Will I regret not going to uni?
I’ve always been a social person who loves partying and I’ve always considered uni the place I would find ‘my people’ and friends for life.
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
Uni is not just about getting a degree that is directly relevant to your future career. It's also training for your mind, a place to make friends, network for connections and discover yourself, and a whatever else you make out of it. Wouldn't a uni degree give you more options? You'll probably need to work out your budget and be a bit frugal for a while. A lot of students go through that and gradually earn more and accumulate more savings after they graduate.
this isn't a complete answer in itself, but it might be worth taking into account what the university scene is like where you live already. I live in the northwest of England where there are tons of unis within travellable distance: Lancaster Uni, Uni of Liverpool, UCLAN, Uni of York, Edge Hill, Uni of Manchester, etc. roughly half of the people that I know who are going to uni are going to these institutions, which are relatively local. a lot of people from my secondary and sixth form college who went to different unis or didn't go to uni at all have still been meeting up all the time for nights out or to spend time with each other. have a think about how many people are likely to go to uni locally — if many people you know will stay close to home, it might mean you'll be far less isolated than you might think. (the flipside to this, where many of your peers might move away for uni is also a possibility.) this is just one small factor, but worth having a think about.
Original post by heidiimogen
I’ve always been a social person who loves partying and I’ve always considered uni the place I would find ‘my people’ and friends for life.
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
Id go for the apprenticeship.
Uni isnt everything. And you dont want to go to uni (and get into debt) just for the sake of going to uni. If you were doing something where you would NEED to go to uni (e.g. teaching, nursing, dentistry, medicine etc etc) then id say yeah go to uni. But if you are going down a route where you can do an apprenticeship (like you can in your case) then id go for it. You can still get the qualifications. You can still gain contacts etc. You also get experience and earn money. Your boyfriend is also doing an apprenticeship. I wouldnt go to ui just because your friends are. You can still still stay friends with your friends whatever you all do. And make new friends on the apprenticeship. You can still make friends elsewhere too.
Original post by heidiimogen
I’ve always been a social person who loves partying and I’ve always considered uni the place I would find ‘my people’ and friends for life.
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
I’m 27 now so an awful lot older than you.
I’ve met countless people who regret going to university either because they found the courses too stressful/they had a lacklustre experience/they couldn’t find jobs after university (this is more common than you might think)/the expenses involved/the amount of debt etc. I have never met anyone who has regretted not going to university.
You can always do the apprenticeship now and then go onto higher education afterwards if you really want to.
I hope this answers your question.
Original post by EllenNaun
Uni is not just about getting a degree that is directly relevant to your future career. It's also training for your mind, a place to make friends, network for connections and discover yourself, and a whatever else you make out of it. Wouldn't a uni degree give you more options? You'll probably need to work out your budget and be a bit frugal for a while. A lot of students go through that and gradually earn more and accumulate more savings after they graduate.
Going to play devils advocate here.
I graduated from an undergraduate degree last year and I made around 30 good friends. Since then only two have still kept in touch with me. You genuinely might not meet a lot of long term friends at university, even if you are very social (and I was reasonably social).
It probably wouldn’t give OP more options, possibly less in some ways as the degree may pigeon hole her.
In terms of your last point. If OP lives at home then she can save all of her income which will help, also if OP works full time whilst doing the apprenticeship then this will give her more financial stability as opposed to doing the degree. Additionally if OP gains a job where she has to move out after her degree this will put her under a lot of financial strain (particularly as marketing/PR jobs are paid relatively average amounts) meaning she saves less. This is also a large problem because most graduate jobs are in London where OP will be spending 50%+ of her salary just on rent alone.
Furthermore you also need to bear in mind that OP probably won’t get a job straight after university. What if she’s unemployed for 1 - 2 (maybe even 3!) years after university? That will again mean she is unable to save anything.
You could accrue more savings after you graduate however the ability to live at home for x,y,z number of years and complete the apprenticeship will be invaluable in terms of saving money as opposed to completing the degree.
Just my thoughts. Sorry for the wall of text. I am very passionate about the topic.
(edited 1 week ago)
It's good to see more comments 😊 It's a big decision for OP. I found this link that has some statistics - https://www.fdmgroup.com/news-insights/apprenticeship-vs-university/
Hope that helps!
Hope that helps!
All I would say is don't stay at home for your boyfriend.You are both very young and probably will not stay together.You only get one chance to be young and carefree and you will have years working a job and running a home with bills etc.
It can work.My nephew was a semi -professional footballer so had lots of company plus he was never interested in going to uni.
He has never regretted his decision but his passion was football.He has done well financially as a fully qualified surveyor with no debt .He is married with a house but seems much older than his cousin's who did go to uni.
Go to uni,grown up life will still be there when you get back.Expand your mind and life experience and who knows where life will take you.
It can work.My nephew was a semi -professional footballer so had lots of company plus he was never interested in going to uni.
He has never regretted his decision but his passion was football.He has done well financially as a fully qualified surveyor with no debt .He is married with a house but seems much older than his cousin's who did go to uni.
