Ricky
some of the best advice so far has come late in this thread - that is finish your degree.
Do not listen to the likes of NikNak, HD et al.... you just need to search previous threads to see these and other people whingeing about todays youth and it's lack of standards compared to days gone by.
They whinge and complain about todays youngsters (who have been brought up in the computer age), asking for advice on the internet instead of going down to the library etc... then they tell you to throw away a degree you have already done the majority of work for!! Fools IMHO and very, very poor advice.
One of the whinges about todays youth is the lack of commitment - something throwing your degree away would display admirably.
NATS is a good employer, but it could do many things better, including OJTI selection and training (though given the resources and limited leeway he has, Adrian Bowden and his team do marvels)... there are many 'pointless' degrees out there - a skill in teaching is, as Alan M points out, more worthwhile than most in ATC.
The NATS course is not easy, and given the restructuring of the course, some would say it is more difficult for someone off the street to validate now (no 3 year cadetships where you get to learn the ropes properly etc etc); you would be stupid not to have something to fall back on as it is so very nearly complete.
Good luck when you go to the college, and with your degree