Did You Go To College?

[Danny Kearns]

I left Year 11 and went straight into full time work. I've now got two bikes, mod and a stock, a decent phone and an Xbox 360 and clothes n stuff. I've now finished worked and In September I'm going to College. No idea what im going for yet, Possiabaly Law and History and English.

But if you've already done a year at College, Stick at it. Full time work is horriable in something you don't enjoy.

[Max Quinn]

Way i see it was that i smashed GCSEs and school is going well so i've stayed on for A levels and then wanan do a BA in graphic design/photography probably with an Arts foundation in front of it. I'm kinda built for education i guess, in that i can put up with it and am good at tests and stuff so it's the best option.

A fair few of my friends however either didn't start A levels or dropped out a bit through the first year, they simply couldn't concentrate in school and had no motivation for it so were'nt gonna achieve what they could achieve. I don't blame them for dropping out and if i was them woulda done the same. They're all now doing pretty good in the working world or apprentice jons and it's worked out good for them. It does narrow their options but they seem happy, are doing what they wanna do and are alot more minted then me lol.

I just think you can go either way and its completely down to the person. No point doing A levels if you can't muster up the motivation and think you'll do shit but from my limited experience definately do them if you do.

[Tomm]

If you've got the brain to do A-levels, you'd be a total idiot not to.

If you're going to struggle, then that's a different matter. But then full time work in a minimum wage job is not much fun either. Plus the most depressing thought is you could go work in Tesco aged 16 with a couple of GCSEs to your name, and go nowhere for the next 49 years until retirement. Imagine that. A-levels and uni for the win I reckon

[Mark W]

All I'd say is hold the plans for "Round the world" trips 'til you've got an idea of what you want to do when you come back from it. Just have a think about what you enjoy doing (Apart from riding your bike ), then explore what options that leaves you. If you're not sure what you want to do for a career, starting off by working out if your hobbies/interests can give you any potential jobs is a good plan. From there, see where/what you can study, and then go and try and do that. If you aim to do a 2 year (or so) A-level or equivalent course, then that'll set you up nicely to either get an apprenticeship or something similar, or to go into uni. THEN start planning what travelling and stuff you're going to do, because driving around the world is going to require a lot more money than a part-time job for a year is realistically going to get you, unless you save every penny you get. The temptation to just spend your paycheck as soon as you get it will be super high, and like people have said, there's every chance you'll just end up putting off that trip until next year, then the next year and so on 'til you're just firmly stuck in the rut of going nowhere.

In the same way that A-levels (Or equiv) are pretty commonplace now, it seems that degrees are getting more and more common now too, so if you can get one they're pretty useful. They open up a lot of options (Even just putting down that you're a uni graduate on your CV is a big plus, even if it's unrelated, as it shows you're patient, hardworking, etc.), and like *someone* said up there, they're the difference between getting some jobs and not getting them. Besides that though, the university lifestyle is f**king *awesome*. Moving out of home, going into a totally alien place, meeting a shitload of new people, having fun all the time, being able to relax and take it easy - it's just amazing. It really has been good. Even the shitty times are still pretty good when you look back, and the good times get even better. Obviously it's not cheap - just from my student loan (I don't have an overdraft), I owe the SLC £9,600 from my first year (£6.6K maintenance, £3K fees), so by the time I leave it'll probably be over £30K+ with interest and so on adding up, but realistically it's debt you're probably never going to pay off, and they don't come after you particularly hard for it, so don't let that aspect put you off too much.

But yeah, whatever you do, just get your education sorted then try and work out how you can blow large amounts of cash creating 'memories'. As Ads said, a free education is a pretty amazing deal, so get involved and make the most of it, you'll regret it hugely if you don't.

[UrbanPoet]

If you've got the brain to do A-levels, you'd be a total idiot not to.

If you're going to struggle, then that's a different matter. But then full time work in a minimum wage job is not much fun either. Plus the most depressing thought is you could go work in Tesco aged 16 with a couple of GCSEs to your name, and go nowhere for the next 49 years until retirement. Imagine that. A-levels and uni for the win I reckon

People should definately do it if they want to and feel they're capable, but it's an absolute fallacy that the only way to get a good job is via Uni. There are many routes into most careers so people shouldn't believe it's A Levels or nothing.

At the company I work for there are so many University graduates who are employed in grades below me, and the other week I had my hand in picking applicants to join the project team I'm on, and all of them were graduates, and yet less capable than me in doing the job.

