What to do instead of Uni or an apprenticeship?

Posted by New-Secretary5722@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 40 comments

So I've just turned 19 just have a normal job, didn't decide to go to uni last year or apprenticeship after 6 form, i have quite a bit money saved up and have thought about travel in some sort of capacity, whether that be solo travel or seasonal work etc, i just want to leave my hometown and see the world and have fun/party, are there any suggestions or things that people might've done or heard of that are good, thanks

[-]

roadb90@reddit

go to uni, i left college and just worked random jobs until 2020 when i went to uni. my life is considerably better now and you will party all the time in uni and you can travel in the summer holidays. at the end of it then you have a education and will be in a better spot

[-]

More_Positive4810@reddit

*subject to course and university quality

[-]

TheZamboon@reddit

*subject to privatised debt unless mummy and daddy fork out

[-]

tradegreek@reddit

It’s not “real” debt so that should never be the factor that decides if you go or not

[-]

EfficientRegret@reddit

don't be a moron

[-]

roadb90@reddit

It literally is not a debt in the traditional sense

[-]

TheZamboon@reddit

University debt apologists are our equivalent of who needs free healthcare anyway

[-]

spik0rwill@reddit

You seem bitter for some reason.

[-]

TheZamboon@reddit

Why would I be? Scholarships saw that I don’t owe a penny for my higher level education to MSc.

[-]

tradegreek@reddit

Elaborate: it doesn’t effect your credit score, you can’t go bankrupt because of it, you only start paying it back after a certain threshold so please tell me how it should deter someone from going to university?

[-]

EfficientRegret@reddit

Because its money out of your paycheck, i didn't go to uni and i started earning £50,000 aged 21 in an office job. My graduate coworkers regret their decision and lose some of their salary every month.. this money i get to keep

[-]

tradegreek@reddit

One that’s clearly not the usual occurrence to start off at 50k without a degree. 2 it’s degree and university dependent going to a bad uni and doing a bad course sure it’s not worth it. I did go to university and my starting salary was 6 figures and I couldn’t do that without university and getting a loan.

For me it was definitely worth it but the debt factor shouldn’t be the deciding factor the university and course along with future job prospects should be

[-]

roadb90@reddit

6 figures starting? what do you do? if you dont mind me asking

[-]

tradegreek@reddit

I work at a hedge fund

[-]

roadb90@reddit

that's cool, what did you study?

[-]

tradegreek@reddit

Maths, going into university I wanted to be a lawyer but wanted to keep my options open so was going to do a conversion degree after. I didn’t know anything about finance etc prior to uni

[-]

EfficientRegret@reddit

Exactly, for you it was very useful, for me it didn't do anything. OP might be like me, where they might not get as much value out of it as you (whether that's them only getting into a low quality uni or if its just who they are)

[-]

TheZamboon@reddit

I’ve learned not to argue with people who didn’t go to uni, they seem to struggle more with nuance and critical thinking.

[-]

Mental_Body_5496@reddit

Absolutely do consider the armed forces - lots of exciting adventures and a great feeling of team 😀

Not without its risks of course but so does anything else.

[-]

spik0rwill@reddit

That's one of things I regret most in my life. I wanted to join the RAF as an engineer, but I was young and stupid so instead I drove hungover, crashed my car and damaged my brain. Epilepsy = no job in the armed forces.

[-]

KnockOneOut178@reddit

More chance of getting killed in a road collision than there is being killed as a British Soldier (at least while this country is currently in peace time).

And at the end of the day if conflicts escalate so badly on a global scale, that it threatens our country. Conscription will be dragging everyone from the age of 18-40 anyway.

[-]

Mental_Body_5496@reddit

Absolutely ❤️

I just didnt want to gloss over the risk !

[-]

No-Row-9994@reddit

Definitely go to university, ignore all the doom and gloom people say online. It will open so many doors for you and just shape your perspective as a person. BUT don't go with the goal of getting a job if you're doing a more generic degree. I never knew what I wanted to do... studied politics, then ended up in the USA for a Masters. I would never have been able to move there without my degree. You could even pursue your Bachelors in the USA if it's of interest to you and you get some good scholarships, or do a year abroad in the middle of it. I loved both of my universities for different reasons but my Masters was one of the best years of my life... if I could go back in time and do the 'American college experience' again, I'd do it without a shadow of a doubt, especially knowing what I know now. The world is so much bigger than your hometown... let education open those doors for you!

[-]

spik0rwill@reddit

I can't think of many things that can be worse than being involved with Politics in the USA. Just the thought of living there makes me want to throw up.

[-]

Competitive_Rub_9590@reddit

I joined the navy at 19 and if it’s travelling you want you’ll get it I’ve been in coming up 5 years and already done US, Australia, Japan, Greece, Oman, India, Singapore, Netherlands

[-]

Distinct-Lion4658@reddit

This is a great shout, if OP ends up liking the job then the pension will only get better with time

[-]

CrossRoadChicken@reddit

Good time to join. Before ww3 starts. Better now rather than being conscriped

[-]

Competitive_Rub_9590@reddit

Swings and roundabouts, I’ve had some cracking trips 🤷🏼‍♂️

[-]

Benificial-Cucumber@reddit

Get that seniority in while it's quiet, so you aren't first into the meat grinder.

[-]

TheZamboon@reddit

Have 5 kids and go on benefits /s

[-]

seven-cents@reddit

You can get working holiday visas for Australia, New Zealand and Canada if you're interested in that (finding work is another story though..)

[-]

Real23Phil@reddit

I stopped going school at 13, joined army at 16, MS was found at 26 after a lot of overlooked complaints, was told I couldn't serve, haven't heard or had help from them, at 36 I couldn't walk any more.

Don't do what I did, learn something, Military should be a last choice, they'll use you up and discard you like they did me.

[-]

TenTwon_@reddit

Maybe try a work holiday. Free accommodation and still plenty of free time for activities. Your money will go a lot further.

[-]

Frosty_Jeweler69@reddit

My brother always said Uni was the best years and he made so many good memories and friendships. At £3K a year that was worth every penny. With the pricing now he said he wouldn’t bother. I went down the apprenticeship route in Sales. It was great, gave me loads of opportunities, business and life skills. I now use that in my own business which is all self taught from YouTube and online courses.

It’s 2026 you got tonnes of free materials online. Find something you LOVE, have an interest in and would enjoy doing. Then find everything online to teach yourself about it.

[-]

Frosty_Jeweler69@reddit

Sorry I pressed Reply. I was going to suggest travel and do this whilst travelling. You can learn a lot in a coffee shop on your laptop with a sea breeze and cocktail in hand

[-]

Demonthief27@reddit

Well I’m gonna give you another side of the coin - you don’t HAVE to go university.

On Facebook there is a group called “work away Europe” where people have farms and stuff they need help on and in return you can get a place to stay.

You can also try hotels / b&b for work with a place to live, there are always hotels looking for people.

This could be a bit of a huge culture shock depending on how you live now. So in order to get a bit of a flavour of adult life, if you go onto spareroom you could rent a room in a completely different part of the country for a little bit, get part time work and move on when you feel ready.

You can do University and stuff at any time, but you’re only 18-25 once. If you aren’t focused enough right now for uni then don’t do it just because it’s what everyone else does.

[-]

When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!

Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.