Stop the Cuts - National Demonstration

The point I was trying to make though with my sister is actually some of the most important jobs (teaching, nursing etc) require a university level education but don't necessarily pay that well. It's a common misconception that all graduates earn more than non-graduates – statistically that margin is incredibly low when taken over a lifetime's earning. Most motivated people who leave school at 18 will be earning more by the time their peers graduate from university than they do in their first job, and in most cases the gap doesn't change significantly from that point.

The richest people, it seems to me, are those that either worked bloody hard (and probably trod on a few people) their whole lives – the Alan Sugars of this world – and those who were born rich. University education seems to have little to do with it to my eyes. I went to University because I was interested in my subject, it's a semi-vocational course and I enjoy studying. Money is for me, like many of my peers, not a central motivation in life – I would far rather be happy in my work earning relatively little than earning loads and doing something I hated. Unfortunately the rise in fees adds another layer of tension to that equation, and I suspect will greatly inform the vast majority's decision of whether or not they should continue their education beyond school.

Isn't this kind of the governments point? We shouldn't be providing subsidised education just so someone can study for fun / interest. It should be a considered decision, not a default decision.

I know that (while I still had a job) I was looking at experience on CVs, not just degree qualifications as they have been devalued by their ubiquity. There are relatively few things that NEED a degree and I think employers are now far more open to different routes into careers than they used to be.

As long as you are not Stuart Baggs off of The Apprentice.