When he first became Prime Minister, Mr Blair proudly stated that his party’s message was “Education, Education, Education�. A admirable enough focus and certainly not something a person would immediately link to frustration and increasing personal debt. But over the years, as more and more colleges have gained university status, and student loans have become effortlessly available to so many more, schools have encouraged many more young people to go for higher education without really spelling out the cost.
It’s not in question that we need a more highly educated society, but are youngsters actually receiving the very best advice? In reality; it isn’t a tricky sell to promote to an eighteen year old to leave the family home and live with their pals, not concern themselves about getting a job for several years and get discounted beer at the student union bar. A simplified interpretation perhaps – of course there’s a tad of studying to be done, and a careful balance to keep afloat, then the rewards will be worth it in the end. Or will they? For many families, the cost of university education lasts for a long time after graduation, both in social and financial terms.
The student loan system (the best method of lending for students at university), tuition fees, lodgings and the cost of life in general over the time spent studying can set you back well over £30,000 – without any guarantee of employment. It’s ironic that freedom-seeking teenagers out to conquer the world too often are forced to return home because they can’t find work. Not only do parents continue having to pay for everything, but time on their hands adult children back home again can definitely cramp their style!
Formal education can be a fulfilling experience for young people, and is the only road for many of our professions. But we ought to know that in some disciplines, there are other, frequently more advanced alternatives. In the world of Information Technology, employers are crying out for commercially qualified IT professionals. Only having a university degree means students frequently have to supplement their IT training skills to be industry ready and compete in the job market against Microsoft, CompTIA or Cisco professionals. The sorry fact is they would have saved themselves three years and not had a really large debt if they’d studied with a distance learning computer training provider. Possibly drinking in the university bar isn’t such a great idea after all – it’s true the family coffers would be a lot less depleted, and there’d certainly be more seating left on the sofa!.
(C) Scott Edwards - www.learninglolly.com. Scott Edwards has been involved in the IT and Training Industry for 30 years.
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