The Student Room Group

Would you rather have a degree or a guaranteed job?

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Reply 20
I have made up my mind, if I go to uni and get a degree, somewhere like BP would be the ideal place to work. They're offering to pay for my college which would normally cost me about £9000 (coz I'm international) and pay me some money for upkeep albeit really rubbish pay. And I could get my degree some other time anyways, also I don't have to miss the student life coz I'll be going to college, in a city where I know no one, probably living with a bunch of students just like me. I say it's a good deal. :biggrin:
Reply 21
Original post by Mr Dangermouse
Depends what your course is mind. If you do a subject that has a pretty much related field(for example Accountancy or Law) then it's less likely you'll be unemployed or in unrelated work.


OP, I take the degree. Life is about so much more than getting a job. You'll have more opportunities when you're a student than in the rest of your life plus you'll probably get a job at the end of it.


I know life much more than getting a job, but I'd really like a comfortable life. I spoke to the security guard at my work last night, he studied chemical engineering, got a scholarship for his masters 3years ago. For the past three years the only jobs he has got are sales assistant and security jobs. Same with our previous security guard, he did his master in something mechanical engineering related, it took him 4 years to get a job in a related field!
The apprenticeship looks really good now.
Reply 22
Original post by damilola
I find myself having to make a decision between going into full time education and getting a degree or accepting a place in an apprenticeship which guarantees that I will get a job after a four-year period. Considering that most people with degrees dont even have jobs, I'm thinking; apprenticeship, but there's only so far up the career ladder an apprenticeship can take a person. So would U just be content having a well paid job or would U rather take ur chances and get a degree, if U were in my shoes ?


what degree would you do?
Do the apprenticeship. Afterwards you can always do the degree if you want to.

From my experience, loads of people in the oil industry started off as apprentices and worked their way up, and it's one of the few industries in the UK that you can still do that. Oil apprentices are extremely popular up here and those who are based offshore often earn more than university graduates.

Is this an OPITO apprenticeship?
Original post by damilola
I have made up my mind, if I go to uni and get a degree, somewhere like BP would be the ideal place to work. They're offering to pay for my college which would normally cost me about £9000 (coz I'm international) and pay me some money for upkeep albeit really rubbish pay. And I could get my degree some other time anyways, also I don't have to miss the student life coz I'll be going to college, in a city where I know no one, probably living with a bunch of students just like me. I say it's a good deal. :biggrin:


Nice that you made up your mind :smile:. I was already gonna say that I'd rather go for the apprenticeship/job, since you already have the guaranteed offer and they're statistically much much harder to get than uni places (which you could go for whenever you wanted with the amount of options always available out there).
Reply 25
Original post by damilola
,


Can you link me with the apprentiship that you want to do.
Reply 26
Original post by zefur
Since the apprenticeship seems to be in the main field you want to go into it does make it more lucrative.

I think a degree is better though for the options it gives you in the future, applying to almost any job now the entry requirements nearly always say have a 2:1 or be educated to a degree level

I didnt go to uni way back when and its giving me problems now


What problems is not going to university giving you? If you don't mind saying.
Reply 27
Do the apprenticeship. The regret you might experience in 3 years if you did the degree would be awful. Most people on this thread probably haven't even graduated. Graduate prospects are still terrible for a significant number.
Reply 28
Original post by Regent
Do the apprenticeship. The regret you might experience in 3 years if you did the degree would be awful. Most people on this thread probably haven't even graduated. Graduate prospects are still terrible for a significant number.


Ahh the pessimist, we meet again :tongue:
Reply 29
Original post by hiding12
what degree would you do?


chemical engineering
Reply 30
Original post by non
Can you link me with the apprentiship that you want to do.


I got it through forth valley college in falkirk, there isn't a link for it online.
Reply 31
In all honesty, unless you have a genuine passion for your subject and, more importantly, actually need a degree to do whatever you want to do in the future, you're probably better off getting a job.
A degree.
Reply 33
Original post by Smack
Do the apprenticeship. Afterwards you can always do the degree if you want to.

From my experience, loads of people in the oil industry started off as apprentices and worked their way up, and it's one of the few industries in the UK that you can still do that. Oil apprentices are extremely popular up here and those who are based offshore often earn more than university graduates.

Is this an OPITO apprenticeship?


No, it's not, I applied through a college in glasgow.
Reply 34
Original post by chloemo14
Personally, if it's a reputable and structured apprenticeship, I'd take that unless there was some pressing reason to go to university; if a time comes in the future where a degree is necessary for further advancement, you could always take time out to do one then, but when you finish it you'll have the massive advantage job hunting of prior experience. Some companies might let you do part -time uni study as well :dontknow:


Zis
Reply 35
Original post by Peel
Tbh, if you're going doing chem eng, BP probably is where you're going to want to end up.

I'd always choose university because of the non-academic development you get, and also the experience of being at university, being independent, meeting lots of young like-minded people, and really, the last freedom you really have before you start work.

Anyway, you might not have to choose between both - BP definitely do internships, you might be able to ask for some sort of arrangement where you do summer internships while studying for uni. That would be the ideal situation!


^ this
Reply 36
Original post by damilola
chemical engineering


you could prob get an apprenticeship with that, are your a levels very good cos I thought you would need high entry requirements ot do that
Reply 37
It depends what job you want. There are some jobs you can't get without a degree. I personally think a degree is more than a step up on the employment anyway. But I think graduate unemployment only covers about 6 months after uni and so I think the way they assess it is a bit silly because most people I know who have graduated didn't go immediately into their target careers, a couple of them went travelling but most of them moved back home for a bit and earned a bit of money before setting off again.
Reply 38
Original post by non
What problems is not going to university giving you? If you don't mind saying.


Its the fact that all employers set "having a degree" or being "educated to a degree level" as the minimum bar on almost all jobs paying 20k or more (which is still a measle amount) finding a job that doesnt have that as a pre requisite is rare, its making it very hard for me to get an entry level role in any other job (yes entry level) so I can get out of this
Original post by damilola
No, it's not, I applied through a college in glasgow.


Ah okay. Is the apprenticeship in upstream or downstream?

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