We all know that all our favourite things are getting more expensive, making it even harder when you’re already a poor student!
The financial credit crisis continues to feature heavily in our news. With lots of numbers and targets that an economics student probably should have had a bit more understanding of, quickly you realise that as a independent adult (student!) it’s going to affect you too!
That’s when the ‘real’ crunch hits home. The student budget becomes more and more of a joke in the face of rising energy bills and food costs, and the search for a graduate job becomes increasingly intimidating.
Speaking as an undergraduate, I think we’ve been brought up with a government promising that education was the key to opportunity and now debt and a lack of jobs are making some people doubt that a degree is worthwhile. But it’s important to keep some perspective; it’s overdramatic to think I’m the first person to be scared of graduating. Crunch or no crunch there’s always been a battle for jobs. Now, when the battle is so much harder, should be the time to get the best education you can.
I study Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) and am in my third year. PPE has always had an above average employability rating and was once considered an easy ticket into the City and finance sector. Economics and finance was never really my thing, which is fine. I’ve always known that very few students do anything related to their degree and I have had my heart set on the rocky road to media for some time now. But final year came and I had to think seriously about money, prospects and other horribly grownup things like that.
In a way I’m of the unlucky few who weren’t given the heads-up about the economic crisis; when I left school unemployment was low and morale was high. I went to university to study something I loved with the hope of “˜following my dream’. Now media jobs have been cut by 32% in the past two years. Furthermore, I don’t seem to have the choice of “˜selling my soul”˜ into a career that I don’t love; the Big City, and main PPE graduate employer, is shrinking as Investment banking jobs are down by 47%.
Everyone else either graduated before the jobs crisis or is going to apply to courses with full knowledge of it. It would be nice not to think about money when considering applying but I think it would be overly bleak to rule out a degree just because of current economics. I am still totally determined to try for a media career; it’s just a question of looking for “˜alternative’ routes.
I’ve been conditionally accepted onto a scheme called Teach First. Their two mottos are “learning to lead” and “addressing educational inequality”. The idea is that through two years of inner-city secondary school teaching I will emerge ready to face anything. Teach First also has a strong supporting network of businesses who offer special internships and placements so I’m hoping I can forge some links with the BBC.
Higher education isn’t for everyone and there’s such a thing as a non-academic education, why else would I want to do Teach First so much? Forget the kids learning from me, I’m going to learn the most. Having said that, I wouldn’t give up my three years at university for the world.
Maybe I would be more guaranteed a job if I’d done something vocational, like law or medicine, but the fact is most jobs out there don’t require a specific degree. A good degree is a good degree, and a grade I am proud of from a university I am proud of is the best I can hope for. Currently I’m writing as much as I possibly can and hoping the grades and references fall into place for Teach First. All I know is that I will kick myself if, in ten years time, I look back and realise I never even tried to follow my dream.
Lily Eastwood, Trainee Teacher
