A
male
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:I have a question about university and the point of it, because I'm a first year, just finished my first semester and I'm studying for a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in history. Lately it just seems that, for starters, if I did get my degree then where could that take me? I mean everyone seems to have a BA and it seems that there wouldn't be any jobs where having a history major would really matter. Secondly, it seems to me that the happiest and most successful people are the ones who didn't graduate uni and just work. Like my brother, he went to uni, dropped out after a couple of months and now has a job that earns him a couple grand a fortnight, he rents his own flat whilst I live in a tiny room in a hostel and he has his own car and dosen't have to spend every second of his life studying and doing readings and essays and exams and all that stuff, because he gets time off and he parties and just has fun, he lives a little. I know this is long, but I guess my question is: is uni worth it?
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male
reader, The Realist  +, writes (28 June 2011):
 I would say that yes it is because it gives you the security of being payed for what you know not what you can do. Yes some people do make without school but that gets harder and harder every year. I am a forth year chemistry student and I do chemistry because I love it but also because I know what I have for jobs afterwards and what kind of money I will make.
My question to you is why are you taking history? Also although uni might not be for you maybe a college program would be better either way schooling does still mean a higher paying more secure job. You're only in first year, you have just gotten a taste of what is out there. It took me three years to finally get things going the way that I want them too. It's not like you are running out of time in life. Find something that interests you and then talk to the carreer counsler at the school and see what they say.
You brother probably does make good money now but if he ever lost that job he wouldn't have anything to fall back on. Sometimes having money now isn't worth the risk later in life.
A
female
reader, angelDlite  +, writes (28 June 2011):
 your brothers job- is it legal?? it is long term and secure? what would happen to him if he lost that job? of course you are seeing his lifestyle is good at the moment and you want some of the same but you must have given your degree a lot of thought and planning before, so i think you are just having a bit of a wobble at the moment to be honest. i would say give the course time. give yourself a year and if you still feel like you are wasting your time, maybe think about packing it in then. i hope you don't though. you have the opportunity here that some people are really not fortunate to have and you may end up regretting it if you throw it away
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A
male
reader, Universe Man  +, writes (28 June 2011):
How is your school paid for? Are you taking out loans? If you're going into debt and you're not sure you're making the right decision, stop now and get a job. You can always go back to school.Going into debt is a slippery slope..."I'm already two years in, I have to keep going, otherwise it would be a waste of money." then..."I've got my degree, now I need a high-paying job with a lot of responsibility, otherwise I can't make my loan payments." then..."I've got my high-paying job, now I'm going to take out loans for a nice house and a nice car, otherwise why am I working so hard?" then..."What has all this hard work gotten me? All I have is a bunch of debt."On the other hand, if your school is paid for, then going to school really isn't hurting you, so you might stick with it for a while.
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A
female
reader, la petite belle +, writes (28 June 2011):
 Hi, I will offer you my story, maybe it will help you. I was originally a marketing major. I was suppose to be done with the UNi in4 years, it is now my 5.5 year at the the U and I'm still 1 year away from graduating. In the middle of my career I decided that i wasn't passionate about marketing so I switched to finance, but finance is 5x harder than marketing and 2 semesters ago I had questioned wether to switch back to something easy and that might have the same job opportunities than finance. Then I attended a talk by this famous business owner with 7 degrees under his belt (from art history, to poli sci, to economics, to religion to business management) and he said "if you love what you do, it will never be a job".... stick to it!, because there are soooo many people that are so rich but HATE every single morning they wake up and going to work. Hope it helps!
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (28 June 2011): Look at it this way.. Your brother has a Job not a career !
If you stay in Uni and work hard you could get a fantastic career out of it being your own boss and making more money than you can dream of.
I went to work after school and ended up in dead end jobs and i hated it, so i went back to college for three years, its the best thing i have ever done and i wish i did it from the start and didn't waste so much time because now im 27 and i wish i had the opportunity you have now, I wouldn't drop out if it were me, your brother was just lucky to land on his feet, you might not be so lucky. Think wise good luck :)
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A
female
reader, aunt honesty  +, writes (28 June 2011):
 Personally I feel that yes uni is worth it. If you are confused about where your course can lead you to well am sure there is a career guidance counsellor at your uni where they will talk through options for you. I know that it seems hard at the moment and when you are looking at your brothers life you may be jealous, but have you thought about what will happen your brother if he loses his job. He has no qualifications for anything else and therefore he may end up unemployed for a long time if he cannot find any more work on the line he is working at the moment. At least you would always have the option of following on from your course. I agree that uni is not for everyone and everyone gets by life one way or another. But just don't give up on your course until you have a proper prospective of it, as you may end up regretting your choice. I see that there are a lot of older adults going back to uni now because they cannot get work and regret not doing it when they where younger. So think long and hard about your decision and go and talk to the uni's career guidance counsellor.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (28 June 2011): It depends on what you want out of life - could you find a well paid job the same as your brother?
Most jobs require experience and bits of paper, nobody starts at the top on big money
There are no guarantees you will get a job with or without a degree and Uni social life can be fun too everyones in the same boat there - you can always work part time round your lectures for more money
Go and chat to your lecturers about your worries before you make a choice, Uni isn't for everyone though it can lead to a bright future
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