I never really comprehended the relative uselessness of a university degree before today.
(these numbers are relevant to Australia btw https://joboutlook.gov.au/) I was having a look at the job outlook website, and here are some average weekly salaries to take a look at:
Machinist: $2,062
Plumber: $1,894
Electrician: $1,823
Bricklayer: $2,070
Earthmoving Plant Operators $1,491
Electrical Engineer: $2,160
Civil Engineer: $1,962
Software Engineer: $2,003
Accountant: $1,660
Secondary School Teacher: $1,914
Solicitor: $1,646
I always had a sort of ingrained idea that the only “good” jobs you get from uni degrees; probably developed from the influence of parents, school and societal expectations. Around the time I was finishing school people were sometimes saying things like “there’s plenty of opportunities in the trades. It’s an ok option, too”, but I was of the impression salaries were still quite low in that area and you don’t really make good money unless you run a business; an impression I’ve had until recently. My impression was trades/going to TAFE was for people not “smart” enough to get into uni.
On that note, maybe they did mean something in my parents time, but these days, that so such a large proportion go to uni and get a degree after high school is part of the reason they really don’t mean much these day. I know from my experience most of the work was braindead easy. I achieved high marks in almost all my subjects whilst doing the bare minimum work. There were certainly a lot of dropkicks in my courses. Plus, universities have become a business, aimed at churning out degrees and bending over backwards for high-spending international students who can barely speak English. University qualifications are no measure of intelligence.
The only opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise got by going to uni were (1) to go on exchange (2) to be part of a student club that I had a lot of good experiences/made good friends at (3) earn below minimum wage teaching English in a Taiwanese buxiban
On the one hand, you can spend 4 years at a marxist indoc- I mean higher education institution, rack up a large debt, and given you didn’t choose a degree in gender studies or something equally worthless, get a job as an office cuck filling in excel spreadsheets and dealing with office drama all day.
Or you could start earning a salary shortly after finishing high school (if you even bother doing that), keep fit, have the satisfaction of physical work, and having something to show for your labour and so on. Whilst earning the same kind of money you would be with the above option. If you’re smart with money and save/invest, the early start would make a significant difference, too. Then when you clock off you don’t have to think about work until 9am the next day.
Perhaps, unless you are deadset on something and have the passion, the only good reasons to go to uni are to become a doctor or to get into business.
I’m remembering someone tell me about a group of travellers he met. All quite wealthy. Mostly business exec expats on holiday from Singapore. But the one among them making the biggest bank was a plumber with his own business from Australia.
I’m sure situations vary from country to country. I’d be curious how they compare actually. I know in Taiwan it’s something like… 90% of kids go through to uni? What kind of money do the skilled trades earn? What’s the attitude toward them? I know a lot of unskilled labour is filled with foreign workers.
