Was a university degree of any benefit to me? This is the question I ask myself as I read that over 1.7 million people have student loan debts of over £50,000.
My generation just missed the era of tuition fees, the last to leave university with debts for subsistence only. Had it been necessary to repay the cost of the degree, by now we would all have to conclude that it was a complete waste of money.
But perhaps that’s just me, borne of unique circumstances. Could the same be said of my high-flying siblings? Of course not, for it set the groundwork for successful professional careers. Likewise for many an old friend.
My career — if you can call it that — has been less impressive. By the time I got a job I actually liked, aged thirty-one, my line-manager was one who had left school at sixteen and had simply worked their way up the pay grades.
Unfortunately for our kids, my experience flavours my opinion of the value of a university degree. In most of our conversations, I am found steering them more towards apprenticeships. But maybe I should admit that my vision is clouded.
It would be unfair to deprive them of opportunities I had — and squandered — simply because of life events which knocked me off course. They need a better role model than I can offer.
Last modified: 2 July 2024
