Work & Money 

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University: is it worth it?

There is no reason to stay in a job you don't enjoy and every reason to move on and do something that you get pleasure and fulfilment from. It’s obviously nonsense for anyone to say university is a waste of time. If you can get that person to explain what they meant you'd soon see there was little substance behind it. People who say 'don’t try to change things, stay where you are' often do so because they haven’t had the courage to do something different themselves. Seeing others take risks to make life better is unsettling and casts doubt on their decision to do nothing.

Those with degrees generally earn more than those without. Money aside, having a qualification at this level opens up many more choices for you and studying something you enjoy is a great feeling. Making a positive move like this will do a lot for your self-confidence too. Some people are being put off university by the cost of tuition fees and the fact that they will get into debt while they study. It is a serious problem and if that’s one of the things that’s worrying you, look at studying part-time and continuing to work so you have some money coming in.

The starting point is to decide what it is you want to study. You can go for a subject you enjoy or would want to know more about, or for a course that qualifies you to do a certain type of work. If you’re having trouble choosing what to do take a look at the choosing a career section of the site. Features like Career shift and Do what you like should help.

Next thing to work on is finding out whether you have the entry requirements for courses that interest you. If you don’t have A-levels some of the study you’ve done for your dental nursing qualification may be taken into account. Don’t be put off if it looks like you don’t have the right qualifications. Many universities and colleges can be quite flexible and offer one-year foundation or access courses that take people with no qualifications and get them to university entry level. If you want something better for yourself go get it, it’s not as hard as you might imagine.

Now try this: Career Quiz

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