If you’re not in a specialist role, did you really need a university degree?
I have an avoidant type of relationship with my Student Finance account. A few months ago I held my breath and logged in to see how much debt I was in. It was nothing short of an eye-watering amount.
What we’re not told is that having this debt may cause feelings of despair. And the reality is most people will never be in a position to clear their debt.
I reflect back to the times when I was just under 18 years old. The time that I naively signed the dotted line.
I did not know what I was getting myself into.
I did not understand the long-term implications.
Anytime I did ask questions I was just hit with the parrot-like response from people around me:
“You’ll only pay back after you earn £30k”
“The debt will get written off in 30 years time”
“They only take £50 monthly – you won’t even notice it!”
Notice how some form of these responses makes it sound less intimidating from the outset.
But this all aside, I could not help but wonder whether my university degree was needed for the job role that I do?
At the time my degree was tick box requirement getting into a graduate programme. I don’t recall whether I was asked to see proof of?
So if you’re not doing a specialist role for example, doctor, engineer, was your university degree ever really required?
Alternatives:
There are a lot of role relevant courses, that not even a fraction of the price of a university degree. For example, to become a scrum master, you’d do a CSM course, which the cheapest discounted course is around 300 quid, a lot cheaper than a 9000 university degree, and even better get your employer to pay for it. Make it as part of your “Development”. Or better yet, get onto a degree apprenticeship and let the company pick up the bill.
Random Monday Thoughts
Toodles!
