Is studying to become an electrician not good enough?
I have pretty good GCSEs with grades 9 in physics, maths and computer science, then i have 3 'A's in A-levels Maths, Physics and Biology. I liked working in construction so i studied civil engineering in West London, but completing the first year I felt like i excelled and wanted to go to a more prestigious university. So i studied Civil engineering in Southampton but it was too much for me and i failed the year, i tried again, but having no student finance fot tuition fees and struggling again i quit uni. Now i am working in construction again and thinking about becoming an electrician, but i am concerned as maybe i should aim higher as electrician barely requires GCSEs, but worried if i try something like electrical engineering i will struggle again and waste another year and more money. What should I do? Is there an option somewhere inbetween electrician and engineer?
Original post by Aleks Sarandovs
I have pretty good GCSEs with grades 9 in physics, maths and computer science, then i have 3 'A's in A-levels Maths, Physics and Biology. I liked working in construction so i studied civil engineering in West London, but completing the first year I felt like i excelled and wanted to go to a more prestigious university. So i studied Civil engineering in Southampton but it was too much for me and i failed the year, i tried again, but having no student finance fot tuition fees and struggling again i quit uni. Now i am working in construction again and thinking about becoming an electrician, but i am concerned as maybe i should aim higher as electrician barely requires GCSEs, but worried if i try something like electrical engineering i will struggle again and waste another year and more money. What should I do? Is there an option somewhere inbetween electrician and engineer?
1. You say, " i studied civil engineering in West London, but completing the first year I felt like i excelled" and "i studied Civil engineering in Southampton but it was too much for me and i failed the year". What was the difference between the course at University of West London (UWL) and University of Southampton that made you go from "I felt like i excelled" to "i failed the year"?
2. I count three years of university study - one at UWL ("excelled") and two at Southampton ("failed the year" / "i tried again"). Student Finance cover the normal course length plus one year, so you should have had one more year available. Or have I miscounted the years? (This is not directly relevant to your question, I'm just trying to better my understanding of how student finance work in practice for students who switch uni or retake a year.)
3. You say you "liked working in construction", which you have now returned to. The way you've phrased your question suggests that you think being an Electrician is "beneath" you in some way. Is that solely based upon the level of education required, or are you factoring in likely income? According to Indeed, the average salary for a Civil Engineer in the UK is £38,699 (source), whilst for an Electrician it's £36,182 (source). So returning to university is unlikely to bring massive rewards income-wise. If you did opt to return to university, it's difficult to predict whether you might struggle again as it's not clear why you struggled - other than "it was too much for me" (at Southampton). If you found some way to fund it, would you consider returning to the Civil Engineering course where you "felt like i excelled" at UWL?
Original post by Aleks Sarandovs
I have pretty good GCSEs with grades 9 in physics, maths and computer science, then i have 3 'A's in A-levels Maths, Physics and Biology. I liked working in construction so i studied civil engineering in West London, but completing the first year I felt like i excelled and wanted to go to a more prestigious university. So i studied Civil engineering in Southampton but it was too much for me and i failed the year, i tried again, but having no student finance fot tuition fees and struggling again i quit uni. Now i am working in construction again and thinking about becoming an electrician, but i am concerned as maybe i should aim higher as electrician barely requires GCSEs, but worried if i try something like electrical engineering i will struggle again and waste another year and more money. What should I do? Is there an option somewhere inbetween electrician and engineer?
Ultimately it’s about what life you want.
Nothing wrong with working in the trades if you enjoy it. And you can always work into management in a big construction company or start your own company as an independent electrician. Do there is always routes to excel. Part of that job is it is physically very demanding.
If you have desires and life ambitions elsewhere then you you need to balance what will make you happy.
Original post by DataVenia
1. You say, " i studied civil engineering in West London, but completing the first year I felt like i excelled" and "i studied Civil engineering in Southampton but it was too much for me and i failed the year". What was the difference between the course at University of West London (UWL) and University of Southampton that made you go from "I felt like i excelled" to "i failed the year"?
2. I count three years of university study - one at UWL ("excelled") and two at Southampton ("failed the year" / "i tried again"). Student Finance cover the normal course length plus one year, so you should have had one more year available. Or have I miscounted the years? (This is not directly relevant to your question, I'm just trying to better my understanding of how student finance work in practice for students who switch uni or retake a year.)
