Will Going to University Get You A Good Job?

Official government numbers from the Office of National Statistics say that 20% of people who graduated in 2010 were still unemployed in 2011. With those odds, is it better to stick at the job you have at home, or branch out into the unknown?

The Boyfriend recently said that after graduating most of our friends have gone straight back to the same jobs they had before university. (This from the guy that is now an architectural assistant about to go and do a masters, neither of which is possible without a Bachelors degree!) It got me thinking about what people are actually doing with their degrees though!

The Pros of NOT Going to University

A lot of my friends say they felt pressured into going straight to University. If you don't know what you want to do, then NOT going to Uni gives you time to decide what you want out of life. Stay motivated though, use your time wisely and learn about various careers you might be interested in.

If you know what you want to do and it doesn't require a degree, you can start at the bottom and work your way up. You will be more respected within the company than a new graduate that went straight in at manager level. You will also have a few more years experience! My friend went to University, but worked the holidays at a fun park he is now the manager of back at home. He said he will never need the specialist knowledge he gained at University, which was for him a waste of time and money.

If you know you want a very practical career, consider an apprenticeship. These can be VERY poorly paid (£2.60 an hour is the minimum wage, which is absolutely unacceptable if you ask me!), but if you find a good one you will be paid a fair salary AND be guaranteed a good job at the end. A friend trained as an engineer for the London Underground and is now contractually guaranteed a high paying job with Transport For London.

The Pros of Getting a Degree

A degree is often a requirement for a more complex, specialised job. In my chosen career of research, not only do you need a Bachelors degree, but a PhD is vital too! Research the job requirements for what you want to do, then target your learning towards it.

In a bad economy, no job is 100% secure. A degree is something that you can fall back on if your chosen sector falls under completely. It shows you have transferable skills and motivation.

One of the major pro points of going to Uni aside from education is personal development. You mature so much working and studying away from home. For most students, it is the first time you've been away from home and you learn how to function as an adult whilst still being partially protected from mistakes. I think it is a hugely important part of university and employers will know that you are a more rounded individual.

If you decide University is for you...

Find a course that offers a Sandwich Year, which is a year in industry as part of your degree. This will give you the best possible edge when applying for jobs, because you will already have experience. There's no reason not to do this; even if you decide you don't enjoy your chosen career, you will avoid making this wrong decision in the future.

The Bottom Line

I think the absolute most important thing is to decide what you want to do. If you have a vague idea (like I knew I wanted to do something in Biology), what jobs would be open to you? Will you need a degree for that? If yes, then go to University, study a broad field and specialise later when you decide.

If you are not SURE that you want to go to University, will you be motivated enough to continue? If you drop out, you will still have a huge mound of debt to pay off and nothing to show for it. Student loan repayments will cost you 9% of whatever you earn over £21,000 if you start this year, so make sure you gain something from the experience!

If you don't have a clue what you want to do, take a year or two to decide. Take a few courses in things you might be interested in, volunteer in a field you think you might enjoy (for example, if you're interested in becoming a teacher, volunteer with a youth group), ask people about their experiences. There's no harm in waiting until you know what you want, and the extra couple of years of maturity and experience will give you an advantage over others if you do decide to go to Uni!

Missing in Action

Hello bloggy world. I've been missing in action of late, but I've caught up on all your lovely posts! I'll have some more posts going up soon, but for now here's a brief update:

I've been travelling round the country! Sounds very fancy and extravagant, but actually I've been visiting Universities that I have applied to do a PhD with. As I mentioned before, it can be pretty pricey to get the train from the deep reaches of Cornwall over the border and up into “the North” (Devon and beyond!) I've spent about £150 so far, but it's been worth it to meet people I would potentially be working with, have interviews, make contacts, have a nose at various people's research. That kind of thing. I've come away with some very positive feedback and I'm quite confident that all will fall into place for me to return to Uni this year. :) SO EXCITING!

