Yes Its That Time Of Year..

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

its about time for my annual "what the f**k am i going to do with my life" panic.

i've ruled out being a pimp/doctor/soldier/porn star etc etc

looks like i'm getting two AS levels this year, go team me!

im torn between finding a job and being a grown up.

or doing another year of college and going to uni,

if i dont go to uni i wont end up in as much debt.

although it may well be fun.

f**ksocks.

any suggestions?

[Si]

Well im hoping to be an apprentice electrician

[the_soon_to_be]

come to chi college, you know you want to

failing that, how about professional bum ?

[John planet x]

Degrees arent all that good. Alot of people with degrees now working in mc donalds etc because they cant get jobs after uni, i think its the highest number yet or something. Anyway, i wouldnt go to uni, thats my opinion, unless you pick a really good course which will lead to a job which is maybe in demand, apprenticeships are good if you can get into one.

If you go to uni you dont get into that much debt, the repayment things are stupidly low and you wouldnt even feel it touch you. And i think in most cases if you dont earn over 15k/year you dont have to repay it.

Am no expert though.

[King C]

I like how everyone body makes jokes about something quite serious.

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

i cant earn less than 15k for the rest of my life though

[Al_Fel]

Anything in particular you like doing?

My advice is swerve college and uni nothing you do in either of them will be like what you do in the real world lol.

The only way to do a job is learn by doing.

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

true but its a proper c-unit to get a job with out deece qualifications.

[the_soon_to_be]

I like how everyone body makes jokes about something quite serious.

no offense but if it is so serious then why ask alot of chumps on a forum ?

[RicH_87]

i've been a bum-o-holic for nearly a whole year now. Just been doing some massive shiftage at my local supermarket where i had worked throughout 6th form partime.

At first it was ok, work a few days, do what i liked for the rest of them but its kinda grating now though, i sorta fell out with the assistant manager cos he is a complete retard who can't tell his ass from his face and the work is just so easy and samey. Infact this week i haven't heard from them at all so i have no shifts other than my contracted ones (friday night and all day sunday).

I recently applied for a BT apprenticeship but i haven't heard anything from them yet. I needed decent GCSE's and some A-levels which i have got so it isn't just some simpletons course that any 16 year old could walk into.

I looked around for jobs for a little bit (not as much as i should of really), and most jobs do need a degree, but you can get jobs on A-levels if you look in the right places. Companies seem to much rather train people up from the ground, rather than fasttrack post-grads.

I suggest you try and get A-levels, it'll give you another year to sort your head out, plus AS aren't really worth anything, but A-levels seem to have a pretty decent amount of cred.

Oh, and the reason i didn't go to Uni, was me actually being responsible. I would of probably enjoyed it, made new friends etc but i can't garantee i would of stuck with it and completed the course, even though i know i am 'smart' enough to handle it, i just lost all interest in academic work loads by the end of 6th form.

Plus, i also knew that if i did get a degree, i would just be stuck where i am today (job hunting), but 3 years further on and in a load of debt.

[Hiltop]

i have a fair bit of pressure on me, and im not fully commited to the decision i have made. i have chose to go to uni however i made a poor second choice and realised that i won't be going to my insurance choice.

This leaves me with the pressure to get into the uni course i want, at AAA.

I am fine in two subjects but struggling like mad in chemistry to get what i need. i also know that if i dont get it i will be absolutely gutted, not just because i didn't get in, but also because i know i will have failed at something i know deep down i can achieve. i don't want to be in a position when im older knowing that i have under achieved.

on the plus side if i don't get in i will be working for six months then going to australia and new zealand.

i wish i could work in a shop the rest of my life and be satisfied. But working in one at the moment at weekends is quite frankly bollocks.

i guess i know that if i get the degree i want, in economics, i will reap the rewards in the future, be that with good pay and job opportunites. plus i can't wait for the chance to go to uni and enjoy myself. i have no worries paying off the debt in the future.

qualifications get you a long way especially in the path i am taking. having said that they are definately not for everyone, many of my friends have left school and are doing well.

i guess it come down to what job you want to do at the end. Don't waste your time doing a degree if you don't need it.

