Should he take it or go back to Uni?

gilly41

Hi
My son has just finished a Foundation degree in Sports Coaching and has been offered a place for his 3rd year on a top up Bsc in Sports Management(same uni).
He is back now for the summer and has been working as a temp in a large office---he loves it and says he could get a permananent job there when he gets back from San Francisco(hes going there in 3 weeks time for 8 weeks to coach soccer!!).
He has come round tonight to tell me that he really doesnt want to stop on at Uni for this extra year----despite the fact it is only 11 months and then he will have a full degree!! He is wanting me to say ok take the office job but I think he should stay on at Uni.He is 20 and of course it is up to him what he does-but I think he will do a lot better in the long run to stay on as there are loads more opportunities with a degree!!
Do you think i am right?
xx

aurora_borealis_2

Yes you're right but it's his choice.

Emmzi

Can he take a year out to work and if he wants go back? Or is it 'all or nothing'?

could he do p/t study while working to complete?

lynzpower

Noit neccasarily. Personally I think experience goes way further than qualifications, as I siad before. My degree isnt worth the paper its written on in all fairness. He can always go back to the course if he wants to later, no biggie.

Glitterari

And he'll probably be able to get the same job when he gets back - temping in an office.

If he decides later on that he wants to go into something else, he might need a degree to do it.

I know with my degree it's not really worth the paper it's written on BUT I do need a degree to do the course I am going to do in September. It doesn't matter what degree I have - I just need a degree with a 2:2. And I'll be a lot better off by the end of it - I'll be a qualified Social Worker which are always highly in demand & I'll be able to earn better money.

At the end of the day it's up to him - but won't he have essentially wasted what he's done so far?

I do think there comes a time in things like this (or learning to drive for example) where it becomes too much of a waste of time/effort/money not to continue. He needs to think carefully - he's prob very excited at the prospect of having money coming in but this novelty does wear off.

Again the decision is his, but I think you need to make sure he is aware of all of his options and also what the consequences of everything might be.

homersimpson_3

he loves it and says he could get a permananent job there when he gets back from San Francisco...He is wanting me to say ok take the office job but I think he should stay on at Uni....Do you think i am right?

not necessarily. whilst a degree can open up more opportunities a degree is not worth the weight say it was 10 years ago simply because there are more graduates. many graduates are on the dole; working in jobs not associated with their degrees or in position where a degree is not needed. some employers may think people with degrees are over qualified & not employ them. i recently read an article where they compared people who went to work straight after leaving school and those who went into employment after university. alot of people who left school and worked way up hierachy had higher incomes than alot of the graduates. the writer was making the point it took graduates about 9 years to make up for difference in terms of clearing debts and making up for loss of income whilst spending 3 years at university.
your son is only 20 and can always go back to university at a later point for full degree. employers like to see work experience on cvs. what does he want to do? if he wants to do something associated with degree as career; wnats a job where degree is needed or post graduate course may be worth going back to university. if not and he's loves the job, then he may be better off staying put (for the moment anyway). is there anyway he could finish degree and go back to that office- study leave etc?

lynzpower

Glitterari wrote:

And he'll probably be able to get the same job when he gets back - temping in an office.

If he decides later on that he wants to go into something else, he might need a degree to do it.

I know with my degree it's not really worth the paper it's written on BUT I do need a degree to do the course I am going to do in September. It doesn't matter what degree I have - I just need a degree with a 2:2. And I'll be a lot better off by the end of it - I'll be a qualified Social Worker which are always highly in demand & I'll be able to earn better money.

At the end of the day it's up to him - but won't he have essentially wasted what he's done so far?

I do think there comes a time in things like this (or learning to drive for example) where it becomes too much of a waste of time/effort/money not to continue. He needs to think carefully - he's prob very excited at the prospect of having money coming in but this novelty does wear off.

Again the decision is his, but I think you need to make sure he is aware of all of his options and also what the consequences of everything might be.

Good luck with your course Glitterari, and if you need any second hand books you know where to come

beanielou

I guess you can only advise him & let him make up his own mind.
Is there a big diff between a foundation degree and an ord degee?
Hope he enjoys San Fransisco.

jobbingmusician

He won't necessarily have wasted the work he's done so far. What he should do is try to find out from his current uni:

what sort of credit what he has done so far will be transferable to another course at another uni (including Open University) and how much extra work he'd have to do to top this up to a degree. (I think you'll probably find that any uni who do sports sciences/coaching would accept him at any time).

Could he do this part time? He might even be able to do part time top up at his current place. Or he might be able to do the top up in a couple of years' time.

Degrees are a lot more 'modular' than they used to be, and most unis would fall over backwards to have a student with APL (accreditation for prior learning - this may be called something else by now) who was working in the field, or who had a couple of years' work experience under their belt.

However, I would recommend that he DOESN'T take the job and try to top up his studies at the same time for at least 12 months, so that (if he does take the job) he can give full attention to his career in the early days.

In case anyone thinks I sound as if I'm not in favour of qualifications, let it be known I've got a BA(Hons), MSc and MBA, all by part time study, after my first degree. And I know NOTHING about sports!

MinnieSpender

There may be a way for your son to get both.

If he's considering staying at the office, they must think well of him. Has he considered asking them if they would consider him in a year when he's completed his degree (perhaps on a graduate programme)? In the meantime, he could offer to work for them during his holidays thereby earning some well-needed cash. They may (although it's a long shot) offer him some kind of funding in the meantime.

However, what would concern me is will an office job be enough for him? If he's studied sports, he must be an active sort of guy. Office work quickly gets monotonous and may not offer him enough in the long term.

A year's breathing space in which to gain his degree will give him a broader view. Plus, he will have the knowledge that he has a job when he graduates should he decide to go back to them.

gilly41

Thanks for all the replies----he has actually rung me tonight and said that maybe i am right and he should stay on as he is still very young with all his life ahead of him(think his gf has had a chat with him too!!).
So I am hoping he will stay on. His main passion is football thats why he took the Foundation Degree in Coaching---he has got a job in San Fran for the summer through having this qualification and I honestly dont think an office job would be enough for him long term.
Anyhow, thanks again everyone xxx