Is it worth going to university anymore?

The job market won't stay terrible forever and there is still options to further your love for a subject through masters programmes and even PHDs as well as other ways of making yourself shine above the rest by volunteering, internships during the summer and being involved in societies.

What is better

1st, Economics at Leicester
2.1, Business at Birmingham
2.2, English at Oxford

In the real world? yes. You're only going to better yourself and career prospects by having a degree.

On TSR? It depends, if its in the top 10 and you're studying maths, physics, medicine, dentistry etc. then yes - If you don't or go to a 'dreaded' ex-poly then OMG WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE!!!!

To sum up, if you want to go to University, go - don't let others influence your decision. Half of the people offering 'advice' and degrade people for where they go to University haven't even started their A-levels.

He is wrong though. I think perhaps you're missing the point. He was saying that you need a 2:1 or above from a really good university and that going to a lower university is a waste of time. If I get a 2:2 or above in a psychology degree at bedfordshire then because they're BPS accredited it means I can still go on to be a psychologist. I know women who have gone to really good universities and come out with degrees and even masters degrees and haven't actually put it to any use because they would rather be stay at home mums.

Obviously it makes a difference to job prospects and if I had an unconditional offer for Oxford or Cambridge then I highly doubt I'd be considering bedfordshire. My choice is between bedfordshire and portsmouth. Anyway the point is that he said unless you get in to a top university there is no point in going at all which is obviously wrong.

Just wondering what uni do you go and what societies are you in?
How do societies improve your employability? Do you list them on your CV

well seeing as you wont pay back the money anyway untill you get a job theres no harm in it ... plus whilst many with degrees arent getting jobs even fewer with out are unless you want to be a bin man?

Definately doesnt progress you as a guarentee. An awful lot of the time, you could have been higher in your career if you worked up from the bottom after A levels in the same industry.

If you wish to work in a career which requires a degree to even work there (STEM) then of course. If you want to do 3 years of sociology to go and be a junior manager at top man, skip out the waste of three years. You will grow up more, learn more life skills and be more professional working your way up for three years than puking outside the SU.

In these jobs it is often the manner of the person that employers like. Just due to society, good hardworkers who are future stars tend to do well at school and tend to be pushed towards university. However, if you are a good egg, it will show and you will rise according to your merit anyway.

If you are good and hardworking, provided you choose a suitable industry, you will do well. No amount of degrees will compensate for being useless.

Why go to uni if your end goal is to do something you can attain in the same time frame without doing so?

Why not? The opportunities there for a lot of people, the government are offering loans with a pretty much un-noticeable payback rate and you'll have a lot of fun in the process. I'm not going to Uni in September just to go and work and get a degree, I'm going to get out of this ****-hole of a town that I live in, I don't just want to go and get a job, I'm still young, I want to live my life a bit more. One of my good mates decided to drop out of college and get a boring 9-5 job - he's on ****e pay because of his lack of qualifications, he never goes out after work because he's too tired, so he's got the weekend to do the things he wants then it just repeats... why would I want this now? This is the sort of thing I want to be doing when i'm 23/24, not when I'm still a teenager.

Oh no, how could you possibly work from the age of 18? its just too difficult, you do need 3 years to go drinking. Also, many many people 'live their life' while having a job.

I fail to see why it is acceptable to go to university because of your peter pan syndrome.

It is funny how the people who want to go to uni 'for mad timez lolz' and little more, are usually the ones who stomp their feet about being an adult when they are 18.

You are an adult when you act responsibly and control your own life. Going to uni to push back the time when you have to be responsible and grown, and actually like do work for your money, is about as far from an adult decision as possible.

Also, your mate is hardly a good example, there will always be exceptions and variations. Firstly, if he had A levels, that would be more appropriate to my point. Secondly, so what if he earns little money? If he does well in the job, when you graduate, I guarentee he will be on far better money. Also, he will probably be more mature, more life experienced and not have run up anywhere near the same debt to get to that position.

And my point was not you should not go to uni and take any old job. It was if you wish to take up a position like retail manager etc when you graduate, you should work in that industry and work your way up there.

This doesn't happen 'just like that' anymore. Having worked at Asda, where they 'talk' of opportunities of working your way up, its simply not the case anymore. I remember the examples of the retail managers that they showcased, they had all been working at the store for at least 15 years, meaning they've been working for pretty crap pay for a significant amount of time before they'd reap the benefits of this experience. So then compare the three or four people that had worked their ways up, to the 6 or 7 graduates they had working there, fresh from University where they didn't endure the years of **** working as a shop floor assistant (something I've personally experienced and never want to ever again) and are straight on an even playing field and equal pay. Because of the current job situations, promotion within the company isn't like it used to be and even if you can work your way up, it takes years, more than the 3 years it takes to get a degree. Even then, while at Uni you can get a part time job working in retail and be in an even better situation.

About my mate. Yes, he might be on more money, but, over time when I gain more experience in the relevant field, when I try and get a higher position, because I have the degree I'll instantly become more attractive to the employer.

You can speak all you want about people going and getting jobs instead of going to University, but in reality its not the better option. It might be in the short term, but in the long term, the person with the degree will come out on top.

Edit: just read one of your threads... So you're a mature student? So contradictory its untrue.

I'd say yes, it's definitely worth it. This is coming from someone who dropped out of uni after a term after starting in 2011, and faced the tough decision of going for 2012 entry with the new fees or just not going at all. I decided the experience is worth the money- you don't just get a degree, you get independence, get to meet like-minded people (through your course and also through societies) and make yourself more employable in the future. I really enjoyed my experience of uni, the only reason I left was because the course I was studying wasn't right for me.