How come only 49% of us go to uni?

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'Going to Uni' isn't the only goal in life. And it isnt a guarantee of an interesting job or lifelong happiness either. Plenty of graduates get to the end of their degree course and wonder why they bothered.

Ask yourself - why are all your friends applying to Uni. Is it because they lack the imagination to do anything else, or they are too lazy to do anything else and think they are 'entitled' to 3 years of not working, or because their parents told them to do it, or their school has implied that that is the only option available by not telling them about the alternatives, or its a way of putting off making any decision about what to do with the rest of your life for 3 years, or they just assume 'that's what people from my background do'.

Think carefully before you just follow the crowd. Are you mature enough to step back and think/decide for yourself?

This. My friend did a degree in law and still works in a nursing home....another did some sort of sociology/geography degree and can't even get a job. I think its drilled in that university is a must when, in reality, there's so many options available

Reply 81

InArduisFouette

Original post by Tw1x

both degrees chosen by those who fail to do their research on likely uses for the degree ...

the glut of people with none qualifying Law degrees and Psychology / Sociology Bachelors is down to poor research on their behalf...

Reply 82

Tw1x

Original post by zippyRN

Who mentioned none-qualifying law degree?

The sociology degree I agree, waste of time and that was purely to appease overbearing parents forcing university on somebody who didn't particularly want to go. I've noticed a lot more of my friends have done better career wise when they've either done apprenticeships or gone to university later on. There's so much pressure at 17 to make a huge potentially life changing decision and most people are not capable. Those who have returned to education later on have a better understanding of themselves, the reality of the job market and what gaps there are to be filled in society. Unfortunately it's not what schools and colleges teach about just following your passions, but reality needs to be thought about too. Yes, you need to do a degree you enjoy but atleast determine whether or not there's a job at the end or if you even care about that.
One of my friends went to university purely because they didn't want to work, they weren't bothered that there wasn't a job at the end, they were happy to just spend 3 years partying and meeting new people. Good for them. But it does amaze me when people come out of university with a piece of paper, but no work experience then cry they've just wasted 3 years of their life. As though they are automatically entitled to a job afterwards.

Reply 83

username738914

Original post by Tw1x

Well I'm neither and I know many of my friends whose student accommodation didn't even get covered by their loans/grants, not even close.

They aren't poor then

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Reply 84

ckfeister

Original post by shanktheopps

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tertiary_education_attainment

I saw this table which says that only 49% of 25-34 years in the UK have a degree from a university. But I don't think I know anyone who isn't going to uni- everyone in my school last year and the last three years went to university and this year everyone I know I'm my year is planning to go to university. So how come it's only 49% when in reality it's so much higher? Do a lot of people drop out of uni and not get their degree?

Some places are 90% to work, 10% to university, other places aren't. I'm the first to go to university in my family... or even take an academic route or even keep up with my career I want to (they all ended up failing their career ambitions)

Reply 85

Naveed.178

I was studying a Nutrition degree last year. I was released from the course because I didnt do well enough and wasnt good enough. I wanted to take a different route anyway. I now work nightshifts at Amazon, working as a pack receiver. Not much but it is what it is.

Reply 86

Tw1x

Original post by Princepieman

They aren't poor then

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They are. Their parents arent. But still trying running a house on, say, £35k a year, sounds pretty comfortable. Add in two younger siblings and a car and suddenly its fighting each month to pay for the weekly shop, let alone put money aside for one (of your three) child to help cover the cost of accommodation, along with making sure they can actually have atleast a meal a day.

Reply 87

BasicMistake

Original post by Tw1x

Median income in the UK is less than £25k.

Reply 88

Tw1x

Original post by BasicMistake

Median income in the UK is less than £25k.

That was just a random figure I popped out my head.
https://www.incometaxcalculator.org.uk/average-salary-uk.php

This says £27,000 but whatever, its not just about your income, it's about what is left over to spend at the end. Me and my partner are quite comfortable now (Around £550 mortgage a month + £150 bills + car insurance + food shop etc.) we survive fine, but if I were to go to university we would take a drop of about 12k annually. And we have no children. My mum tried to do the whole university thing as a mum of 3, it was a bad time.

Reply 89

It's****ingWOODY

I don't know very many people that went to Uni. I didn't, I just did my A Levels and then finished education. I'm making more money than most people I know that went to uni as well. Getting a degree doesn't automatically = a well paid job, a lot of people realise this and decide to explore other avenues. It's not the be all and end all of careers.

Reply 90

InArduisFouette

Original post by BasicMistake

Median income in the UK is less than £25k.

it's actually about 27k and at least you didn't try to imply it was the mean and ' as a result most people earn far less than that' - (which is a tactic sometimes used bythe class warriors and socialist w**kers )

However, realistically unless you are earning significantly in excess in the median wage you are going to need more than one income in a family ...

Reply 91

BasicMistake

Original post by zippyRN

Firstly, sorry for the bad statistic. I literally took the first result on Google.

Thing is, the combined income of my household is less than said median income. I wouldn't say that my family is currently struggling, we are comfortably living within our means.

Reply 92

Kravence

49% is pretty high, id say one third of the people from my year went to uni. the rest into work etc

Reply 93

Farchitect

Original post by BigTraderBoi

Tbh I can't believe it either, I would say it's around 70% or more. The data is probably outdated. I only know one or two people who aren't planning to go to uni.

Looking at my primary school, which had about 90 people per school year, I think around 4 or 5 of us went to university. Of my secondary school, it was probably nearer to 30% or so.

Reply 94

JoeyOwens

Not enough natives are doing decent courses at respected universities; pick an innumerate range of reasons why. Rest assured UK unis would rather get fast international cash than actually develop home grown talent.

Reply 95

username2924886

my mum is a nurse (ward sister) and my dad was an engineer- neither went to uni, or even have a-levels but have good, well paid jobs.
meanwhile my brother, who has a ba and ma in psychology only just got a low paying job.

theres no need for so many graduates, many who dont even work in the field they studied. also it may seem like in sixth form/college everyone goes to uni but alot do other things- vocational training, apprenticeships etc. are having a surge in popularity.

Reply 96

InArduisFouette

Original post by obpear

which reflects the changing patterns of education requirements and the knowledge and skills required to do the job ...

under educated and unredundable alleged Leaders in Nursing is one of the problems the Profession faces for being so late to the table with Higher education pre-reg...

Reply 97

Proxenus

uni is only worth it for some courses. apprenticeships are arguablely better but looked down upon

Reply 98

username1921011

Original post by shanktheopps

Because presumably your school is a better school than a lot of other ones. I was fortunate enough to get a place in a school where nearly everyone went to uni. My brother was not. Most of his classmates either went to college or played truant by 16. Your school isn't representative of the whole country.

Also 49% is very high. Are 49% of the jobs out there white collar middle class degree work? How many of those qualifications are useful, how many people have taken liberal arts or gender studies and therefore won't be employable at the end of it? We should encourage people to do what they're best suited for. A great mathematician but rubbish at English? Get them into the sciences for example. If someone isn't academically inclined but is good at say PE or DT don't label them as useless, get them into nutritional training, sportswear design, sports management (ie the FA has a huge shortage of employees). Recommend being a mechanic or a plumber, £60k ish a year and a secure job. This fallacy that everyone has to go to Uni is what's caused a lot of the unemployment because people with no clue about the world and a flowery degree in something that doesn't matter tend to be difficult to deal with and put employers off. Anecdotal example, we had a liberal arts major at my work, they quit within three weeks because they were being 'bullied'. Nobody even spoke to them really, just asked them to do stuff that needed doing.