3. You say you "liked working in construction", which you have now returned to. The way you've phrased your question suggests that you think being an Electrician is "beneath" you in some way. Is that solely based upon the level of education required, or are you factoring in likely income? According to Indeed, the average salary for a Civil Engineer in the UK is £38,699 (source), whilst for an Electrician it's £36,182 (source). So returning to university is unlikely to bring massive rewards income-wise. If you did opt to return to university, it's difficult to predict whether you might struggle again as it's not clear why you struggled - other than "it was too much for me" (at Southampton). If you found some way to fund it, would you consider returning to the Civil Engineering course where you "felt like i excelled" at UWL?
2. I count three years of university study - one at UWL ("excelled") and two at Southampton ("failed the year" / "i tried again"). Student Finance cover the normal course length plus one year, so you should have had one more year available. Or have I miscounted the years? (This is not directly relevant to your question, I'm just trying to better my understanding of how student finance work in practice for students who switch uni or retake a year.)
3. You say you "liked working in construction", which you have now returned to. The way you've phrased your question suggests that you think being an Electrician is "beneath" you in some way. Is that solely based upon the level of education required, or are you factoring in likely income? According to Indeed, the average salary for a Civil Engineer in the UK is £38,699 (source), whilst for an Electrician it's £36,182 (source). So returning to university is unlikely to bring massive rewards income-wise. If you did opt to return to university, it's difficult to predict whether you might struggle again as it's not clear why you struggled - other than "it was too much for me" (at Southampton). If you found some way to fund it, would you consider returning to the Civil Engineering course where you "felt like i excelled" at UWL?
Thank you for the reply. To answer your first question, i suppose a big contributing factor was the style of teaching, West London was similar to previous education where its quite face-to-face and interactive, quite slow and progressive. I was doing very well by just listening and doing the activities in class, and there was only 2 days a week of learning, a total of 9 hours a week i believe. Southampton was the opposite, lots of hours everyday, massive lectures just explaining things, lots of coursework. Maths, Python and CAD were not taught, we were just given what to learn and when to learn it by. I find i hate and struggle with writing essays, thats the only time i didnt do well WL, writing an essay on bricks and one on wood, in southampton its of course much more complicated than that. Essentially everything we covered in one year of WL, was covered in 1.5 months in Southampton plus more topics like thermofluids which werent taught in WL. In other words, Southampton was mainly independent learning unlike WL, which was not good for me because i managed to do well in my GCSEs and A-levels and even in WL with just 'revise the day before the exam' and it worked out well for me, but that was completely not a possibility in Southampton. To answer second question, first 2 attempts at first year there is tuition loan, but not for 3rd attempt of first year. To answer your 3rd question, i dont think an electrian is beneath me considering im essentially a labourer rn, I think i would enjoy it enough though, i suppose its moreso that feeling of underachieving by not using my A-Levels. But you are right, the difference in average salary is, on paper, not worth the extra costly education. Most of all, i am curious if there is a middle ground, where i could achieve highly in electronics without doing engineering. Again thank you for the reply.
Original post by mnot
Ultimately it’s about what life you want.
Nothing wrong with working in the trades if you enjoy it. And you can always work into management in a big construction company or start your own company as an independent electrician. Do there is always routes to excel. Part of that job is it is physically very demanding.
If you have desires and life ambitions elsewhere then you you need to balance what will make you happy.
Nothing wrong with working in the trades if you enjoy it. And you can always work into management in a big construction company or start your own company as an independent electrician. Do there is always routes to excel. Part of that job is it is physically very demanding.
If you have desires and life ambitions elsewhere then you you need to balance what will make you happy.
I wreckon i work significantly harder physically rn than most electricians have to, and even then its not too much for me working 10 hour shifts doing a lot of physically demanding activities. But thats mainly because i am young and fit rn, theres no chance i will be happy working so hard physically in my 40s and 50s, but electrician seems like a reasonable amount of physical work. Personally while im young, i find physically demanding work more satisfying and easier than sitting at a desk as an engineer or something. Thank you for the reply.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Careers
- College and further studies
- Degree to Trade Apprenticeship? Anyone?
- Careers advice 2024
- Should I do a trade apprenticeship instead of going to university?
- Would you rather study or start working as soon as possible?
- Studying towards GCSEs
- Can i do an electrical engineering degree with a college diploma
- Funding rules different for lower level apprenticeships?
- Pre access progression award level 2
- Careers advice and future planning
- Six figure salary jobs without a degree
- Careers goals and educational goals and advice
- Careers advice
- Electricity bill
- What are the most effective digital marketing strategies for electricians?
- Electrician Pathway
- Careers advice electrician vs electrical engineering
- Edinburgh College course only has enquire option?
- What do I do with my life?
