I'm this close...

jellyroll

thumpingrug said:

I know a guy who quit uni after the first term.

I also know a guy who did this. 

He recently sold his business for £100 million. 

JAYJO

jellyroll said:

thumpingrug said:

I know a guy who quit uni after the first term.

I also know a guy who did this. 

He recently sold his business for £100 million. 

Was it worth £10 Billion? ..........
)

chillidoggy

Drew_fx said:

Drew_fx said:

Without university, I'd be dead. Or a serial killer.

People LOL, but I was absolutely being 100% genuine.

We're LOLing because we all know that in fact you'd be a rent-boy.

holnrew

Had a moment like that at the weekend. But due to a lack of self belief. I'd missed a fair few lectures because I've got a vitamin D deficiency, but treatment is working well and I bucked my ideas up. It's a big and intimidating thing for me to do going from not working due to my mentalness to full time education. I still need to get registered with the disabled students people and shit, but with their support and my new found determination I'm sure I can do it. Doesn't help you I guess but people love talking about themselves.

Are you living with other students? I'm in the same flat I've been living in for the last couple of years and that helps a lot. Stability and consistency in other areas of life is vital IMO.

axisus

I'd say 100% get the qualification. I was useless and lazy all through education, but scraped an honours degree somehow, and earn more money that I really should due to that bit of paper getting me on the right ladder at the right time.

EricTheWeary

I left full time education at 18 and had a dead end type job. Around the same time my brother gave up his day job to do an MBA ( he didn't have a degree). He would have been in his late 20's, married with 2 kids. So, this was for a year but a hard and worrying year ( and he had very little academic background). So, I started my degree at 21in part thinking that the longer I waited the more likely that things would come along that would make it all that much harder to do it.
 
I did a degree and post graduate course ( if I say Coventry Poly that suddenly makes that sound less impressive)over 4 years with plenty of ups and downs and getting through was in part just outlasting some of those who dropped by the wayside. On the other hand I can't say having a job has been one long hay ride and I look back at those 4 years with great fondness ( even if I was ill with stress by the end...).

Err, so if you have managed to get into a position where you can do a degree it may be that position wont come around again for a long time and jobs are boring.

Cirrus

EricTheWeary said:

jobs are boring.

That's certainly the reason I'm on here.

@beed84, it really depends. Only you can decide whether it's worth it. I did a fucking stupid degree - music technology. I enjoyed it but I might as well have been skipping in my back garden for three years for all it did for my employability. I currently have a job that's got nothing to do with it and doesn't pay well but still vastly outstrips any potential earnings I could make in the recording industry short of being a mega success.

But every friend I know who did a sensible degree has had it benefit them in very tangible ways - doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers etc.

holnrew

Do you worry about people not wanting to employ a mature graduate? I do sometimes, but there's little point given how far away it is.

EricTheWeary

Cirrus said:

EricTheWeary said:

jobs are boring.

That's certainly the reason I'm on here.

absobloodylutely!!!

JAYJO

I would stick at it if i was brainy like all yoos!!
Ive worked in a factory for 30 yrs (Though i have done different jobs) not just taking the bins out. I work with managers who have degrees, theyre also first class tossers but guess who takes the biggest pay packet home. Yip Alan Sugar!...
)

Neil

I'd say stick at it if it will really help with your future job prospects but everyone and his dog goes to uni nowadays and unless it is a really appropriate degree it could be a waste of your time to be frank.

A friend of mine is MD of an IT recruitment firm and most of his recruiters are youngsters with degrees but in reality it means nothing, they still get the sack the same way. 

My wife was keen for my eldest to go to uni as everybody else seemed to be at the time but I cautioned him against wasting all those years.

He took my advice, now owns two successful businesses and has a large detached house in Surrey.

It's what's inside you, not on a piece of paper. 

chillidoggy

holnrew said:

Do you worry about people not wanting to employ a mature graduate? I do sometimes, but there's little point given how far away it is.

For what it's worth, I'd rather employ a mature graduate than a young one. They've got far more common sense and life experience.

Drew_TNBD

chillidoggy said:

Drew_fx said:

Drew_fx said:

Without university, I'd be dead. Or a serial killer.

People LOL, but I was absolutely being 100% genuine.

We're LOLing because we all know that in fact you'd be a rent-boy.

Wisdom.

