I just graduated (this summer). Previously I wasn't sold on university and did a year long internship with IBM in the UK. They offered me a full time 'degree-apprenticeship' in cyber security or consulting, but I instead left and studied literature at a UK University instead.
I often think the biggest difference between a graduate and non graduate is three years. As an 18 year old there is no way I would have been able to withstand the culture for another three years at IBM without it significantly affecting me (positively or negatively), but at 21 I feel much more mature and ready for a career. In many cases, does University just function as a waiting room in which young people can mature?
> I don't see why "male-dominated" should be a problem.
If you feel you need a few more skill-points in talking to women in order to find a girlfriend or wife. College is a much easier and more forgiving environment to learn that sort of thing.
Of course, that's not a concern for everyone. Some people know all they need to know already, or aren't looking for a hetero relationship!
In many cases, the best schools for engineering also have pretty uneven gender ratios. When I got an engineering degree way back when it was about 1/7 women. (It's more even these days.)
> In many cases, does University just function as a waiting room in which young people can mature?
And the opposite is true. If I were 18 now, I'd probably go to university. Back in the day, I had my reasons not to go, and when the time came to reconsider it (mid 20s), it felt much harder to justify.
I keep thinking that I wish I had a university education. It wasn't on the cards for me at the time.
But now I live in relative comfort, and I would have to stop working and generating an income. I have savings that could tide me over but when the choice is a home for a future family or a university degree with questionable worth it's a tough ask.
I can't imagine having dependents and going back to work.
Of course everyone is going to chime in and say that you don't need to do university full time, but, you do. Notwithstanding the mental exhaustion that comes with our jobs but also I believe it to be unlikely that you'd be able to get into the right mindset to be creative, social and learning deeply.
I sincerely believe that university is a thing that you can only do at a certain point in your life, and I'm passed that point.
I sincerely believe that university is a thing that you can only do at a certain point in your life, and I'm passed that point.
As someone who didn't graduate until they were 49 I strongly disagree. The only thing I would change now is I would have put work aside and studied full time instead of part time.
Yeah I mostly share those feelings. Having a degree most certainly wouldn't hurt, but as you say, it's not worth quitting over. And I certainly don't have the energy to get a degree while employed full time (I know some people who have done it!).
I'd still like to study though. At a sustainable part-time pace. Say, 1-4 courses per year, with focus on things I actually want to learn, and not so much on things that would award me a paper.
(It'd help a lot if I could work, say, 4 days a week)
I often think the biggest difference between a graduate and non graduate is three years. As an 18 year old there is no way I would have been able to withstand the culture for another three years at IBM without it significantly affecting me (positively or negatively), but at 21 I feel much more mature and ready for a career. In many cases, does University just function as a waiting room in which young people can mature?
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