School & College Leavers
Which job is right for you? How do you get it? Are there alternatives to the milk round? Moving from full time education to a long term career is daunting. You may not know what you want to do. You may feel that you do not have the necessary qualifications.
And there is the competition. So many people out there who seem to have better credentials, so many who seem to be prepared to work for very little, or even nothing, just to get a foot in the door.
To go or not to go... University and Getting a Degree
Britain needs more people with degrees and more skilled workers with higher technician and associate professional qualifications in the years ahead. Over the next 10 years most of the new jobs will need people who have the skills and education higher education offers.
But getting a degree not only boosts your education and skills, it improves your ability to earn a good living too.
Graduates earn on average of 35 per cent more than the average wage - or £400,000 more over a lifetime than somebody on average earnings. Graduate unemployment has been half the national average for decades.
There may be different reasons why some of you who have the potential to benefit from university feel it is not for you. Sometimes it is because nobody in your family or on your street has been to university. For others, it may be worries about how much it will cost - and finding the fees. But there's a lot more help available than you might think.
There are plenty of different courses, which can help you to make the most of yourself.
Not all people go to University straight away, many young people decide to go to work after school or college, and go on to university a bit later on. In fact, a third of all undergraduates are not school leavers. There are many full and part-time courses and most universities have particular programmes designed to support mature students.
The government has also introduced new vocational foundation degrees. In areas like applied engineering, hotel management and multi-media technology, they will help you get promoted and lead to better jobs.
Whatever your chosen path, fees should not put you off. Half of all students pay no fees at all. Only those whose family earn over £20,000 a year have to make a contribution - and many of them don't have to pay the maximum £1,075. In fact only one in three students pay the full amount. Most students get help with their fees and, unlike loans, this help does not have to be repaid. And remember that fees only cover a quarter of the cost of most courses. The Government pays the rest.
See our main careers page for links to lots of useful careers and education sites.