Many years ago going to University was seen as something which was prestigious and for only the academic elite to do. Many working or middle-class families would branch off into work once they had complete their secondaryschool Education or college education.
As of 2015, just fewer than 240,000 students age 18 were accepted into University in England, which is a record number to date.
Draw a comparison to 2010 where 330,720 students achieved their degree with 144,980 being Men and 185,740 being a Woman.
However with the increasing number of hopeful graduates, is it truly worth going to university in this day and age?
Firstly I want to acknowledge the fact that studying hard during the A-levels, achieving the grades that you worked hard for is a great achievement.
Then, the nail-biting period of deciding what you are going to study and where you are going to study isn’t an easy decision and to choose something which will affect your entire Career potentially isn't easy.
I also want to acknowledge the many students who didn’t achieve their A-levels result, emotions can be high and you may be thinking “well this is it; my career choices are slim now.”
However hope doesn’t end due to poor grades at a college or high school, there are further opportunities which may suit your needs. Apprenticeships have been a rising option for young people looking for work in the desired field.
There were 449,900 apprenticeship starts in 2015, draw a comparison to 2010 where 457,200 apprenticeships were started.
Apprenticeships last between 12-18 months, where anyone aged between 18-25 can choose the desired field of work they’re interested with the end goal of obtaining full-time work along with a qualification.
This allows the individual to have at least 3-4 years’ experience within their chosen profession when in comparison to students who have graduated who have no experience within their field of work.
On the other hand, many students who do go to university tend to obtain a high salary than those who never went to university.
Studies have shown that on average a graduate position is most likely to bring in £100,000 - £500,000 more than a non-graduate position who may earn less than £12,000 a year in comparison.
However, personally I believe it totally depends on what field of work you decide to go into.
I have met many people who have chosen to study a degree which doesn’t relate to their field of work and wasn’t necessary for them to study.
Another defining factor could be the field of work you may choose to go for. Studies have also shown that working in a sales position is the top earning position in the UK at the current moment. Many sales jobs do not require you to have a university degree, however just a spark for ambition and drive.
There are obvious pro’s and con’s to studying and depending what you want from life, the decisions you make are endless.