[tank_rider]

i'd say have a look at an apprentiship, there are less and less people doing them, resulting in a decline in people doing things like plumbing etc. Get yourself under the wing of a well respected plumber and learn the trade, maybe supplement it with a part time college course and you'll be well on the way. From talking to quite a few people theres a lot of money in skilled work such as plumbing, brick laying, corgi fitter etc so it's definately an idea to check it out.

Beyond that, try to do one of the job suiter test things that most careers agencies have, you answer a whole bunch of questions and they give you ideas of careers to consider and investigate. Thats basically how i found out about engineering and i haven't looked back since.

My advice is swerve college and uni nothing you do in either of them will be like what you do in the real world lol.

Thats not true!!

My course has a lot of project work in it which is done with industry, so you are solving real world problems etc.

I do agree that there are a lot of courses out there that do little to prepare you for the real jobs your likely to do, but a uni degree will give you a lot of the knowledge that will take decades to learn on the job. It may be stuff that you don't remember, but you'll know where to look things up to refresh your memory, rather than having to learn everything.

[Danny]

Athough a lot of stuff you mite learn at university doesnt directly equate to what you will be doing in the real world but it lies substancial foundations and understanding behind the job. A lot of the stuff i do on my course is technical stuff about protocols and how pc's operate. Chances are ill be using little of this in a job but i feel that knowing them will make learning all the stuff on top 10x easier and really help my understanding.

[PaRtZ]

Someone said theres no point in getting a degree above ^^

I sort of agree and disagree. Years ago, degrees were valuable to businesses because hardly anyone had them. Now its becoming the "norm" to have a degree so they aren't as valuable anymore. Having said that, if you don't have a degree.....

Im a year ahead of you mate, last fortnight of school for me...its making me depressed as I think about it, and this is the first time ever im slightly nervous about exams. I need 2 b's to get into my course (oh yeahh.... ) but im not sure if im going to get them

Anyway I want to run my own bike shop in the future, but I doubt very much it'll happen. I suggest go to uni, then you'll have 3-4 more years to decide what you want to do, and have a degree at the end

.....and a big pile of debt to work through :D

[beigemaster]

Also there are certain skills involved in gaining a degree regardless of the subject. For example being able to undergo your own research, stick to deadlines, do presentations, be self motivated ect. Similar to when you start doing A levels compared to GCSE's (suddenly your expected to be able to get on with the work yourself). Point is employers are aware of these skills and so may favour a candidate who has one compared to one who doesn't, obviously also depends on what line of work your looking for. Also bare in mind getting a degree is becoming A LOT more expensive these days.

[Freddie]

Degrees arent all that good. Alot of people with degrees now working in mc donalds etc because they cant get jobs after uni, i think its the highest number yet or something. Anyway, i wouldnt go to uni, thats my opinion, unless you pick a really good course which will lead to a job which is maybe in demand, apprenticeships are good if you can get into one.

If you go to uni you dont get into that much debt, the repayment things are stupidly low and you wouldnt even feel it touch you. And i think in most cases if you dont earn over 15k/year you dont have to repay it.

Am no expert though.

I kinda get what you mean. I think generally the people who can't get jobs are the ones who have taken very silly degree courses or have decided to enter a very popular industry. I'm sure I've seen figures like on average people who do degrees earn 450k more in their lifetimes. Also you got to remember that if you do go to university, it isn't all study, university time will probably be some of the greatest years of your life. As for the debt, there is no need to repay it until you are earning a steady income somewhere between 15-18k I believe.

Furthermore, something that is worth bearing in mind is the desirability of people with degrees. You might say some have trouble getting work, but I can assure you once you're in work and gaining experience that wont be a problem. Also you have to remember that there is going to be a large percentage of the population who haven't got degrees so you're still going to get work before them in jobs where knowledge is important.

Freddie

[plainlazy84]

From the sounds of things its a tough choice with not much between the two options. Is it a 50/50 decision or do you have strong feelings for or against either option?

