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So me, paying £15K back, over 34 years (I was 31 when I graduated), when I only earn £21K and probably won't earn much over £30K in my chosen field is fair is it? In case you haven't noticed, graduates are not guaranteed a big salary these days. It is a fact that lots of people are put off (especially mature students and working class students) because they will be saddled with loads of debt with no guarantee of a better income.
Which degrees?
then get a better degree, im not sure why anyone would get a degree in a subject that had a salary cap expectation of 30K for your lifetime. the majority of degrees would have expectations in the 50's or 60K region i would expect ( after say 8-10 years ), with quite alot of degrees exceeding that
Say in 6 years time you hit £30k - you'll be at least £9k per year better off than you are now, which is £180k over the next 20 years, should you work to the age of 60.
Obviously you'll not see the whole £180k, because we're all taxed and whatnot, but you'll still earn far, far more in excess of the debt through what it allowed you to do.
If having a degree didn't make you more than £15k better off over the 29 years between graduation and retirement, then you picked the wrong degree.
Again, I don't intend to be personal or participate in any kind of flame war, but I cannot understand how you can't see the logic of getting the degree, and how it has to benefit you financially.
--Burpy
im talking about degrees in history, art, geography...etc..
Now I will give Mrs. Klintock some much needed attention. :thumb: :yes:
History is a fucking useful degree to do..
I didn't. I got a degree in multimedia and graphic design. I'm not working in that field however. Doing a useful and satisfying job is far more important to me than money.
You seem to be one of these people that judges everything by how much it costs or how much it will pay you. Not everyone does a degree purely to earn more money. A lot of people study for the love of learning.
that's a massive generalisation, it really depends what sector you end up working in........i chose the i.t. sector because the potential to earn a good salary is there, but only really after quite a few years in the industry, and then it's more down to your capability and other industry qualifications, then having a degree to your name............as blagsta said, having a degree is no guarantee of a big salary these days, no matter what sector you work in.......
because every other country makes there students pay for there education, with most offering state backed student loans
So you don't think history, art or geography have any value as subjects?
Nothing is free. Certain degrees should besubsidised to some extent, as they are for the greater good, but education past the age of 16/18 should not be free. If you choose to stay in education once able to work and fund yourself, why should other people pay for you to do so?
--Burpy
it all depends on the degree you get, if your worried about being saddled with high debt then take a good degree subject
Yes, I was on the dole before I did my degree. However, a lot of people study to change careers and take a cut in salary. My g/f has gone from a £40K+ job to about £15K in order to change her career.
No I won't. You never heard of tax?
No, not really. I could probably have got into my field without the degree.
Aaaah, another person who thinks education is all about how much money it can get you.
Because some people actually see the value of learning for its own sake.
sure i do. and if you truly love the subject matter then by all means get a degree in the subject, what im saying is there are thousands of students out there with degrees in the art subjects who couldnt care a less about it, when it came time to pick your degree they just picked the easiest, so they could have fun.
That said, education is free in Denmark. And I am planning on paying for mine in England.
Have you any evidence for this? I went to an art school and most people were there because they had a passion for art or design. The ones that didn't either dropped out, got kicked out or ended up with 3rds.
For all the reasons already mentioned.
taking a 'good' degree subject as you put it doesnt alleviate any fears about massive debt, i probably will never pay it all off as i don't intend to work a 9-5 for the rest of my life anyways........average starting salary for a graduate in my position is about £16-18000, which isn't an awful lot, if i'd gone straight into the industry with a-levels i could probably have worked my way up to that salary in the 3 years i've been studying, without amassing all that debt.......30 years ago the starting salary would have been a lot more......and i would have got a grant, that's life.....
So economic circumstances should dictate what education we get?
I have also just embarked on a career change and im 34, and i will also be taking a pay cut, i qualified as a doctor, but am currently studying to be an airline pilot. i still think people should be responsible for thier own choices, ie pay for thier own education
Anyway, as I understood it my dad tells me that in the states you aren't as taxed as heavy as we are. That's why we can have the NHS too.
Which was her decision. She knew the costs involved with getting a decent education before she took the drop in salary.
Yup, I mentioned it directly after the section you quoted.
So why bother with the degree? Why spend money on something that you don't consider an asset to your CV?
Nope, education is education. If you want to learn once you have the basic skills required in life, you pay for it. If you can't pay for it, don't learn it. Or, gain your knowledge from a free source, such as the internet.
I've learnt many skills in my life, some of which can earn me money, some of which cannot. Learning is a wonderful thing - but it isn't the question currently on debate. The question is who should fund your education - you, or the general taxpayer?
I still believe we should pay for our own education. I did, you did, so should everyone else.
--Burpy
Have you ever had to struggle financially for your education? Ever wondered if you can pay the rent this month? Don't you see that society might benefit overall if more people have the chance to be educated, to explore things intellectually?
ah yes, an art school, well you are more or less only going to get the people that actually WANT an arts degree there arent you? at a regular uni most of the people in the liberal arts programs are there because they arent sure what they want to do with there lives, they will be the first to admit it. i knew lots of people who did that, graduated with an arts degree which to them was no better than basic high school graduation
Yes, it was her decision. However her chosen new career path is much more socially useful than her old one. Not everything can be measured financially.
It is an asset to my CV.
You don't see any value in society having a better educated population?
Of course its the question on debate. Whether education has a value to society over and above what it can (or can't) earn an individual.
I haven't paid for mine. The LEA paid my tuition fees and I still owe £13K in debts. But just because something is one way, it doesn't necessarily make it the right way.
So what? Are you saying it had no value?