Funding advice
Learn more to earn more
It's long been known that on average, if you leave university with a degree, you're likely to earn several times more over a lifetime than someone who does not have a degree. You're also less likely to lose your job and even if you do, you have a greater chance of finding another more quickly.
So the argument's clear: learn more to earn more.
But it is not just about money. Going to university can lead to better paid jobs overall, and it's definitely a worthwhile experience if you choose to go. But earning can also refer to other things that are equally, if not more rewarding, than simple salary. It can mean broadening your understanding, becoming more confident and fulfilling your potential.
Salary as a benchmark of success isn't the only measure of a rewarding career.
You don't have to go to university. Many people have taken the vocational training route through further education and gone into rewarding careers from construction trades to childcare.
In many surveys, hairdressing, childcare workers and electricians come out top or near the top of careers that people report they get the most job satisfaction from. No one could say that hairdressers earn large amounts of money but what they all have in common is the ability to choose careers that they wanted to do rather than had to. And how? Through learning.
It's clear that to have a successful and satisfying career you don't necessarily have to have the best-paid job. Whether you choose to go to university or to college, what's important is that you get good careers advice, plan carefully, work hard and use the qualifications you gain to your advantage. Do this, and you take control over your working life instead of your working life controlling you.
