When he originally came to power, Tony Blair proudly announced his party’s message was “Education, Education, Education�. A admirable enough focus and definitely not an area one would immediately link to frustration and increasing personal debt. But as time has gone on, as more institutions have acquired the status of a university, and student loans have become easily available to everyone, schools have encouraged greater numbers of young people to go for degrees without actually pointing out the cost.
It’s not in question that we need a more highly educated society, but are youngsters actually getting the right advice? In reality; is it such a hard sell to persuade the youth of today to leave the family home and live with mates, not bother about getting a job for three or four years and get discounted beer at the student union bar. A bit of a basic interpretation perhaps – naturally there’s a spot of lessons to attend, and a degree of juggling to make ends meet, then the rewards will be worth it in the end. But is that true For many families, the real cost of university education lasts for a long time after graduation, both in financial and social terms.
Student Loans (the best method of borrowing for students at university), fees for tuition, lodgings and day to day living expenses over three or four years can set you back well into five figures – without any guarantee of employment. It’s not a funny joke that freedom-seeking teenagers out to conquer the world too often find themselves back home and unemployed. Not only do fathers and mothers find themselves still stumping up the cash, but time on their hands adult children who’d previously flown the nest can obviously cramp their style!
A university education can be a fulfilling experience for young people, and is the only road for many of our professions. But advisors and families should know that in some subjects, there are other, sometimes better alternatives. In the computer industry, employers are always searching for commercially qualified IT professionals. University graduates frequently have to supplement their IT training skills to be ready for work and fare in the job market with Microsoft, CompTIA or Cisco professionals. The disappointing fact is they could have saved themselves three years and been without a five figure debt if they’d studied with a global online computer training provider. Perhaps the beer in the university bar isn’t such a great idea after all – certainly the family bank account would be a lot less depleted, and there’d certainly be more room on the sofa!.
(C) Scott Edwards - www.learninglolly.com. Scott Edwards has been involved in the IT and Training Industry for 30 years.
More Resources for Computer Training