{"id":8156,"date":"2015-06-05T13:45:09","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T13:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.blog.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8156"},"modified":"2022-11-30T15:10:32","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T15:10:32","slug":"degree-v-experience-the-all-important-career-path-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/degree-v-experience-the-all-important-career-path-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Degree vs experience: The all-important career path choice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Guest Post Friday, where today’s words of wisdom come from Andrew Brookes at Zazzle<\/a>, as he weighs up the value of education against experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Degree vs experience: The all-important career path choice<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s an awkward moment in any young person\u2019s life when it\u2019s time to make a big decision on your future. Before then life has been fairly structured \u2013 it\u2019s all about school, lessons, study and exams and looking to get the best possible grades.<\/p>\n

Towards the end of your studies though, you realise it\u2019s time to turn those grades into something tangible and contemplate a career in the big wide world. For a lot of people the immediate choice comes down to one simple question: should I go to university or not?<\/p>\n

Based on your thoughts and hopes for a possible career you need to look at which route to take next. The important thing to note \u2013 and it\u2019s a source of comfort during a time that can cause a lot of anxiety<\/a> \u2013 is that this decision isn\u2019t some sort of stark fork in the road. As this article by Jobstoday<\/a> explains, choosing one path doesn\u2019t shut the door on the other.<\/p>\n

Going into work or taking on an apprenticeship doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the end of study – you can still earn qualifications while you work \u2013 while reading for a degree can be more practical than it sounds. You\u2019re not so much at a fork or crossroads in your life \u2013 merely looking into the route planner for the direction you want to take to reach your goals. Sometimes you can end up at the same destination whether you go for university or work and it\u2019s just the route that\u2019s different.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to bear that in mind when weighing up the two options. This isn\u2019t a \u2018vs\u2019 in a boxing match sense, there may not be a knockout reason for choosing one over the other, it\u2019s merely about mapping out the rough direction you\u2019re heading in \u2013 with flexibility to tweak this as you go too.<\/p>\n

Strengths of opting not to go to university<\/b><\/p>\n

So, what if you choose not to go to university? What are the strengths of following this route?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no point denying it, top of the list is money. Tuition fees and student finance remains a big political issue<\/a> and shows little sign of disappearing off the agenda.<\/p>\n

Students are indeed daunted by paying fees \u2013 even with the help of loans \u2013 and this is not a factor if you follow a work\/apprenticeship route. Apprenticeships offer the balance of being able to \u2018earn as you learn\u2019 \u2013 in fact some apprentices are even able to earn as much as they\u2019d have to pay out in fees<\/a> each year.<\/p>\n

Student finance isn\u2019t a black and white issue<\/a>. There are ways to get help and you will only repay your student loan once you\u2019re earning but there\u2019s no doubt that an apprenticeship is a way of putting a little bit of cash in your pocket and avoiding paying out further down the line. It\u2019s important to remember too that apprenticeships or on-the-job training schemes will see you pick up transferable skills and won\u2019t just narrowly prepare you for one job.<\/p>\n

The qualifications from work-based learning range right up to those that match degree-level academic qualifications.\u00a0You can finish an apprenticeship, for example, with a qualification AND experience.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s more than handy when you come to cast your eye about for job opportunities as you won\u2019t get frustrated by the fact that everyone seems to want some form of experience.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a way at a young age of quickly arming yourself with an impressive CV worth investing in. Going to work or signing up to an apprenticeship also means you won\u2019t feel like you\u2019ve drifted around and wasted any time. In depth academic study can feel enlightening at the time but how useful will all those countless hours in the library really be? Will would-be employers actually be impressed by your niche degree?<\/p>\n

A degree can be hard work and not all of your efforts will be directly contributing to a specific career goal.<\/p>\n

The benefits of university study<\/b><\/p>\n

All of that doesn\u2019t mean that university study is without merit \u2013 far from it.<\/p>\n

Take that obscure dissertation you slaved over for hours on end. The research, writing and editing skills you will have honed in this and your essay assignments are definitely transferable and should be valuable wherever you end up next.<\/p>\n

It may sound a bit wishy-washy but you shouldn\u2019t also ignore the benefits of academic study to your own intellectual development.<\/p>\n

