Did or will anyone quit school at 16 and go straight to work?

mummytofour

At 16 I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I started working.. five kids later and a long suffering dh I know i want to be a social worker. I am at college and have been for 2 yrs re-doing everything I missed out on when I was younger.
I will be going to Uni I sep.
YOU need an education to get anywhere these days. I wish I had know at 16 what I wanted to do but I didnt so there was no point in me staying at school I would of failed as I would not of seen the point
BUT things are really not the same as 15 yrs ago, I would suggest staying at school but only if your motivated enough if you really want to get a job do but to get anywhere or earn good money these days an education is vital.
Follow your heart but listen to your head.

**purpleprincess**

I left school at 16 and did 6 weeks at college! Wasn't for me so went into full time work. Decided to go back into education last year and started an Access to Higher Education course in Sept 07 and am going to Brighton uni in Sept 08 to do a primary education course.

paulboy83

If you can stick with it at least get an education to the age of 18. I went to uni when I was 18 mainly becuase it was what was expected of me. I didn't enjoy myself at all and I dropped out after a year, with the promise i'd finish uni a year later (on a different course.) It's taken me 5 years to start again and i'm just about to finish my first course of my Open Uni degree with at least another 5 years ahead of me. I have chosen not to go back to study full time as there is nothing I REALLY want to do at this stage in order to get me a job so i'm doing something I enjoy part time instead. As i'm going to be in my 'first year' with the OU for another year or so yet i'm still considering wether it is the right option for me to go back to uni full time, as i'm an awful ditherer!

There is time to decide at your age to take time out and still come back to education, but it does get harder to come back once you start earning....

bandraboy

I left school at 16 and got a job in the media straight away. It's led to jobs all over the country and around the world. But at 39, I do wish I had a degree (in fact I'm studying for one by distance learning). These days, even with lots of experience, doors do get closed to you without the qualification. Also if you want to travel, most countries need a degree to satisfy immigration dept before you get a work visa.

A degree would definately keep more doors open to higher positions in the corporate/public sector career.

But if its a trade job, then get as much experience as quickly as you can.

satriales

I left school when I was 16 as I was never keen on school and really wanted to start earning money. I wanted to work in computing and I just assumed that as everyone uses computers there would be lots of jobs available and it would be easy to find the job I wanted. I quickly realised that that was not the case and for the next 6 years I had several jobs that were ok but it was very apparant that I needed a degree to get anywhere in computing. So last year I started an access course and this year at the age of 23 I will be going back to uni.
I do wish I had gone straight into uni from school as I feel like I've just wasted the last 5 years, but at the same time I didn't like school and coursework and needed a break from all of that.

angie_baby

I left at 16 after GCSE's, was going to go to college and uni but was pregnant. The day before his first birthday i started work, where i am now, and now kinda run the accounts and have just finished a sage payroll course. I earn around 22K a year at the moment, soon to go up once im doing payroll.

The thing is i did want to go to uni, i always say if i won the lottery id go. But as thats not going to happen, ive started looking into OU course.

liney

I left at 15, but only because my birthday is in August, and have worked ever since; i'm now 28. I started to study with the OU last year because i wanted to prove i could cope with the work, as my decision to leave and get a job was my 1st choice, but ho hum. I also worry that although i am well regarded, and settled at work, if i was made redundent i'd be competing with those who have a degree and i'd be at a disadvantage.

My advice would be if you are capable of the work then carry on in education. I don't know anyone who wished they hadn't carried on learning, but i know plenty who wish they had, and it's much more difficult to give up working to go to university full time when you are older and are used to earning, and might have other commitments. When's the last time you heard someone say 'I wish i didn't have a degree'?

ariba10

14 on the Saturday, job interview on Monday and started work on Tuesday.

Never out of work until I retired 20 something years ago.

G-G_4

If I had my time again I would do A levels or an appreticeship.. or join the forces