MSE Parents Club Part 15

CAFCGirl

SugarSpun wrote: »

That is shocking Tara - what do teenagers do that they need to spend over £45/week?

*is old and out of touch and probably doesn't spend that herself*

I guess if you think about it, you can work hard, slog and study (having made the decision to do so) for £45 a week....

OR

You can sit on your backside and watch JK, drinking alco pops, downloading on itunes and youtube, smoking anything you can lay your hands on for £65+ a fortnight......on jsa....

Its whether or not there is more "value" placed on the apprenticeships, more than just monetary......

Everyone in my family has a degree, my dad doesnt use his, but could if he wanted (but paid for it hmself on OU)studying for his second degree is a part of his renumeration for his job.....
Mum paid for her degree herself solely because all newbies joining her profession (nurses) have a nursing degree and she felt as an old timer she wanted to keep abreast of what theyre taught etc, and it gave her greater self esteem in her job...

Sister paid for both her degrees as most do now with student loans. Shes working in her field but would prefer to to research/teach at uni level but as was said the old codgers are in there nice and snug....

BIL has god knows how many degrees, which he has paid for himself, now earns a tidy sum, but uses all his degrees every day in his job.... and now wants to do more! LOL

Hubby has a degree, as he needed it to enter into his then role....

I however am the spack of the family :rotfl:

SusanC_2

My_Fathers_Daughter wrote: »

Average debt when I left University was approx £16k for an undergraduate and closer to £26k for a post graduate if I remember correctly. Now considering I left Uni 12 years ago I would have expected a significant increase in that - so has it been disproportionate? Yes, probably, but is it necessarily unreasonable? I am not sure.

I don't think the average debt of 16k really reflects the actual necessary cost of going to university though. I did a four year degree and excluding tuition fees I spent around 14k over that time.

bexta

Tara, I don't think you're too hard. There has to be a point where you cut the (metaphorical) umbilical cord. The more you do - the more is expected, and then where does it stop?

I mean, I'm not advocating neglect, but you do see a lot more people in their 20s and older relying on their parents for bill money. OHs sister range from 42-50 and they still hit their mum up for money all the time, it makes me so :mad::mad::mad: that they're taking money off a little old lady because they can't get their acts together.

MadDogWoman_2

Hello,

Still very little snow here, but very very slippy

The only person in my family to have a degree is my SIL and she did that part time, with 1 child, pg yr 2, 2 children yr 3, she also had a part time job, it was a languages degree and did go on to get a job using her languages.

I did YTS with NVQ in Business Admin £40 a week, have been looking at the costs of Open Uni, bit much at the moment.

Looking on the job pages at the moment there are apprenticships paying over £100 a week!

My nephew has decided what he wants to, he decided for himself the Uni he would like to go to etc. The course he's chosen help them find a job at the end of the course.

My secondary school was all about go to 6th form then uni, they added pressure to use their 6th form too. I got really frustrated as I'd decided it wasn't for me. Those that wanted to stay one got lots of help, me who wasn't got no help.

:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

I can pay for Christmas, the cheque finally landed this morning!

:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

bexta

CAFC, a degree (or not) is no reflection of spackiness or money earning power. You are young and intelligent, with plenty of time to conquer the world.

SugarSpun

I agree Susan, I had just over £9k of total debt after a four year degree, a one year MA and a 5 year PhD. But I didn't go out drinking, bought my clothes in charity shops and my books secondhand, worked as much as possible and was ruthless about ebaying everything I could lay my hands on.

And Bexta's right about the degree CAFC - it reflects a period of time spent in university and an ability to pass exams. Not having one is not a reflection of anything other than not having one, and if people who didn't need one didn't go get one because they're not sure what to do next or their schools are pressuring them to apply, we wouldn't need to have this discussion because universities wouldn't be crippled under increasing costs and decreasing government funding (because it's paying for expensive wars).

SusanC_2

I'd be willing to fund or part fund any of my children who want to do a degree with a definite purpose but not just doing any old degree without any particular plan or purpose.

CAFCGirl

bexta wrote: »

CAFC, a degree (or not) is no reflection of spackiness or money earning power. You are young and intelligent, with plenty of time to conquer the world.

Well I dont know where you got those bits from LOL

I'm only spacky on a wednesday anyway

CAFCGirl

SusanC wrote: »

I'd be willing to fund or part fund any of my children who want to do a degree with a definite purpose but not just doing any old degree without any particular plan or purpose.

I agree....

Thats mostly why I never went, I could think of a few courses I would happily have done, but they served no purpose, wasnt sure i even wanted a job in those industries, or what job i would get with any relevance, so I wasnt gonna put that on my parents for me to end up doing the kind of job i did anyway.....

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I miss working LOL

SugarSpun

Great news MDW :j