Bogwhoppit

holnrew said:

Do you worry about people not wanting to employ a mature graduate? I do sometimes, but there's little point given how far away it is.

There are several of us in our mid-50s with recent 2nd and 3rd degrees along with a masters top-up - many with years of experience in high ranking positions. Yet most of us are viewed as unemployable.  So I would think very carefully before embarking on a journey of study in later life - along with its associated costs - in order to secure employment.

In our experience, very few agencies and companies are interested in mature graduates.

 

beed84

holnrew said:Are you living with other students? I'm in the same flat I've been living in for the last couple of years and that helps a lot. Stability and consistency in other areas of life is vital IMO.
Sadly I'm living on campus with a bunch of 18 year old pissheads. I'm surprised they get anything done as they're constantly out all the time and coming back in the early hours of the morning making a racket. So it's not great at the moment and I'm looking into moving out asap.  I totally agree, having stable foundation helps loads, and I think that's part of my issue at the moment.

holnrew said:

Do you worry about people not wanting to employ a mature graduate? I do sometimes, but there's little point given how far away it is.

It hasn't really crossed my mind to be honest. At the moment I'm just concerned with getting the degree. When (opposed to if) I do get it, fingers crossed it leads on to employment. There are plenty of work experience/volunteering fairs that come to our uni so I might have to have a nosey and get the ball rolling.

stickyfiddle said:

FWIW I came extremely close to walking out of uni a couple of times but stuck it out. I'm glad I stayed, but sometimes still wonder if I'd have been better going elsewhere or at least changing courses. That said, I now have a wife I met at uni, a decent job and a good CV.

How are you performing academically, if you don't mind? Is it just lack of enjoyment, or also struggling with course material?

I'm not performing bad, and I'm getting good grades.  Just starting second year coupled with living with the 1st years has been a shock to the system.  If anything, I'm frustrated I'm not able to engage as much as I know I can.  The chat with my tutor really helped.  She said not to beat myself up so much and go easy on myself - it's only week two!  She also explained that most students' don't bother reading what is suggested, so to have a student who is bothered is refreshing.

Overall, a much more positive day, and things aren't as bad as I imagine them to be.  I think I'll feel loads better once I've sorted out more appropriate accommodation. Onwards and upwards as they say!

lloyd

Stick with it, like you say it's only week 2 of year 2. I was a mature student and graduated a couple years ago-I thought the long summer break too long and found it difficult to change my mind-set to get back into academic work after 3/4 months of manual summer jobs.

My degree is pretty much the only thing I've ever stuck with and I'm glad I did. I'm not working in the same field as my subject but earning a decent wage doing something I like and wouldn't have got this job without the degree.

I'd get myself away from the whole 'student' thing and just concentrate on the course-I drove 20 odd miles to uni, did the lectures then went home and got on with the work. 

holnrew

Neil said: I'd say stick at it if it will really help with your future job prospects but everyone and his dog goes to uni nowadays and unless it is a really appropriate degree it could be a waste of your time to be frank.
A friend of mine is MD of an IT recruitment firm and most of his recruiters are youngsters with degrees but in reality it means nothing, they still get the sack the same way. 
My wife was keen for my eldest to go to uni as everybody else seemed to be at the time but I cautioned him against wasting all those years.
He took my advice, now owns two successful businesses and has a large detached house in Surrey.
It's what's inside you, not on a piece of paper. 

I want to prove to myself that I can achieve something difficult more than anything, and also because I needed to do something with my life. It is an engineering degree though, so even being old I'm sure it will get me in somewhere.

holnrew

chillidoggy said:

holnrew said:

Do you worry about people not wanting to employ a mature graduate? I do sometimes, but there's little point given how far away it is.

For what it's worth, I'd rather employ a mature graduate than a young one. They've got far more common sense and life experience.

Life experience, yeah. But what's that other thing?

beed84

The other thing? I think its a currency widely used in America.

chillidoggy

holnrew said:

chillidoggy said:

holnrew said:

Do you worry about people not wanting to employ a mature graduate? I do sometimes, but there's little point given how far away it is.

For what it's worth, I'd rather employ a mature graduate than a young one. They've got far more common sense and life experience.

Life experience, yeah. But what's that other thing?

Ah, yes, well.......I'm glad you asked me that. It's something you can't really put your finger on. Like the wife's fanny once a month.