Please help me make sense of this situation!

katerinasol

Hi all,I'm a bit confused as to what the future holds for me.

When I turned 18, I went to uni but ended up dropping out after a term. I stayed in the area, worked bar jobs, eventually ended up getting a temporary job doing admin work and getting married.

A few days ago, two things people said made me think about the future. Firstly, a friend of mine said he would go back to school if he could, if only to actually study and go to university. Secondly, another friend said, she doesn't want to look at her life in ten years' time and hate where she is.

The way I see it, without a degree, I will end up hating my life in ten years' time. I appreciate the job I have now, however it's boring and has no chance of career progression. So I've been thinking of going back to uni do start over and do a degree in what I'm interested in. Otherwise I will end up being stuck doing brainless admin work for the rest of my life. And I have the opportunity to make something better of my life.

My other half is a bit miffed after hearing my idea because we were thinking of buying a house and obviously going to uni would put those plans on hold for three years. I can see his point of view, but the way I see it, it's an investment in the future. He's against getting a loan but I can't really get through to him that it's not the same kind of loan as one you would get from a bank and doesn't affect your credit rating etc.

The other thing is that I have today been offered an interview for a job. It's within the same company but it's permanent, the pay is higher and it's a little more interesting. If I do decide to go to uni, is there any point in trying to get this job?

The way I see it, these are my options:

Go to uni and quit work altogether, then try to find something in a related field in three years' time
Go to uni and carry on working where I am part-time
Go to uni and carry on working at the new job part-time
Go to uni and take a career break off the new job/the job where I am now for the three years I'm at uni
Not go to uni and carry on working where I am (and kill myself in a few years' time)
Not go to uni and get the new jobCan anyone sound out the situation for me and let me know what they think? Sorry this is so long, but it's confusing me a bit!

Slinky

Getting a degree will not guarantee you getting a job...... any sort of job. There are thousands of graduates struggling to get work for which they are overqualified.

We thought my husband getting an MBA would help change career path. It hasn't.

MrsManda

Do you know what you want to study at university? There's no point giving up a job if you're unsure what you want to do.

If you do know what you want to do in terms of a degree then you need to be applying now, there's no guarantee you'll get a place for 2012 and even if you did you wouldn't start until September. In which case you'd still need to work for the next 11 months.

I would try for the new job and if I really wanted to go to university I would also apply for a place that way you are keeping your options open.

As Slinky said there's no guarantee that having a degree will enable you to get a job so you need to make sure your expectations are realistic.

Also, in terms of student finance, presuming you are counted as an independent student your partner's income will be taken into account when assessing you for your finance package therefore he needs to be happy to support you.

Another option is to do a degree via the Open University which will allow you to carrying on working and study at the same time.


HTH

j.e.j.

Do you have in mind a specific career for which a degree is necessary? Or are you thinking of doing a degree and using it as a 'passport' (so to speak) to getting a graduate job?

I will say that while people are told that a degree is an 'investment in their future', there are as you probably know many, many graduates who are only able to get the kind of mind-numbing admin work you have described in your post. Or to put it another way, there are more graduates than graduate-grade jobs.

I would take a step back and evaluate where you want your life to go. I'm not saying don't get a degree, but I do believe that having a degree is not the be-all and end-all it is made out to be.

Just my thoughts.

lynzpower

Having got a degree, Ill tell you it wasnt "enough" and found myself doing admin and shop work to pay the loans back.

Now Im doing a Msc in exactly what I want to be doing but it took a long time ( 15 years) to pay back the old debt, plus save for this course.
The gall is that I could have done a degree in it the first time around but I did something else.

saying that uni is not the be all and end all, in that employers will pay for you to do courses which has got to be the better way around.

What did you study at uni and what would you want to study now? Is there any chance you can do this via the OU, so you dont have to give up your job?

Margey

I think you could do university part time, and work part time. It might take longer, but might be worth it in the end. You really need to think about this. There are other courses, such as BTECH or short courses. Consider your options before you get yourself into masses of debt.

LittleMissGiggles123

This time last year I was thinking the same thoughts as you. I am educated to college level but because of having a child at a young age, I decided not to go to university because I thought it better to get a job & buy a house.

10 years on, we are married, 2 children & I work in an office. I was fed up of my 'boring admin' job & was looking at the options for uiversity.

In the end I decided we couldnt really afford it & it wouldnt have been fair to my family, so instead I worked my butt off to get myself noticed in work & guess what, I've just been offered a managers role which will be really varied & a lot more fun.

More money too which is always good.

Just another viewpoint really because you dont have to have a degree to get a good job.

Good luck with your decision anyway. I hope it works out for you

x

palna

I would do professional courses on the side as you work part time, and once thouse courses are finshed look for a job in that field.

pinkshoes

Nowadays, a degree doesn't really mean much, so unless you're planning on doing a "useful" degree (science, engineering) at a good university, then I probably wouldn't give up work for it, as it won't really get you any further.

Why not look into part time degrees whilst working, or evening classes? Open university?

Sambucus_Nigra

You've picked the wrong year to think about a degree!

katerinasol

Open University is something I've tried and doesn't really work for me. I have had a degree course in mind for several months that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. The loans don't bother me because you have to be earning over a certain amount before they start taking it out of your wages to pay it back.

It's not guaranteed that I'll get a job in the field I graduate in, but without a degree, I have even less chance of doing so.