University isn’t everyone’s ideal cup of tea, and some people figure that they prefer to gain experience and on-the-job training on an Apprenticeship, rather than studying for a degree.
Many people feel pressured to go to university, but there are plenty more options out there rather than just higher education.
So I decided to seek people who chose to follow the apprenticeship route; people who had dropped out of university to do an apprenticeship, and those who had wished they had picked to do an apprenticeship rather than going to university.
Here’s their 5 stories.
Jemma Wythe, Freelance PR
”I realised around Christmas time last year that University is not something that I wanted to be doing.
”I think it was a real mix of being fed up of full-time education and wanting to be out there and doing something, rather than sitting in a lecture room that was very theory heavy.
”After I left uni, I started looking for a full-time job – but of course no one would take me on, (only unpaid internships) as I didn’t have great deal of experience… or a degree. Apprenticeships were still a very new thing at the time – especially in PR. I came across a specialist website that handled specialist apprenticeships in PR, so I thought it was a great way to get my foot in the door.
”I much preferred doing the apprenticeship, but that doesn’t mean its for everyone. It’s a great way of learning on the job, while getting paid and not racking up a whopping amount of student debt.
Still a massive stigma to apprenticeships even thouugh sometimes offers better career prospects than going to uni? #CreativeNationUK
Emma Duff, Marketing Account Executive at ABL Business
”I never originally attended to take the apprenticeship route.
”In fact, I had started at Huddersfield University taking Theatre Studies. Half way through my first year I realised that the course wasn’t right for me and that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as what I thought I would. I made a decision that I was going to leave university and take a year out working to decide what I really wanted to do.”
Emma found a marketing apprenticeship at ABL and this is how she felt about about it.
“I feel my apprenticeship has helped me to grow in my job role and allowed me to expand my knowledge. I think it’s important that there is another alternative to going to University or going straight into employment.”
I feel my apprenticeship has helped me to grow in my job role and allowed me to expand my knowledge.”
Gemma Oakshott, Manager at Bengal Brasserie
” I studied a Photography degree at UCA and overall the course itself at the beginning was enjoyable.
”When we entered the second year things got repetitive and I didn’t really learn new things. For me personally I made the wrong decision of what I thought would be my career path. It was five minutes of learning new things and learning to use new equipment and then became a waste of my time. It 100% isn’t worth the debt.
”I’ve always been in the hospitality industry since a young age and currently a manager at one of our branches. I have been offered many apprenticeships through who I know and it’s worked out much better for me. I wanted to go to university because ‘it was better than an apprenticeship’ (I thought), but it would benefit me more now in the direction I was to go if I was to do an apprenticeship.
UCA Rochester where Gemma studied Photography.
Daniel Birch, Degree Engineer Apprentice at Jaguar-Land Rover
”I started looking into apprenticeships at the same time as looking into uni as I wanted to keep my options open, but I only applied for a few and all that I applied for were higher level apprenticeships, such as Jaguar-Land Rover.
”I decided that I really didn’t want to go to uni and applied for more apprenticeships. I had, had enough of the school environment, and the fact that apprenticeships allow you to earn a wage whilst till getting qualifications.
”I then landed an apprenticeship with Jaguar-Land Rover based in Coventry. I am a degree apprentice and training to be a electrical packaging engineer. I am currently studying for my degree as apart of the apprenticeship and will soon be going to Warwick university for my bachelors degree on a part-time basis while I continue to work for the company.
”I feel this route hugely benefits me. All of my friends are paying such huge fees to go to uni while I won’t have to pay a thing as the company pay all of my uni fees.”