I've had the last of my travellings for a couple of weeks at least, so it's back to the grind! Actually, I've been working pretty much all the days I've not been travelling and used holiday pay for the days I was away, so luckily I've not lost any hours/wages!

I haaate interviews! Even when I know my stuff I always think I sound daft! Anyone have any advice? I go bright red too! :D

A Quick Update

I managed to find a job! It's part time at McDonalds, which actually seems to be a good place to work. There are a lot of staff benefits like money off online shopping at Amazon and Play (and some high-street places too). It's not what I was expecting to be doing six months ago when I got a letter back from a company researching plants offering me an interview (and later a job!), but still, it's money and it's flexible. I can fit it around my job at the Chinese and also any upcoming interviews I will hopefully have for my PhD!

In other news, I noticed today that I haven't used my credit card in over a month! (And it's all paid back!) The last time I used it was because I wasn't sure if I was near my overdraft limit, so in five weeks I've managed to pay off over £600! :) Not bad going for someone on minimum wage!

The best news is that with my new job I should be debt free by the time I go back to Uni! I will hopefully even have some savings! (I can't work it out yet because the hours aren't fixed, but even minimum hours gets me back up to £0!!)


I can do this!

How to Find a Job

The recently released UK unemployment figure for July was 2.51 million, or 7.9% of the working population.

I feel for the majority of people who are desperately trying to find work. It is very difficult to find a professional job in Cornwall, where the majority of positions are seasonal roles related to tourism. I applied to many research places only to be outcompeted by people who should be able to find much better opportunities (although fortunately have now found a position that should start next month).

Here are a few things I learned during my search:

Spend SEVERAL hours a day looking and applying for work – Treat your job hunt as the full time occupation that it is. I spent 4 to 8 hours most days looking and applying for the latest positions advertised in my area.

Where to search – As well as your local paper, you should regularly check the government's Jobcentre Plus website, which has all of the positions advertised in your local Jobcentre. Check it every day because the best jobs are rapidly snapped up. If you know what area you want to go into, search on websites dedicated to your field (for example I regularly checked the New Scientist website for science-y roles. You should ask around in case anyone has heard of a job opening. Walking through town you will see several job advertisements in shops and local businesses. Keep your eyes and ears open!

Claim Jobseeker's Allowance – If you are over 18 and actively seeking work you are entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance, so don't feel embarrassed to claim support whilst you are unemployed. If you are under 25, you are entitled to £53.45 per week. It's not a lot, but it'll help you get to job interviews and keep food in your belly.

Find a high-turnover job to tide you over – Jobseeker's Allowance is useful, but no-one can really live on £53 a week. Find yourself a seasonal or minimum wage job with a short period of notice (most will be just one week so you can leave as soon as you find something better) and flexible hours. This will give you some financial breathing room whilst you hunt for the perfect job for you. For example I spent this summer working for minimum wage as a chambermaid in a hotel, receiving ~£180 a week for ~34 hours work. Ensure that you sign off from Jobseeker's Allowance once you find a job, even if it is just temporary.

Tailor applications to each role – Once you've found something to apply for, research the company and the position and tailor your CV (resume) accordingly. What skills does the job need? Which of your experiences is the most relevant? Ensure that if they ask for a particular skill you give examples that show you possess it. If you have related work experience it should be on the first page of your CV, however if you are changing careers you should have key skills on the first page instead.

Send speculative letters – If the companies you want to work for aren't hiring it's time to get pro-active. Write a speculative letter (and accompanying CV) describing why you would make the perfect addition to their company. List your skills and experience and how it relates to what they do. This is how I got in contact with the company I will be working for soon. Often you won't even hear back from them, but you just might make them think about potential opportunities they're missing out on!

Don't give up – It's can be soul destroying to keep receiving rejection letters or not even hearing back from applications you spent hours perfecting. Don't forget that you are competing with people who are likely a lot more experienced than yourself, especially if you are a recent graduate like myself. The best thing you can do is to just keep going!