University is not the only option...

So you may have gotten to that point in your life, where you have just finished school, A Levels, a college course or even a gap year and you are deciding whether or not to take the plunge into University. Will it be worth it? Well, that depends, if you have so certain you know what you want to do with the rest of your life and it is a career you can't get into with a degree, then yes, go for it! But i am guessing, if you are reading this post you don't have a definite plan. But can i just remind you, that is absolutely fine!

(Image from Google)

So let me tell you my story...

I was never really big on school, actually i hated it. I dreaded going, and really i just found it so boring. The only thing that got me through the dreaded school days were my friends. Let's also get something straight, i am no way, in any shape or form, the girl who got straight A's. Education definitely did not come easy to me, but i was proud with the results i came out with (the best grade i got was four C's, the rest were in the D or E zone. Yeah, i told you i wasn't the school brain box!).

I decided to take the route of college because going the sixth form, made it seem too much like school, and i definitely wasn't going to relive those years! I still didn't really know what i wanted to do (who really does at 16?). I opted for Health and Social Care, where i did the first two years and pulled out in the third because i decided it wasn't taking me where i wanted to go.

I changed college and i did an apprenticeship in Children's Care, Learning and Development. I loved it and finally found something i enjoyed doing and i was actually good at! I finished my NVQ with a 'A' - which taking into account my GCSE results was a massive step up!

I then went to go and work in a nursery for a year while i decided what i wanted to do with my qualifications and where i wanted it to take me. I had gotten used to having money coming in and being able to buy something if i wanted it. So going to University was no longer an option because i wouldn't be able to finically support myself. I found that my local college did Foundation Degree courses, which was one afternoon a week, which meant i could carry on working as well as studying! The Foundation Degree is a two year course and after the two years you can make the decision to graduate at a Foundation Degree level or continue onto the third year to make it a full honours degree. I made the option of carrying on to do my third year, but the college i was studying at only offered one top-up route which was Teaching, and that wasn't the route i wanted to go down. So back to the internet i went and started researching top-up courses in my area.

So after a lot of research, i came across a course at Worcester University in Social Welfare. Which i will start in September, this is still only one day a week, so i will be commuting, but it also means i can still keep my job and have the money coming in. After my third year, i will have a BA Honours degree, if someone told me once i had finished school that i would go on to do a degree, i would of probably laughed in there face!

(Image from Google)

The point of this post was to let people know that University is not the only option! I didn't know Foundation Degree's existed until i did my research (they are also a lot cheaper! Around half the price of University fee's).

I was always adamant i did not want to go to University, which caused numerous arguments between my dad and myself, as he wanted me to. But please always remember, this is your life, if you don't want to do something, then don't.

Many of my friends have gone off to University, and loved every minute of it, they have had the times of their lives. But at the end of the day, it is an option only you can make, and it is a personal decision depending upon preference.

I will be more than happy to answer an questions regarding Foundation Degree's, but i would definitely urge someone who is unsure to explore all your options, and if you still don't know or unsure, there is always the option of a gap year. This could be working or travelling, to decide which direction you want your life to take.

Other options:

Open Universities - this is where you study from home, without having to go anywhere. This would be a great option for someone with a very busy life.
If you are aware of any other options, write them below in the comments, the more information that is available the easier a decision can be.

If you would like more information on Foundation Degrees, click here!

(Image from Google)

 Good luck to anyone receiving there results in the upcoming weeks!