Swings and roundabouts, but people shouldn't take a route they don't want, it will probably end badly.

I had to leave college due to illness and had to give up on doing the degree I wanted (Medicine), but you live and learn and I'm perfectly happy with my career prospects. I don't have a chip on my shoulder, I'm just a realist.

[zoo]

I didn't go to college, I left school and bummed around for around 6 months, was pestered to f**k about doing something with myself, pretty much the course I'm on now (Mechanics...but not at a college) came to me which pee'd me off as I didn't even try looking for one, pretty good now I'm on it though having fun and learning and that. Although if I could now just get a full time job in a supermarket I SO would, I hate not having money and I only get EMA now. I will work at aldi when I'm 18. £6-50 an hour then goes up to about £7-95 an hour...makes sense? I aren't sure what money body work brings (which is what I'm going to do after this course)

[Matthew_Gibson]

I just think you can go either way and its completely down to the person. No point doing A levels if you can't muster up the motivation and think you'll do shit but from my limited experience definately do them if you do.

I have the brains to do half well. at least C or even a B in thing that I like, But if I dont like it I think to myself its pointless and dont do the work.

I really enjoy doing tech work, but hate the folder work side, its boring. Yet I got away with a C at GCSE, I just need that kick up the arse! and when I snap out of the way i've been thinking ill get it done.

But Uni it's for me, My teachers have said that since year 7. They use to compare me to my older brother, Who left school with GCSE A*s, As, and Bs now hes at uni doing really well. Kinda of upsets me to think I havent passed GSCE english!

[Ben John-Hynes]

you've all given me pretty much i wanted to know

Thanks everyone!

I don't see myself as a "Sit down and study" kind of person,

i did reasonably well in GCSEs: 11 a-c's,

But 6th form is just killing me

I think that if i went to college and did something more hands on,

I'd do a lot better.

Am seriously thinking of dropping out of 6th form and joining college in sept.

Seems like it would be the best option for me.

Thanks, all!

Am so grateful.

[Muel]

you've all given me pretty much i wanted to know

Thanks everyone!

I don't see myself as a "Sit down and study" kind of person,

i did reasonably well in GCSEs: 11 a-c's,

But 6th form is just killing me

I think that if i went to college and did something more hands on,

I'd do a lot better.

Am seriously thinking of dropping out of 6th form and joining college in sept.

Seems like it would be the best option for me.

Thanks, all!

Am so grateful.

See how your exams go, I knew I had failed when I did mine, I just didn't know any of it.

[Joe Sheehan!]

I went to sixth form to fail A levels, worst waste of time ever.

I am now at college doing a BTEC National Diploma for IT Prractitioners. Basically it covers every aspect of IT in not a lot of detail, so you can try loads of stuff out and decide which direction to take at uni.

Lol!!!!

That's EXACTLY what's happened to me! Tried sixth form... wasn't right thing for me and wasn't doing so well..

And now on my 2nd year of college doing BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners Hopefully Uni next year to do Business Information Systems then god knows after that..

Same for me if you miss out the A levels bit. Got Bs and Cs in school, nearly finished my 1st year of BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners, pretty easy and it allows me to do quite a few different things cos i will be a qualified network engineer and whatever, or so my lecturers tell me. Hopefully gonna go uni after and do something computer related.

Best advice i can give is to stick with education, if you go for a job and theres you and another guy, even if the job is really suited to you the chances are the employers gonna pick the guy with the grades as he has evidence of his knowledge. As my dad always tells me; You know you know how to do something, but you always need a bit of paper that says you do.

[Max Quinn]

If you've got the brain to do A-levels, you'd be a total idiot not to.

I don'tcompletely agree with that to be honest. One of my best friends say is a really clever guy (got into best school in the area and did well for most of it) but around GSCE year just kinda blew out and had NO motivation. Messed around, dossed and generally had fun. Got allright GCSE's still and started A levels but about a month in just had no motivation for it. Teachers were giving him a hard time which made it even worse. Was fairly obviouse he wasn't going to achieve anything like his potential so he dropped out. Signed up to a job agency and is now working an office job earning £16,000 a year starting salary and low and behold is enjoying it and doing well. He won't achieve what he could have if he had had the motivation but he's happy with where he's at and is the kinda person who doesn't want to be a millionaire and would prefer to just enjoy life. Fair enough, what would have been the point in wasting 2 years getting low a levels (if at all)?

