Do I leave my apprenticeship for uni?

I am currently doing a level 3 apprenticeship in accounting and am thinking about going to uni. I told my employer this and they really want to keep me - offered to up my salary from £12k to £16k hinting at further increase in future and will pay to get me to a chartered accountant status.
Although this all sounds good, my social life is almost none existent these days and obviously uni is a great place for socialising etc. Ive felt quite lonely recently and think uni could be a fresh start. I’ve had an offer from university to do architectural technology which is something I am more passionate about. But over the long term accounting would pay more I guess and I don’t hate my current job but it’s not the most exciting thing in the world.
I’ve just turned 20 and I think any older I would miss my chance to enjoy uni so it’s now or never if I want to go.
Anyone else in a similar position? Or have any opinions on what I should do?

Are you any good at accounting?

My employer had said that I have a good eye for finance and they can see my having a good career so I don’t know what to do

Ok, and which university is it, are you male or female, and do you have any current hobbies / sports?

It’s at Sheffield hallam uni which is where I’m from. I’m male and enjoy going out with friends but a lot of them are busy doing their own thing these days

Obv this is going to be my advice. I've been to university twice, and I'm afraid that in your position, I would stay put. You've got a good job on decent money for an apprentice. That would be entirely reversed, where you'd be paying to learn rather than being paid to learn. Medium and long term, you are so much better off where you are.

If you're with an accountancy firm right now, I get it that you might feel isolated and not really having much fun. In all honesty, that might not improve. Even if you went to a huge big city firm - accountants aren't known for their banging social lives.

What I would counter that with is that university doesn't necessarily guarantee you anything either. You aren't guaranteed a good job (which you have) and you aren't guaranteed any job (which you have). You aren't guaranteed a good time or fun - although that is a little bit easier. Over the last couple of years, most students had a pretty meager experience.

I would stay where you are and as you progress a bit, really work on social stuff. I know that's easy to say, but being absolutely broke in a few years time with a ton of debt and no obvious career path - looking back on a few house parties and nights out and maybe a sports tour isn't really going to compensate. You can always go back to university in a few years time.

Thanks for your detailed reply. All of that is true it’s just the fact I don’t want to be socially isolated forever. I do have a good night out occasionally with close friends but not as often as I’d like. I guess I’m mainly thinking short term rather than long as accountancy is a very rewarding career and I would have money for travelling etc. I’m just worried that I’ll miss out on being young and enjoying myself while I can when I’ll be working my whole life.

If you have friends at the moment and are having occasional nights out - frankly that's as good as it gets.

Just keep working and try and cheat the system somehow - maybe get on a uni summer school or an evening/PT course once you have your apprenticeship done - it can be in anything - electrical engineering or ancient Greek. Then abuse your PT membership of the student union.

I am currently doing a level 3 course in accounting with no previous accounting qualifications. I’ve been at my job over 8 months now so quite a short time to already get a pay rise. In my a levels I got a B in economics, C in geography and A in design, engineering and construction (DEC)

Ah, cool - which level 3 course? AAT level 3? When would you finish this?

Yeah sorry AAT level 3. Id probably finish it around July/August next year and then go to level 4

Sounds good. I’d be tempted to do a job for another year to pass level 3 and consider university - 2 years is a nice amount of experience to have and would generally give transferable skills to a new career should you want to look that way.

I am currently doing a level 3 apprenticeship in accounting and am thinking about going to uni. I told my employer this and they really want to keep me - offered to up my salary from £12k to £16k hinting at further increase in future and will pay to get me to a chartered accountant status.
Although this all sounds good, my social life is almost none existent these days and obviously uni is a great place for socialising etc. Ive felt quite lonely recently and think uni could be a fresh start. I’ve had an offer from university to do architectural technology which is something I am more passionate about. But over the long term accounting would pay more I guess and I don’t hate my current job but it’s not the most exciting thing in the world.
I’ve just turned 20 and I think any older I would miss my chance to enjoy uni so it’s now or never if I want to go.
Anyone else in a similar position? Or have any opinions on what I should do?

I’m in the same position right now, 22, but doing a business admin apprenticeship which I’m not enjoying and like you say, social life doesn’t exist and the job I quite dead end tbh, no chance for progression. I’ve applied To Leeds trinity Uni to do accounting and business but with a foundation year.

How long have you been doing it? If there’s no chance for progression then that’s more of a reason to leave if your not enjoying it. You could even look at other apprenticeships there always seems to be a few in finance.

I have been there since November 2019 but it took them until January 2021 to actually enroll me to start college work lmao, only good thing about that is they were technically underpaying me so had to give me 4500 in backpay (I was on 12000 min was 16500)

I am currently doing a level 3 apprenticeship in accounting and am thinking about going to uni. I told my employer this and they really want to keep me - offered to up my salary from £12k to £16k hinting at further increase in future and will pay to get me to a chartered accountant status.
Although this all sounds good, my social life is almost none existent these days and obviously uni is a great place for socialising etc. Ive felt quite lonely recently and think uni could be a fresh start. I’ve had an offer from university to do architectural technology which is something I am more passionate about. But over the long term accounting would pay more I guess and I don’t hate my current job but it’s not the most exciting thing in the world.
I’ve just turned 20 and I think any older I would miss my chance to enjoy uni so it’s now or never if I want to go.
Anyone else in a similar position? Or have any opinions on what I should do?