If college isnt a complete nightmare for you and you are getting on ok then quitting half way doesnt sound the best of options. You have made it half way and its only two years of your life- thats absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things! As its already been said AS levels will be barely any better than GCSE's, where as A-levels will give you so many more options. With A-levels more than likely you will be in the position of being able to go to uni should you choose to. Im not saying thats the best way to go but you have already said yourself you might want to do that. You will have better job prospects and uni is an options. Your obviously undecided what you want to do, so why not keep going another year and give yourself longer to decide.

If not then in a few years time you might really wish you went to uni, but because you didnt get your A-levels that path was never open to you.

Just my thoughts anyway.

[Si-man]

Army

I know you have said you have ruled out being a soldier but atleast you will get to travel, shoot people, be a skilled craftsman in whatever filed you go into.

Edited May 9, 2006 by merlin_rider

[Freddie]

Army

I know you have said you have ruled out being a soldier but atleast you will get to travel, shoot people, be a skilled craftsman in whatever filed you go into.

Similarily, you get to be on the receiving end of other soldier's travelling, shooting people, using their skills against you to kill you.

[Mark W]

Also there are certain skills involved in gaining a degree regardless of the subject. For example being able to undergo your own research, stick to deadlines, do presentations, be self motivated ect. Similar to when you start doing A levels compared to GCSE's (suddenly your expected to be able to get on with the work yourself). Point is employers are aware of these skills and so may favour a candidate who has one compared to one who doesn't, obviously also depends on what line of work your looking for. Also bare in mind getting a degree is becoming A LOT more expensive these days.

Word to that, but as said - the repayment for the student loan is barely noticeable, and if you're careful you hopefully won't have to dip into another non-loan-related overdraft or anything. I think my brother's paying back £7 a month or something ridiculous like that, and he's on £18K or thereabouts. He left his degree course and instantly got a job as an analytical chemist, and he's worked his way up through the ranks really quickly so he's running part of the lab now. All good...

Anyway Mr. Charel, I'll talk t'you on MSN 'bout stuff...

[F-Stop Junkie]

I think that what you want to do as a career should dominate your decision here. If you want to work in IT, management, almost any 'professional' job, you will need a degree. Doesn't matter what, but you will need a degree. For other vocational jobs, experience will count more than qualifications.

If you want to, say, get into IT and you don't have a degree then you can start at the bottom and work up. It'll be tough to find a way in, and you'll spend many years working your way up the ladder. A degree will jump five or six years of ladder climbing. I also knew people when I was at University who had gone straight to work from A-levels, and had reached a wall in their career. They went back to University in order to reach those higher paid jobs. Once they'd graduated, a combination of experience, professional qualifications and a degree meant they were sorted when they left.

On a personal note, I learnt a lot about life, living away from home, and finding my way in a foreign city. Being surrounded by other people in the same situation and having plenty of guidance (and decent supplies of cash!) mean that you learn how to be an adult in safe way. I also learnt about working methods, research, how to structure my work and my writing. I also got to specialise in something I was deeply interested in, without having to do other subjects I didn't want to.

Oh, on a sidenote, I read in the papers at the weekend that there are more students currently studying media studies than there are in the whole media industry in the UK. Wonder how many will get that dream job in media at the end of it...?

The only way to do a job is learn by doing.

Please never become a surgeon!

[Tomm]

The other thing to think about is that university is good fun. If you really don't know what you want to do in the rest of your life, having 3 years+ to decide, whilst having a great time seems like a good idea to me

P.S. F-Stop, how do you think surgeons learn?

P.P.S. That's very funny about the media studies thing

[F-Stop Junkie]

P.S. F-Stop, how do you think surgeons learn?

Many, many years at university learning what should and shouldn't be cut?

[Mark W]

Probably gonna have to integrate some years of law study too, at the rate some surgeons seem to be going? Or is the whole shady surgeon thing largely a Welsh phenomenon?

[mat hudson]

nope, f**king loads everywhere.