However, I do not believe that the idea that every young adult should be encouraged/expected to study for a degree is a good one. A history of art degree will provide little benefit (if any) unless you are looking for a very specific career. The notion that it allows you time to mature into adulthood is specious. I would say that in many cases a 3 year university course will actually prolong an individuals immaturity – why not start a career earlier and spend that time getting experience.

A method for an employer of testing candidates to make sure that their specific skill set matches those of the job before the interview stage is a great way of enhancing the recruitment process. If someone doesn’t have a degree but proves to have the required skills why wouldn’t you at least include them on the interview list? Personality and fit for the company environment can be analysed in the standard interview. If this was the normal recruitment process then I think there would be far fewer graduates with only debt, an irrelevant degree and low job prospects to show for three or four years of their lives.

University is great for some, but it is not for everyone. It is a shame that so many school leavers/parents/employers put such an emphasis on having a degree when it often seems pointless.

I have a degree in Degree in Music Performance and it has nothing to do with my career path as I’ve applied with the mind to become a developer.

The vast majority of my ability comes from self teaching from the internet and I could only achieve where I am today with a lot of hard work. I feel that I could have more easily applied for the job with a degree but I also wouldn’t have the same experience that I have.

Although I admit a lot of my experience comes from luck. I was first employed in my current role as a data entry clerk on a part time contract. I took the job after working in a supermarket for several years. The job didn’t require any IT skill except the ability to type but I wasn’t happy to sit behind a desk typing. So I developed some programming skills at home and created macros and forms that assisted me in my job. I then shared these around the company which in turn helped other people do their job. I then went on to create more complex forms until I got to where I am today which is creating a all in one software package for the company.

So overall I would say that Yes a degree is very very helpful but if your ambitious and determined then its not necessary. Just be prepared for the amount of work it takes to get that step in the door as its not always as easy as mine was.

The times have now changed and I would say this is massively down to the economy. Organisations who are facing down time are looking for instant impact in their business-people who don’t require an awful lot of training but who can come in and know how to do the job through past experience. This may be in the form of older individuals who have 30 years experience, or the younger generation who left school at 16 and have been in employment for 5 years.

What I would say is that sometimes this does pose limitations to those people who do not have a degree-down the line. Whilst not ALWAYS the case, having a degree may be the factor which secures an individual a job over somebody who has limited academic qualifications. Organisations may favour those candidates who have experience of living away from home, being self sufficient, and improved social skills over somebody who has simply been in employment for 5 years.

Some industries-it is mandatory to have further education qualifications for example Medicine, and Law and University provides the perfect path to those careers.

I myself secured employment by having a combination of a University degree and the right personality attributes, and am hopefully well on the way to a successful career with huge progression opportunities. My degree is a Computer Science based one and here I find myself in a sales role. The two are definitely not connected but without having that degree, then I would not have identified the right career for myself, and secured employment in that career.

Does having lots of debt bother me?-not really. Its just an extra bit of tax off my payslip every month but if I didn’t have a student loan to pay off, then I wouldn’t have a job doing what I enjoy and which provides me with many future opportunities.

In summary, I would say that whilst University is not for everyone, I personally feel it stands me in good stead to develop and progress than if I had left school at the youthful age of 16. The country needs experienced workers, and without having opportunities then you won’t get that experience. That is the biggest catch 22…

When I left Uni there was no guy from the RSC or ITV waiting at the gate to sign me up and I needed a job. Telesales was what was on offer in the near vicinity, so off I went for an interview, proudly announcing to the interviewer that I had a degree. Their response was, “well done, but what experience do you have?”. What got me that first job in sales was a combination of being able to play a confident go-getter and a lot of bar and shop work experience. Probably more the latter than the former!

I agree with Mark; degrees have been cheapened over the last 10 years. They are ten a penny now and experience counts. A degree will get you a higher basic wage – whether that is fair or not is another debate – and I do believe that Uni gives you certain social and life skills which will hold you in good stead through your working life. But will I encourage my children to go to university? Let’s just say I won’t encourage them not to but I’ll have no qualms in supporting them if it’s not the path they choose.

One final point worth raising is this – you choose your degree at 18. How many of us go on to do something which is directly related to our degree subject in our careers? What about all the history and literature students at my campus? I notice the Manchester area isn’t drowning under a sea literary historians… Uni is largely about exploring what you want to be and discovering your real strengths, it’s the extra three years you need to work out what you really want out of life and you get a little more education in the meantime which isn’t a bad thing.

I can also write a convincing 3000 word essay but that’s never really come in useful so far…..

It may not surprise you to learn that I myself decided against the university route and made the decision to go into full time employment after leaving college. In my opinion, this is exactly what has allowed me to stand out. The 3 years working experience I obtained whilst others were attending university, is exactly what provided me the advantage when looking for different employment.

Of course, a large proportion of the advertised jobs stated that a degree was necessary for the role; however this did not stop me from applying for them. Instead I demonstrated how invaluable my experience could be in comparison to other candidates who had not put their theories into practice.

This approach has allowed me to do well within my own career; I am now currently employed as a Client Services Manager, with 3 promotions under my belt in the last 2 years. I must admit I don’t know many other individuals of my age who can say the same thing, degree or no degree!

I also feel it was imperative that I was formally educated to help me get my first foot on the career ladder. 5 years into my career I’ve undoubtedly learned more on the job than I ever could have at university but the formal programming knowledge I gained from university has allowed me to excel at my chosen career path. The kudos attached to my degree and university undoubtedly helped me attain my first job out of university, perhaps it doesn’t play such a large part when there are 60 positions to fill but it certainly does when there are 20 people applying for the same position.

Furthermore, I also spent a year of my degree studying in France which was an amazing experience. This allowed me to participate in another culture, improve my language skills, meet new people from across Europe and none of it would have happened without university.

I feel the “debt” argument is null and void too. It’s not a noose around your neck when it comes to applying for mortgages, it doesn’t impact on your credit rating; it’s just a tax that you pay for the privilege of going to university. You could similarly argue why not leave the UK and work somewhere where you pay less tax?

Where I do agree is that university is not for everybody, and my opinion is that the previous government in this country have devalued degrees by pushing people into university when it wasn’t right for them. If you’re a high achiever throughout school and college then university is an excellent next step but if you don’t have a clear idea of how your university will benefit you in the future then it’s probably not the right choice for you.

My point of view is actually quite clear. There is no doubt that a degree is an advantage, no doubt at all. How MUCH of an advantage it gives you is a different question all together. I think that having a degree offers the biggest advantage for more senior positions, the type of execs that I regularly engage with more often than not have an MBA and I can’t remember the last time I dealt with anyone senior who didn’t at least have a degree.

For lower level jobs it isn’t as important to have a degree and experience can be more important, but senior positions usually need formal qualifications AND experience.

If you look across the pond in the States, if you don’t have a degree you’ll really struggle to ever make a decent living. Even entry level positions in sales companies require a ‘4 year degree’. I know a 40 year old who has worked at AIG for 20 years and has only been promoted twice. She’s now an office manager and has been informed that no matter how long she is there she will never be any higher on the ladder as she doesn’t have a Bachelors degree. It is my intention to live over there eventually so my going back to university is partially driven by the difference in culture over there.

In closing, I’ve been unable to apply for positions before due to me not having a degree, but you’ll never be told you won’t be considered for a position unless you DON’T have a degree.