PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Uni or not? (Merged 2013)
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Old 27th May 2019, 22:37
  #168 (permalink)  
ComeFlyWithB
 
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Originally Posted by ei-flyer
Listen carefully, because follows some very good advice -

Forget uni, and don't go straight into work.

Go to college as soon as you've finished your AS Levels (so long as you're below the age of 19 it doesn't matter) and learn a trade, preferably something like plumbing, and then extend that to gas/heating or whatever.

Why? Here's why -

Go straight into work - guaranteed £800-1400 ish a month after tax for the next X amount of years. You think it's easy to save off that amount of money (even living at home)... It isn't.

Go to uni - lose three years and put yourself in unnecessary debt. And THEN you'll likely be earning anything from £15-30000 per annum starting salary. Ok, bit better.

Or - learn a trade for five years supported by an apprenticeship. I did it that way, and at age 21 I was taking home £40,000 a year. After tax. The amount of extra 'cold cash' you develop in that line of work is immense. Used to get an extra £100-150 a day JUST for the scrap metal I took back home to the scrapyard. That doesn't include the £140 base pay for the job. That was taxed, though.

By 23 I'd put myself through the rest of flight training and flying for a loco carrier we all know. Paid for the type rating too. No debt, was living at home.

A lot of people will tell you to go to uni as a 'fallback'. A fallback? Helloooo, there's hardly any jobs anywhere, not just in aviation. But when yer loo goes kerplunk, that needs fixing. Tradesmen are always in demand and the money is good. Also, unlike a lot of academially qualified positions, you can jump straight back into it in the future should you require, as opposed to going through a lengthy application process. It's because having a trade is a more worthy skill to most people (customers) than a degree.

I am biased - when I was 14/15 I was all for uni. Was a math-head personally, but realised that could only take me so far.

It can be difficult while still at school, but really take a good hard look at the real world of moneymaking, and it's easy to see.

Good luck

quick edit - I know a lot of people avoid college because it's where all the 'losers' go. That tw@t who sits on the backrow at school, dim as ****, will always answer 'college' when asked what they're gonna do. The bright ones always say 'uni'. Be under no illusion, college isn't in some way 'easier', and aforementioned tw@t will probably never become a plumber, electrician, or whatever. Will piss their EMA up the wall, not bother studying the theory, and get kicked off the course. Food for thought.
Couldn’t agree more with this. If I could leave school all over again knowing what I know now I would’ve gone down this road 100%. Plus a trade makes you geographically mobile meaning you could potentially work somewhere with a low cost of living for a couple of years or so, live very basically and save everything you need for a modular integrated course - £45,000 ish.
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