Horses for Courses

In a week in which the newspapers have been opportunistically filled with pictures of fresh-faced young women proudly clutching their A-Level results and the furore over the changing of GCSE grade boundaries, I recall my own schooldays and the path I followed through the education system.

It is now over seven years since I opened the envelope containing my own GCSE results. It was a moment that for so long seemed so distant, reserved for the older siblings of my school friends. It is true to say, when my own moment arrived, I was incredibly nervous. I had much the same feeling upon collecting my A-Levels and when awaiting the arrival of my degree results. At the time, these moments seemed so important, as if my entire future hinged on the contents of those envelopes.

In reality, each step merely facilitated the next stage in my education with the diffuse aim of eventually establishing a career. As soon as that next stage arrived, the marks, grades and results that seemed so fundamental a few months previously soon faded into irrelevance. Once at university, UCAS points meant nothing. Similarly, now I'm entering the job market, my academic achievements seem relatively insignificant to many employers. They bear little relevance to my ability to perform a particular role. Having a certain classification of degree is a requirement to apply but it is demonstrable 'soft skills' that secure jobs. The question I'd like to consider today is whether my path from GCSEs to Master's Degree has sufficiently furnished me with these cherished skills ('leadership', 'teamwork', 'organisation' etc.) and given what I know now, would I follow the same route?

I never really doubted that upon completion of my schooling I would go to university. In many ways, I was institutionalised. I was always a strong academic performer and I was fortunate enough to attend good state schools. Moreover, with both my parents having gone to university, it seemed an inevitability. I'm certain that attending university was the right choice for me, however the fact that while at school I never considered the alternatives is indicative of a wider problem. An ever greater proportion of young people have been drawn to higher education, while apprenticeships and other vocational courses have been neglected by comparison. University certainly isn't suited to everyone; schools must do more to make young people aware of the options open to them when they approach important academic milestones. Academic capability shouldn't be the only factor when considering whether an individual is suited to higher education. Amongst my friends and colleagues, I have encountered many who feel that they would be in a better position if they had entered the job market at 18. What is more, many of the 'soft skills' that employers are looking for are more obviously developed in the workplace.

The current state of the graduate job market and ever increasing levels of student debt are leading many to ask why they bothered with university. Personally, I shall cherish my student days as a formative period in my life. I can only hope that it won't be too long before I can put the skills and experience I gained to use in the workplace.

As ever, thank you for reading. I'd be particularly interested to hear from anyone who has been to university and subsequently regretted the decision. Please comment below.

Olympic Dreams

In a week when the nation has been gripped by the euphoria of the Olympic Games, I have come to an unfortunate realisation; I am unlikely to ever fulfil my childhood dreams of becoming an elite athlete.

After trying my hand at a number of sports as a youth, I soon found that I was distinctly average at pretty much all of them. At the humble age of 23, in sporting terms, I am past it. Take the example of Michael Phelps: the man has won 19 Olympic gold medals, amassed a small fortune in career earnings and is about to retire at the age of 27. I've got 4 years on Phelps, so I either need to get training for Rio 2016 or make my living like a mere mortal.

This highly topical preamble brings me round to the main point of this post: the trade off between earning a decent living and pursuing your career goals. I have always been envious of professional sportsmen; to make a career from something you love doing, something that may well have started off as a hobby or pastime, must be immensely satisfying. Unfortunately, for the majority of individuals, there must be at least a degree of sacrifice. To earn in a year even a fraction of what a footballer may earn in a week, graduates may find their way into careers they may not have originally foreseen. This is not to say that people cannot grow to love and enjoy their jobs, but I find it difficult to believe that many young children lie awake at night dreaming of becoming a management consultant or chartered accountant.

Everyone has different motivations. For some, a generous salary and the accoutrements of wealth are the only motivation. For others, job satisfaction and a healthy work/life balance are of more concern. As for myself, I want the nice house and the foreign holidays but not at the sacrifice of everything else. There are plenty of supposed 'graduate jobs' out there. As I've discussed before, jobs boards are full of advertisements from recruitment consultants offering immediate starts, £20k salaries plus £30k+ OTE; what is more, they require no previous experience and aren't specific about the subject of your degree. If you can handle the intensely competitive and commission based nature of the job then it certainly seems tempting.

I've been seriously searching for approaching 8 months and it's true to say I've been fussy. I've so far avoided the scatter-bomb technique of sending out CVs speculatively to as many employers as possible. Instead, I have focused on jobs that engage with my interests. As frustrating as it is to be earning £6.13 per hour (a generous 5p above minimum wage), I'd rather not sell my soul simply for the sake of a graduate job I have no interest in. To spend 40 hours a week working in a role that you dislike must be utterly soul destroying. I need to put my efforts into something I care about, something that engages me. If it pays well that will be a bonus.

For now, I shall continue as I have been. I might also try a few more sports, there's time yet...