Uni – Overrated?

Is there any point in going to university these days?

Having just started my first job in the big wide world, I can’t help thinking that if I’d just left school at 16 and started in the same industry I would be way further ahead than I am now. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed university and all the frivolity that went with, I feel that in terms of getting a job it has provided me with very little. I’m not using any of the knowledge I gained from my degree, and whilst there are obviously other skills you gain (organisational skills, blagging etc) I believe I would have picked these up just as well along the job trail.

Of course, if someone wants to go into a particular career, such as medicine or banking, then specific knowledge and qualifications are required, but coming out of university these days the career of choice for most seems to be in ‘creative’ industries such as Design, Marketing or PR. Having taken this route myself, I am absolutely certain that if I had jumped on the ladder aged 16 I would be in a director role by now. As it is I’m still hanging off the first step. There’s also the inevitable problem that everyone has a degree now so what’s the use in a degree? My advice to kids in school at the moment would be don’t go to university and get a degree unless you know exactly what you want to do with it.

At the end of the day, I wish someone had sat me down after my GCSEs and told me to become a plumber. Brew anyone?