Last week I wrote about the importance of work placements in helping students figure out what career path to follow as well as assisting them to gain some work experience that should help them stand out against their peers who have no work experience. This week I want to help you answer the question “should I go to University”?
Everyone has to decide whether or not to go to college or university immediately, in the future or perhaps never and this is a very important decision. You need to consider the qualifications your chosen career requires, as well as social and economic factors such as the cost of going to university and what your friends are doing.
It is too easy to decide to go to university for the wrong reasons, because of parental or school or peer group pressure. You must remember that you are likely to be at university on your own, away from the people who might have influenced your decision, so it is really important that where you end up is your own choice.
You have to carefully consider all the benefits of each of the options open to you for example you could:
- Go to college immediately because you might find it easier not to take a break from studying, qualifications usually lead to jobs with higher salaries and your time at university is fun;
- Take a gap year which may give you the chance to travel and earn some money and meet people from different cultures;
- Undertake a part-time course so you can earn money while studying and a vocational course often avoids having to study subjects that might lead nowhere; or
- Consider not going to university in the foreseeable future because you feel that you are better
suited to working than studying and would prefer the hands on experience that you would gain.
What is really important to be aware of is that no learning is ever a waste of time. It is very common for people to return to studying throughout their lives as their interests and the job market changes. These days, people very rarely have a job for life and the zigzag career has emerged with people taking transferable skills from one job to the next.
When trying to decide whether or not going to university or college is the right thing for you, try answering the following questions:
- What career or job are you considering – if you really have no idea then get in touch, anne@power-to-change.eu and find out more about how I can help?
- Do you know what qualifications are required for these careers? If not, use the internet to find out.
- What options are open to you to get these qualifications?
- Visit the websites of a few universities and find out more about them and the courses they offer that could help you get into the career you want.
This is the first step into your future and whatever you decide will have serious repercussions so please take the time to think it through and remember that whatever you decide, all life experiences make us stronger and more able to deal with challenges in the future.
If you still haven’t come up with an answer to the question, “should I go to university”? contact me now for some unbiased help, anne@power-to-change.eu
