Should I do a trade apprenticeship instead of going to university?

I am a 17 year old S6 student and about to graduate in 3 months. Trades were something I never considered as an option because my focus was always on the academic route. I live in a small city with two universities so there was always an incentive to do well in school and get to uni. My dream was to go to Edinburgh University and pursue a career in engineering, but I don’t have grades anywhere good enough for it. I have no formal maths qualification due to my dyscalculia and the lockdowns impacted me a lot. Kept swapping around classes and dropping them. I have done well in the classes I've done so far, with two A's, a B and two C’s. All in literature-based subjects like English, History, Psychology + woodworking.

Higher is basically an O-Level equivalent you sit between S4-S6, you get less Nat 5’s (GCSE) but more Highers later on if you perform well. I have learning difficulties which made it extremely difficult study and subject-wise. My high school experience has been garbage. I wanted to take National 5 Engineering Science and National 5 maths for S6, but had to drop both and swap for Modern Studies and Private Study.

Studying at home is also very difficult due to my disabled younger brother and mental health. Post-covid my mental health began to suffer a lot and I was on anti-depressant tablets for a while. Stopped taking them due to the side-effects messing with my body. The stress has built on me, trying to balance home life and school life year after year and it’s still not enough. Getting two A’s was a miracle. S6 feels completely pointless, I’m sitting in private study wondering why I am even here. Had the option to go to college but was too scared to take it. Everyone who stayed wishes they had gone to college instead and so do I. They don’t even show up for regi anymore.

I got accepted for a Psychology HNC course recently. Doing it for a year will give me the chance to get used to college and the qualification is equivalent to the first year of university. If I want to continue on then I’ll do a joint-set of science Highers and try and get into Dundee uni. Currently, I’m doing National 5 Modern Studies which I’ll likely drop. Main focus now is passing Higher Psychology and History.

I have heard that trades pay well and offer more job security + it’s less expensive than uni. Read that tradesmen tend to be more happier and the demand is set to increase as there is a shortage of young tradesmen to replace retirees. Honestly I don’t want to be a student, in debt, with a deadend underpaid job I hate. High school has been a struggle and the last thing I want is more studying. I want to do something I can earn a good living off of and feel fulfilled. Chances are I’ll be living with my parents for the rest of my life due to high rent and poor health. My most favourite class was woodwork, because everything was hands-on and it felt like real honest work with purpose. I could get a useless psychology degree and become a councillor or something like that, but the market is so oversaturated and low pay that I wonder if it’s even worth it. Trades are starting to become a more appealing option to me.

Suppose the good thing is that I am young and can change my mind if I want. Education here is less expensive than it is down in England so I have time to think and settle my thoughts. I have a feeling too many people go to uni and realize it isn’t all it’s made out to be. My brother was like that, did a year at Robert Gordon then dropped out. He’s doing police work at college now. I’ll probably take a gap year after the HNC to figure this out. Has anyone else felt the same? Also, has anyone done a trade job before e.g. carpentry, boilermaker, plumber, electrician etc? Is it good? Please let me know.

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