Was it worth going to University?

I found the simple fact of having a degree opened doors to many jobs for me in IT (my degree was in Applied Physics) and oddly enough I was not asked to show my degree certificate until 30 years after I graduated in spite of working for lots of companies.

I found uni to be a great place to broaden your horizons and discover new things but not much of it related to the subject I studied.

Given the same opportunity again I would have become an apprentice in a skilled trade instead as I found having money to spend was much more useful in my life than living as an impovorished student and the satisfaction of creating something with my hands much greater than the learning I achieved.

My uni was all paid for by the state and I worked on all my holidays to pay for accommodation / food etc but now it seems much less sustainable.

Back when I went there was only 5% of school leavers going to uni (and a further 10% to college) - now it seems to be over 50% which means a 10 fold increase and subsequent oversupply of graduates for work requirements,

Best decision ever. I studied natural sciences in Cambridge and for the first time in my life I met likeminded people and made friends that have stayed with me for life. I miss that time so much. I loved the academic atmosphere and the teaching style- there was a lot of emphasis on independent learning and we were encouraged to explore our interests - I think I did take ‘read what you like’ maybe a bit too literally but the way the exams and course was structured going down random rabbit holes and learning random info was actually not a bad thing. Socially it was also much easier to fit in than at school- it was totally fine to just disappear in your room for a few weeks and I came accross people that I connected with- I had no idea making friends could be so easy. I have really struggled though since I left- it was such a bubble and a very autism friendly place. Alien paradise

I think what is most useful is to have a few years after high school where you develop your interests.

I went to uni, but the noisy environment made me skip lessons if I could. Instead, I would go to the silent room in the library and read what they taught from notes, slides, or books. Overall, I probably studied more hours than most, but that was okay.

But during those years I did learn some discipline (for tests primarily) and read a lot of stuff. I think it was overall the period I developed the most as an individual.

Alexander1976 said:

the job has had a deleterious impact on my own mh at times..

So true. Very few consider the mh of front line workers. It's like working in a sweat shop.

Robert124 said:

getting top marks in exams.

Well done!!

I like the whole university culture and environment.  The campus. The libraries,  the student pubs, the students union, the green spaces between the buildings.  And finally getting top marks in exams.

I did my first degree with the OU before it needed much tech knowledge. Books, cassettes and course materials arrived by post and my essays were handwritten. They didn’t have any archaeology courses back then, maybe they still don’t, unless they do short free courses.

I think all universities nowadays would require people to have tech skills, even if they are doing in person courses. Tech has allowed more UK universities to offer distance or semi-distance courses in lots of different specialisms, although archaeology requires people to participate in person for many elements.

I've never found anything at the OU that I've wanted to study, I wouldn't get on with having to study over summer anyway and the tech side of it would be way to much for me to cope with.

Back in the day, university was certainly good for me. Most of my adult life has involved universities. Over the years, I turned my special interests into four degrees, a postgrad fellowship, several books, and a freelance career with mostly academic clients. But I agree with Marnee101 that the value of university education had declined (largely, I think, because the entire sector is now dominated by the need to balance the books).

These days degrees have lost their true values, Universities are interested in gaining students for fees and the value and quality of education has dropped. After College there are so many other avenues that are far more profitable, such as business, apprenticeships. I’m in the legal industry and it is far too saturated.

I was thinking this exact same thing today. It didn’t help me in the ways I expected like getting a job, in fact a masters degree did the opposite after I was 28. It helped that I developed my own interests by pursuing some of my early life goals, even if they turned out to be simplistic or naive in some ways. I met some nice people- I’d say more on the higher education course as there were few who were not genuinely passionate. Lots of things happen later after these things subside. Like the realities of life vs your dreams of a perfect life. Today I framed my graduation certificate 16 years after I received it. It to me that long to feel any sense of pride in the achievement. 

Thank you for taking the trouble to research these courses and I'll take a look at all of them. As I'm retired my time is my own but I am watching the pennies [who isn't!]. 