For me personally and probably you too it's hard to understand how you can have no motivation for it and would say get on with it ect but some people just don't really suit education whether they're clever or not. It's not just intelligence you need but a concentration span and the actual will to learn what you're learning.

I don't wanna say yer just drop out or whatever but it's something only you an decided with the help from people close to you. Sure get knowledge and opinions from here but take it all with a pinch of salt and try and really think where you can see yourself 10 years down the line if you take whatever path.

Oh and you're near your exams now so at least get that done! If it was me personally who had worked a year then i'd prefer to just slog out the extra year to get the full thing but your choice.

[Jolfa]

I went to college for a year after school to train to be a mechanic...

I f*cking hated it! The whole class was a bunch of chavs, the only sound people there (bar one) dropped out less than half way through, the practical was fantastic, the class was the most mindnumbing crap ever, pretty much just copying answers into workbooks... To ease the pain of the theory I'd go and get shitfaced down the pub every lunchtime and usually fall asleep for the rest of the day.

I was the only person in the class who passed anything, and I passed everything with top marks (without wanting to blow my own trumpet) but it really was crap.

Despite this though, I'm really glad I did it! Although I never made a job of it (because mechanic is a shit job - I tried), I've saved myself 1000's in garage bills!

[dan_addison]

Just reading through this tread and seeing theers a few mecanics here id just like to ask is the level2 course the same as level1 in the way its taught? Also how harder are the exams hoping to pass level1 in the next couple of weeks when i do the exams

[Jonny Jones]

I went to College. Got A levels in Computing and Graphics with Materials Technology. Then went on to do a degree in BA(Hons)Digital Screen Arts where I branched out into video (as it was a multimedia course). Now im getting freelance filming jobs as a camera operator and/or production assistant, whilst doing the odd bit of editing for people. Hard work but fun and the money is great.

Its sweet you've got a rough plan with what you want to do. I can personally foresee difficulties getting a decent job after travelling for so long without going to College, unless of course you do indeed do an apprenticeship of some kind, which wouldn't(?) be part time. You'll need a full-time job to save the money needed to travel dude. I for one know how hard it is to save enough money for trips. The trip im doing in the summer with a load of friends and old cars is gonna cost a lot, and its only going round France for 10 days! Imaging how much you'd need for the World! Ideally, if you can afford it, go to College and Uni (as Adam said, these really are the best years of your life) and then think about traveling/work - im sure you'll get a part-time job whilst at college + uni to tick yourself over etc. Dunno if this helps, just my advice from having been through the system.

Oh also, concerning the money from the Will, I would put it in an ISA or something, save it, then just see if you do end up going round the World. The money will obviously be handy for the trip, but things change and you may end up needing to spend it on something else, so you may as well earn some interest on it

Edited April 8, 2008 by Jonny Jones

[Gavyn.]

I got kicked out of school after my exams because my attendance was shoddy, and i did some pretty bad stuff. got my SGs though. then i went to college to study a general science course which i was going to do for a year then 2 years at college doing just physics hnd then 3 years at uni doing a physics related degree. But i hated it. it was full of doll scrounging bastards and we were covering basic things that i already knew. so i left, and have not regretted it at all.

I took a year out because I wanted to go to my aunts in germany for a couple of weeks and stuff. And now I'm looking at a couple of options for the future.

The first is back to a different college. This time in computer support which i think i would enjoy a lot more.

The second is the army, I've always been obsessed with planes and skydiving so i want to join the paras, but still i don't think i would enjoy army life. eg early mornings and crap food.

third is an apprenticeship. I've got a couple of offers lined up but nothing set in stone. They would be in either heating and plumbing, Instrumentation, household electrician (not electrical engineering) or electrical engineering.

I'm yet to decide but I'm swaying towards instrumentation at the moment because there is a severe lack of people who can do it and therefore the guys on my dads site make anything from 50k-100k a year which is not bad considering none of them have been at uni or hold anything more than an apprenticeship

meh i'll decide soon.

