as I wouldn’t be doing what I do now if I hadn’t been.”

Gordo ?

Or is that just a rights of passage for all students.

My mate gordo jumped over a hedge on his way home from the union. As a short cut We were all in the living room getting the aftermath started when the door buzzer went and gordo asked for help up to the flat.

We got him in gave him some frozen peas and got him comfy on the sofa convincing him the leg was fine and to have more beer to numb it.

Hobbled off  back to his flat in the  morning and next we saw him again on Tuesday the following week with crutches a cast and extra metal work. He had walked home on a broken tibia.