Is going to university and getting a degree worth it?

Just recently my Dad showed me an article from a newspaper he was reading entitled “Is going to university worth it?”. So that’s my inspiration for this week’s blog post!

Is going to university worth it? Well, the answer obviously isn’t going to be the same for everyone. It would be stupid of me to say that I think every single person should go to university, because everyone’s different and everyone has their own goals in life. It is something to at least consider, though, especially if you’re coming to the end of sixth form/college and feel like you want to study a specific subject in more depth.

You’ll get those people that say university isn’t worth all the debt. The tuition fees do kind of suck, yeah, but UK citizens can get a student loan and having a degree basically pays for itself. It’s a well-known fact that graduates earn more than non-graduates. You’ll also get some people that study for three/four years and graduate with a decent grade, but then end up in a non-graduate job or, even worse, unemployed.

Personally, going to university was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, debt and all. It’s shaped me as the person I am today. Yeah, the graduate job market has seen better days, and competition is fierce in basically all the industries and sectors that interest me. My main motivation for going to university however was not the improved career prospects, but being able to study the things I’m passionate about in more depth. I’ve learnt so much the past three and a half years, and I’ve gained a whole lot of general life experience as well. University isn’t just about academic growth; it’s about personal growth, becoming a more independent person, learning more about the real world… You know the drill.

Going to university has also given me so many opportunities and experiences that you wouldn’t normally get otherwise. The main one for me was having the chance to spend a year abroad in Italy. And remember that Japanese summer programme in Tokyo I blogged about a few months ago? I wouldn’t have been able to go had I not been a student at the University of Leicester.

Studying at university also gave me more of an idea about what I want to do in the future. In first year, I didn’t really have any idea. But now I know what I like and don’t like, what I’m good and not good at. Don’t be put off going to university if you don’t know what you want to do, because having a degree will open up loads of doors for you. It proves that you have loads of skills, and employers will appreciate that.

Like I said at the start, I’m not trying to say that university is for everyone. But, if there’s a particular subject at sixth form that you really enjoy, then why not study it at the next level? Or if there’s a subject that you didn’t have the chance to study at school, but want to, then university might be the answer. Personally, I’ve accepted the fact that hunting for jobs after I graduate might not be easy. Because for me, going to university was worth it.