[Fish-Finger-er]

If you've got the brain to do A-levels, you'd be a total idiot not to.

id argue that fact. im smart enough for a levels in my opinion (12 gcses, 3 a's, 6 b's, 3 c's)

i did attend college, but jacked it in. stupid choice possibly. ended up being a kitchen porter, then a chef for a bit, jacked that and now work for bt.

im 20, drive a bmw, own a ktm, decent computers, decent camera,loadsa expensive clothes, still got a trials bike somewhere, enjoy regular nights getting lashed. and have over £5000 in the bank, got a pension set up.

but with the money my family has, while i was in college, i was working, to pay for a car to get to college and back every day, which meant i had no free time. id of finished college, gone to uni, got out a big student loan, have sold everything i could sell, and come out of university at 21/22, with a degree, and £18000 or so of debt. with no car/no motorbike, no trials bike, no Dslr cam.

would say the difference between education and work, would be about £30,000 there(and thats with a year of college slowing me down, and i dont have that good of a job). now considering im going to be on about £23,000 for 36 hours a week by the time i would of finished uni, i know loads of people who have gone into £15,000 jobs just because the markets saturated. but even walking straight into a £25,000 a year job, youd be 38 before you caught up with me financially(obviously you could be promoted, but then so could i on bt).

granted money isnt everything, but moneys part of enjoyment, if i was in uni, i couldnt go leeds festival, if i was in uni, i couldnt go out on the motorbike, if i was in uni, i couldnt afford to do half the stuff i do now, which i find fun.

and there people who where in school with me now, who used there head, and got a trade nice and quick, and are now scooping around £30k a year.

admittedly ive missed out on the student lifestyle, but then i regularly get nights out in manchester, and if i had my job in say chester, or manchester, or birmingham, rather than shrewsbury, id be having much more of the student ish nights out.

[Gavyn.]

But you've got to remember most people don't go to uni planning to go into a 20-30k a year job. or why would anyone do it? if you planned it right went to uni in scotland (no/hardly any fees part time job and no loan) you could walk out of uni aged 22 and walk straight into a 40k+ job and be caught up and over taken financially within 5 years. so you give up 5 years of your motorbike and car and stuff to come out after it with a better motorbike and better car for the rest of your life.

and if you get a degree you can be promoted much further than you can without one.

Edited April 8, 2008 by G4vyn

[Muel]

There's more to life than money, going to Uni is for learning things that will get you into the job you dream of.

I could go and work for BT, round about now if I had a driving lisence, but it's not what I want to do. I'd rather spend my working life doing what I want and have less money, than do something I am not interested in and have a fair wage knocking in every month.

[Danny Kearns]

There's more to life than money.

Your so wrong. You can't do anything in this world anymore without money. It's all about money.

[Muel]

Your so wrong. You can't do anything in this world anymore without money. It's all about money.

I never said without money, I mearly insinuated that you would net a lower total of disposable cash in your lifetime. I want enough money to do what I love.

Money is important, but at the end of the day, whats the point in work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week at something you don't enjoy.

[Stefan P]

IMO Academic further education courses are possibly the best things to do.

Yeah some people are going to come out with shit like "Uni makes you skint" "My mates got no GCSE's and he's a billionaire".

Generally speaking the majority of better paying jobs, go to academically sucessful people, you might have to do a few years with limited money at Uni, but its well worth it.

Stefan P.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Stefan P

[UrbanPoet]

But you've got to remember most people don't go to uni planning to go into a 20-30k a year job. or why would anyone do it? if you planned it right went to uni in scotland (no/hardly any fees part time job and no loan) you could walk out of uni aged 22 and walk straight into a 40k+ job and be caught up and over taken financially within 5 years. so you give up 5 years of your motorbike and car and stuff to come out after it with a better motorbike and better car for the rest of your life.

and if you get a degree you can be promoted much further than you can without one.

Because the average person getting a degree walks straight into a 40k job?! Talk about optimistic...

[Luke Drewery]

I left school with mainly As and Bs, and now im in my second year at college with not long left to go. Im doing BTEC media, Electronics and AS English, I did AS Applied ICT last year too, passed it then replaced it for English this year as it was really not what I enjoyed, and I wanted English to help with my media course.

I plan to go to uni to study applied media (broadcasting), as I eventually want to work in the film/TV industry as a cameraman.

I have a part time job too, and this makes me even more determined to get a good education as I would hate to be stuck in a job I hate for the rest of my life.

[The Duck]

Doing A-levels at the moment and hate it. Only reason I'm still doing them is because supposedly it'll get me somewhere i want to go...

[Gavyn.]

Because the average person getting a degree walks straight into a 40k job?! Talk about optimistic...

I guess things are a bit different here with the oil. if you did come out of uni with a degree in something to do with engineering you could walk into a 40k a year job no problem as long as you didn't mind working offshore.

Edited April 9, 2008 by G4vyn