The right type of study can be a great opportunity to challenge your beliefs and broaden your mind, seeing you exposed to a host of exciting different ideas and theories to fuel your curiosity<\/a> about the world. Taking on a degree can also give you the breathing space to weigh up your career. It\u2019s important for young people to know that it\u2019s fine to be unsure about what you want to do. Opting to carrying on studying in a field that you have a real flair for can give you the ideal amount of time to fine tune your plans as you mature, all the time still developing skills that will be useful in the workplace.<\/p>\n

Unless your heart is 100 per cent set on a very specific job it doesn\u2019t necessarily matter what degree you get<\/a> from your studies \u2013 instead the challenge is to take on the best course you can at the best university you\u2019re able to reach. Any summary of the benefits of university would be lying to you if it avoided the social side and, just like with the academic benefits, it\u2019s fine to mull this over as one of the reasons you want to go off to university.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t solely about drinking in cut-price student bars \u2013 although let\u2019s not pretend that\u2019s not part of it \u2013 but is also about the benefit to be had from joining clubs and societies and leaving home to go it alone.<\/p>\n

Apprentices and people heading into the working world can, of course, lead an active social life but university comes with the right environment to make that much easier and more structured. The sorts of social activities you can undertake as a student can also help towards building your confidence as an adult, once again preparing you for wider society and the career you wish to pursue.<\/p>\n

Availability<\/b><\/p>\n

It may not sound the most romantic of reasons, but availability is important when it comes to considering a degree or work. Not every university will offer the course you want to study for and not every career will offer an apprenticeship or have jobs available.<\/p>\n

Apprenticeships are typically found in fields such as engineering, manual fields or creative industries but that is changing \u2013 with law, banking and many more areas offering them. Looking back to 100 years ago<\/a>, the most popular apprenticeships were in dressmaking and engineering \u2013 nowadays the top two are health and social care and business administration.<\/p>\n

\u00a0When it comes to a degree be realistic. You need top grades to get into Oxford or Cambridge \u2013 don\u2019t be unrealistic and put yourself under unnecessary pressure.<\/p>\n

Research<\/b><\/p>\n

The key for any young person as they weigh up this important decision is research.<\/p>\n

If you like the look of a particular university then go to an open day \u2013 take a tour around, meet the people running the course and ask plenty of questions. You\u2019ll quickly get a view on whether it\u2019s the right place for you. Look at the accommodation too.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re weighing up a job then research the company thoroughly \u2013 follow it on social media and check out what its employees are saying on there too to get a feel for the sort of work you\u2019d be doing and the sort of people the firm employs. Until you\u2019ve looked into an option properly you shouldn\u2019t rule it out \u2013 you might be surprised by just how exciting a course sounds or just how much you could earn at a job suited to your skills. Failing to research all of your options could be a factor behind going down the wrong path.<\/p>\n

Solely focus on what works for you and recognise that you can change paths if things don\u2019t work out. You can sign up for a degree further down the line or leave a course and get a job if university really doesn\u2019t work out. Speak to older friends and family and you\u2019ll find that many people\u2019s career routes are far from being a straight line from A to B. Their advice can be extremely useful \u2013 even if it\u2019s just to help you know what to avoid!<\/p>\n

Remember too that the world of employment and training is changing all the time. Just because your chosen career isn\u2019t traditionally entered through an apprenticeship don\u2019t worry. If the right opportunity is there for you then grab it.<\/p>\n

The answer to the \u2018degree v experience\u2019 debate is dependent on what works best for you once you\u2019ve factored in finances, availability, your skills, your ideal career destination and your personality. Be ambitious and research thoroughly to find the right answer for you.<\/p>\n

Whatever your educational or professional background, check out Adzuna<\/a>\u00a0for your next step on the ladder.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Guest Post Friday, where today’s words of wisdom come from Andrew Brookes at Zazzle, as he weighs up the value of education against experience: Degree vs experience: The all-important career path choice There\u2019s an awkward moment in any young person\u2019s life when it\u2019s time to make a big decision on your future. Before Continued \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[719,1109,841],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-paths","category-finding-a-job","category-graduates"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8156\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}