I haven’t looked recently but the OU website used to have a section with old course books for sale. They mightn’t even use books nowadays and they don’t do complete undergraduate Archaeology courses. I don’t know of gardening courses.  If you would be interested in a short basic course, these might be of interest. In fact, there are loads of other free university short courses when I searched, but I think you might be looking for a complete undergraduate degree course, followed perhaps by a Masters! 

https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/archaeology-in-practice-online?code=O25P644AHV

https://www.futurelearn.com/subjects/history-courses/archaeology#:~:text=Topics%20related%20to%20Archaeology

https://www.york.ac.uk/study/moocs/exploring-stone-age/

The Oxford University course is expensive, but there is a good grant scheme for certain groups of people that might cover all or some of the fees. Otherwise there is very little online that would give a grounding in the basics of archaeology and the techniques used. There are lots of specialisms within archaeology. Nowadays it is so much more than destructive digging. 

I'm in Scotland and my mh nursing degree was free at point of use, and had a generous bursary. I love helping patients but the job has had a deleterious impact on my own mh at times..

ArchaeC said:

I’m happiest when I’m studying for the sake of studying

I guess many of us are like this. I wish they'd publish the whole course content [perhaps they do??] so you can study from an informed point of view. I would love to study archaeology and the art of gardening this way.

I went to uni when it was £3k. Similar that it was mostly getting me interviews. I learned some things, but a lot was covering what I had already learned when pursuing the subject as a hobby.

The main value I got from uni was everything else. Met people i'm still friends with now. Some despite living over an hour away I know from experience are people I can rely on in a crisis. We're having a holiday soon with some I've not kept as up to date with. It also pushed me outside of and expanded my comfort zone which I think was a good thing, and it was a good stepping stone to learning how to live on my own.

I think the value of uni goes beyond the course. But seeing things about plan 2 loans and how people aren't even paying off the interest, I'm not sure it's worth it anymore.

Depends on circumstances though, which uni, etc.

I studied part-time at three different unis, three times, for my undergraduate degree, PGCE and Masters. Although I wasn’t able to work full time all the rest of the time, university was definitely worthwhile. It broadened my outlook, improved self-esteem and helped me grow as a person. It helped me gain employment in the area I wanted to work in.

I’m happiest when I’m studying for the sake of studying and I would love to return to university for further study. 

I went to university at 22 after not getting the A level results that I wanted.  I couldn’t study what I wanted  at A levels and so had low enthusiasm for the courses. I could have done better if I put more effort and focus into it.  I was ok with Classics though and could have got a better mark for sure if I applied myself more. I was meant to study law and had a place to. I became unwell with an eating disorder and so the years after A levels I floated a bit and then did a HND course which I didn’t like. I ended up at 22 at university after some months in hospital doing a Major degree in religious studies and minor in media communications. I wanted to be a religious broadcaster. I did some work experience, but then relapsed again. My father encouraged me to do a MA and I did at 35 at MA in International Relations. I passed both courses. I took a few months extra on both and had issues with English but I had means to help me with this to.

I am glad that I studied what I did. I have created some blogs involving both of those subjects that I studied and I do voluntary work to, so it has worked out well for me . Learning is a good thing, although you have to pay for it today and it was free to do an undergraduate degree when I did mine.  It has helped me to present an argument much better to. I soon will be doing a shorter course in Christian studies which has allowed me not to do more studies because of my degree to qualify to support people in the community and I am looking into being a spiritual counsellor/pastoral support to in hospitals which uses my first degree. If I had my time again, probbably nothing would change.

Starting a blog on something like wordpress can be one way of using your studies or hobby.  You can open something like a sports forum to for free to get out knowledge on the subject.

I did a BA in English from 06-09. It didn't help me get a job but I did learn some useful life skills and it allowed me to move away from home and become more independent. I'm studying an Open Uni degree part time alongside work at the moment but am wavering in my dedication to it. I like having a project and feeling like I'm learning and 'achieving' but it's a lot of work for presumably little payback. 

I studied 4 years for an MSc in mental health practice. I had a two-decade career before being bullied out of my last post in the field, after whistle-blowing.-It was during this post I passed MSc. I enjoyed studying and wrote several books which received good professioinl reviews, so I would say the study was worth it, though the outcome was not conducive to a happy life. I wish I'd had even a little careers advice because I would have taken a different path - archaeology, or gardening most likely. Now retired, I can study and work in my own garden for pleasure just as I wish, so that has been a great solace. And, too boot, time has proven my research on the ineffectivness of NHS systems, to deal with bullying triggered by lack of resources and stress.