Go to uni,grown up life will still be there when you get back.Expand your mind and life experience and who knows where life will take you.
(edited 1 week ago)
Original post by Scotney
All I would say is don't stay at home for your boyfriend.You are both very young and probably will not stay together.You only get one chance to be young and carefree and you will have years working a job and running a home with bills etc.
It can work.My nephew was a semi -professional footballer so had lots of company plus he was never interested in going to uni.
He has never regretted his decision but his passion was football.He has done well financially as a fully qualified surveyor with no debt .He is married with a house but seems much older than his cousin's who did go to uni.
Go to uni,grown up life will still be there when you get back.Expand your mind and life experience and who knows where life will take you.
It can work.My nephew was a semi -professional footballer so had lots of company plus he was never interested in going to uni.
He has never regretted his decision but his passion was football.He has done well financially as a fully qualified surveyor with no debt .He is married with a house but seems much older than his cousin's who did go to uni.
Go to uni,grown up life will still be there when you get back.Expand your mind and life experience and who knows where life will take you.
There’s no real life experience to be gained from university. Only a load of stress, debt and a degree that OP will surely never use in her day to day life. It’s ever so overrated and the people who state this have all had good university and post university experiences themselves.
OP can always do an apprenticeship and then go to university afterwards if they really want to.
Reminder that a third of students regret going to university. Source.
Original post by Thisismyunitsr
There’s no real life experience to be gained from university. Only a load of stress, debt and a degree that OP will surely never use in her day to day life. It’s ever so overrated and the people who state this have all had good university and post university experiences themselves.
OP can always do an apprenticeship and then go to university afterwards if they really want to.
Reminder that a third of students regret going to university. Source.
OP can always do an apprenticeship and then go to university afterwards if they really want to.
Reminder that a third of students regret going to university. Source.
Depends on the degree and the person but just because you regret your degree does not mean plenty of others did not enjoy and benefit from theirs.
Original post by Scotney
Depends on the degree and the person but just because you regret your degree does not mean plenty of others did not enjoy and benefit from theirs.
Yes but what I am saying is that university is a massive risk. There's the risk that OP won't enjoy it, there's the risk that OP will end up unemployed, there's the risk that OP will make no friends, there's the risk that OP will end up in a job that does not require a degree rendering her degree useless, there's a risk that OP will be in debt for decades for absolutely no reason whatsoever because she's ended up with a degree that she will never use in her day-to-day life etc, etc, etc.
I utterly despise the attitude of 'because you didn't like it, this means that other people will like it.' I've been to university and completed it. Gained a First and put a ******** of effort into it. Many, many of my friends express similar attitudes. I have never met anyone who has regretted not going to university and undertaking an apprenticeship or entry level role, I have however met countless people who have regretted going onto higher education. They regret it still, ten years after they started their degrees. Just something to consider but if OP's posting on TSR in 3 - 4 years time complaining about not having a job post higher education, then they can't say that she didn't consider her options.
Original post by heidiimogen
I’ve always been a social person who loves partying and I’ve always considered uni the place I would find ‘my people’ and friends for life.
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
However I feel like I’m going to uni for the sake of it, I’m planning on doing a degree in politics but long term plans doing a career in marketing/PR, which the degree isn’t particularly relevant and I can enter this field through an apprenticeship and start earning.
Uni living would be expensive and id have to work part time as my student loan wouldn’t cover my accommodation and I would have very little spending money as my parents aren’t funding me any money towards uni.
However choosing an apprenticeship instead would mean continuing to live at home and experience a lot of fomo as all my friends leave. My boyfriend is a year older and does a finance apprenticeship, we’ve been together 2 years and aspire to live together, which with us both having apprenticeships earning around 20k wouldn’t be too hard to achieve and would be able to book holidays and travel together as earning an income.
But I would worry that I I would become isolated and would have few friendships left.
Would I regret not going if I decided to stay at home and get an apprenticeship?
Good Evening, Heidiimogen,
I hope you are well and have received some insightful comments regarding this matter. I was in your position when I was in my younger years. I completed an apprenticeship from the age of 16-17. Then I decided to work full time, whilst I decided what would be best for me. Now, it is all very individual to what you hope for in your chosen profession. I was able to complete a foundation year, and go to university to become a registered nurse recently, however, I only went to university as it was the only way to become a registered nurse.
University has its positives, however if you are only wanting to go to find a social circle and to party, and it might not affect your career goals and aspirations, then I would suggest staying within an apprenticeship. You will meet people on your course, and financially be able to party and enjoy yourself. University is not the only way to make friends, and make memories. However, if you want a degree to further your career pathway, then yes, friends and partying can happen, but it is very expensive and it is something that financially you will be paying off once you are in your established career post degree.
Also, a degree can be completed at any time, I began university at the age of 24. So if you are happy and content where you are, and then you change your mind later on and find an opportunity to go to a university to study, then you can. There is no age limit on education.
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