What are the other 66% doing? It used to be you went to Uni because there weren’t decent jobs. If that’s changed in Wales 🤷
>Heledd Fychan MS, of Plaid Cymru, said: “I do think we need to ask why in Wales only 33.8% of 18-year-olds are applying to go to university compared to 41.9% in terms of the UK average.
Seems odd to focus on just 18-year-olds and not the total number of people attending university. People delay going for all sorts of reasons. Focusing on the number of 18-year-olds applying won’t show you the true figure of those actually going to university.
A lack of aspiration for travelling might be due to the fact that Labour have completely demoralised and destroyed the workforce
I have a degree and Microsoft certification. Can’t get a job any more so I retrained as a barber
There was another guy who had his accountancy qualifications and two others with recent degrees
It’s just not worth it at the moment if you’re looking to stay in Wales at least. Hopefully things will pick up
Uni is bloody great but the fees alone today are more than I paid for my first house
Need more good apprenticeships. Uni is not for everyone.
To be honest, Wales really lacks a lot of the opportunities that make it worth having a degree for.
Do we have as many graduate roles as England?
As an 18 year old, I can’t thank my school enough for actually teaching kids that Uni is not the only option. They recommended we all apply because it only costs like £30 to have the option if you change your mind but they often recommended that we look into things like apprenticeships.
I’m always thought I’d end up going to Uni (did the 3 Sciences and Maths at A Level) but last year I realised I didn’t want to spend more time in academia putting myself in debt to get a boring job at the end of it. I’m now an applicant for the role of Warfare Officer in the Royal Navy and not a single teacher I spoke to on results day urged me to reconsider…
Do NOT go to Uni because you don’t know what else to do! Take a gap year and get some valuable work/voluntary experience while you figure out what you DEFINITELY want!
Looking at 18 year olds is kind of silly imo I didn’t go to uni until I was near 21 and I think it would have been a terrible idea to go at 18 personally.
Although if we’re going to use that as a baseline I think this generation definitely has better foresight and has the luxury of seeing their older siblings go to university, come back and find themselves unable to acquire jobs in their field of choice in Wales.
Then what’s left?? Moving to England to work in some rubbish English city away from all of your friends? God no, I could genuinely see a lot more kids taking a chance on it if there was a way to work abroad but Brexit has scrapped that plan.
Youtube is now way more of an aspiration to kids and I’ll be honest, it’s probably a way better bet to see if you can get big on YouTube for two years, crash out and then go to Uni as a backup. The amount of people who “make it” on any of these sites is minimal but the amount of people earning well straight out of uni in a field they studied in is also minimal. Might as well try.
Realistically, where are the well-paid jobs? Few and far between in West Wales requiring degrees. Better to focus on apprenticeships in construction etc perhaps?
Because we are poor and it’s not free anymore! It also does not guarantee a job like it used to
If 40% of kids are getting degrees then a degree isn’t special anymore.
When they’re offering degrees in things like surfing, golf, gender, race, fashion or culinary arts for £30k tuition fees it just feels like a scam.
The fees just keep rising because student loans are backed by the government (tax payer).
Pushing kids into taking on £30k of debt to study something that won’t help them get a job is just cruel.
Ultimately there are very little opportunities for graduates in wales so it makes sense to go down the apprenticeship route.
I wouldn’t get a degree now unless you’re either certain you can get work in that field wherever you live or you plan on going where the work is.
12 comments
What are the other 66% doing? It used to be you went to Uni because there weren’t decent jobs. If that’s changed in Wales 🤷
>Heledd Fychan MS, of Plaid Cymru, said: “I do think we need to ask why in Wales only 33.8% of 18-year-olds are applying to go to university compared to 41.9% in terms of the UK average.
Seems odd to focus on just 18-year-olds and not the total number of people attending university. People delay going for all sorts of reasons. Focusing on the number of 18-year-olds applying won’t show you the true figure of those actually going to university.
A lack of aspiration for travelling might be due to the fact that Labour have completely demoralised and destroyed the workforce
I have a degree and Microsoft certification. Can’t get a job any more so I retrained as a barber
There was another guy who had his accountancy qualifications and two others with recent degrees
It’s just not worth it at the moment if you’re looking to stay in Wales at least. Hopefully things will pick up
Uni is bloody great but the fees alone today are more than I paid for my first house
Need more good apprenticeships. Uni is not for everyone.
To be honest, Wales really lacks a lot of the opportunities that make it worth having a degree for.
Do we have as many graduate roles as England?
As an 18 year old, I can’t thank my school enough for actually teaching kids that Uni is not the only option. They recommended we all apply because it only costs like £30 to have the option if you change your mind but they often recommended that we look into things like apprenticeships.
I’m always thought I’d end up going to Uni (did the 3 Sciences and Maths at A Level) but last year I realised I didn’t want to spend more time in academia putting myself in debt to get a boring job at the end of it. I’m now an applicant for the role of Warfare Officer in the Royal Navy and not a single teacher I spoke to on results day urged me to reconsider…
Do NOT go to Uni because you don’t know what else to do! Take a gap year and get some valuable work/voluntary experience while you figure out what you DEFINITELY want!
Looking at 18 year olds is kind of silly imo I didn’t go to uni until I was near 21 and I think it would have been a terrible idea to go at 18 personally.
Although if we’re going to use that as a baseline I think this generation definitely has better foresight and has the luxury of seeing their older siblings go to university, come back and find themselves unable to acquire jobs in their field of choice in Wales.
Then what’s left?? Moving to England to work in some rubbish English city away from all of your friends? God no, I could genuinely see a lot more kids taking a chance on it if there was a way to work abroad but Brexit has scrapped that plan.
Youtube is now way more of an aspiration to kids and I’ll be honest, it’s probably a way better bet to see if you can get big on YouTube for two years, crash out and then go to Uni as a backup. The amount of people who “make it” on any of these sites is minimal but the amount of people earning well straight out of uni in a field they studied in is also minimal. Might as well try.
Realistically, where are the well-paid jobs? Few and far between in West Wales requiring degrees. Better to focus on apprenticeships in construction etc perhaps?
Because we are poor and it’s not free anymore! It also does not guarantee a job like it used to
If 40% of kids are getting degrees then a degree isn’t special anymore.
When they’re offering degrees in things like surfing, golf, gender, race, fashion or culinary arts for £30k tuition fees it just feels like a scam.
The fees just keep rising because student loans are backed by the government (tax payer).
Pushing kids into taking on £30k of debt to study something that won’t help them get a job is just cruel.
Ultimately there are very little opportunities for graduates in wales so it makes sense to go down the apprenticeship route.
I wouldn’t get a degree now unless you’re either certain you can get work in that field wherever you live or you plan on going where the work is.