Career Questions

[Kaan Gullu]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get some advice on my career and the uncertainties I'm currently having and any comments or tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm 17 and am currently studying Economics, Philosophy and Ethics and Sociology at A Level (I'm not sure what the American equivalent is). I'm on the fence about whether to go to university or to pursue an apprenticeship which is basically an on the job earn while you learn qualification. (No fees and far more practical or experience based) and they are deemed to be almost equal in credibility. I really don't want to enter into university and make the mistake of following the most generic path and being in debt when I could have very easily avoided it. I know that I want to work in the corporate or business field and I know that sounds very vague but I'm having trouble narrowing down a specific role I'd like to commit to. I'm put off quite a bit from university as I'm sure many have especially when familiarising myself with the Unscripted mindset and way of life but there are some aspects of it that appeals to me and there are many universities that offer a business degree with an entrepreneurship specialisation/focus which I feel myself being tempted to choose as my next steps but I'm just really not sure.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[p0stscript]

I'm on the fence about whether to go to university or to pursue an apprenticeship which is basically an on the job earn while you learn qualification.

Having a a job that lets you earn and learn whilst on the road to an unscripted life would mean you wouldn't end up with student debt like most I the country. My son was a typical male student staying up to 2 am playing on his Xbox and not appearing to study, though intelligent enough to gain A* to B at GCSE (I'll admit I wanted him to fail one, as long as it wasn't important, so I could say I told yo so) and went on to study Maths , Further Maths, Physics and ICT (for light relief!) at AS and A level but got bored and left for an apprenticeship at the start of second year, the best decision he could make in my mind. Not a fastlaner, but now at 27 he has his own detached house, a good job and a lot of transferable skills, plus I didn't have to go into debt to pay for his university studies, definitely a bonus for me

Good luck with your decision.

PS I am happy to attempt a translation of the above for our American friends.

 

[Kaan Gullu]

Having a a job that lets you earn and learn whilst on the road to an unscripted life would mean you wouldn't end up with student debt like most I the country. My son was a typical male student staying up to 2 am playing on his Xbox and not appearing to study, though intelligent enough to gain A* to B at GCSE (I'll admit I wanted him to fail one, as long as it wasn't important, so I could say I told yo so) and went on to study Maths , Further Maths, Physics and ICT (for light relief!) at AS and A level but got bored and left for an apprenticeship at the start of second year, the best decision he could make in my mind. Not a fastlaner, but now at 27 he has his own detached house, a good job and a lot of transferable skills, plus I didn't have to go into debt to pay for his university studies, definitely a bonus for me

Good luck with your decision.

PS I am happy to attempt a translation of the above for our American friends.

I'm glad someone from the UK is the first response . That sounds great and actually inspiring I appreciate it. Those a levels are very hefty as well. Did you go to university yourself if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Hanabi]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get some advice on my career and the uncertainties I'm currently having and any comments or tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm 17 and am currently studying Economics, Philosophy and Ethics and Sociology at A Level (I'm not sure what the American equivalent is). I'm on the fence about whether to go to university or to pursue an apprenticeship which is basically an on the job earn while you learn qualification. (No fees and far more practical or experience based) and they are deemed to be almost equal in credibility. I really don't want to enter into university and make the mistake of following the most generic path and being in debt when I could have very easily avoided it. I know that I want to work in the corporate or business field and I know that sounds very vague but I'm having trouble narrowing down a specific role I'd like to commit to. I'm put off quite a bit from university as I'm sure many have especially when familiarising myself with the Unscripted mindset and way of life but there are some aspects of it that appeals to me and there are many universities that offer a business degree with an entrepreneurship specialisation/focus which I feel myself being tempted to choose as my next steps but I'm just really not sure.

Is the type of apprenticeship that you will pursue teach you high paying, challenging to acquire, and in demand skills? Not all apprenticeships will teach these types of skills, so it's best to choose wisely if you decide this path. Another thing, compare the starting salaries and the trajectory of based on the majors in universities and compare them to the trajectory of the salaries of the apprenticeships and see which will give you the best return on investment with your time.

If you decide to do university, STEM majors tend to be the most high paying and have good ROI. The hard sciences (various biology courses, various chemistry courses, and various physics courses) and math courses (statistics, trigonometry, and calculus) really work your brain muscles for critical thinking. I cried alot during these courses; they were so hard. They pushed my brain to another level, and it was worth it. There's always needs in these fields for business ventures, and I think entrepreneurs have a high probably of success in these fields. Elon Musk is a good example of a an entrepreneur heavily involved in STEM ventures.
This video might be interesting to you about engineering degrees, I think they should've collected more data across industries though:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEbVddOm2X8


I think business degrees are useless including entrepreneurship degrees. I took an entrepreneurship course at my college; and looking back on it, I didn't learn anything special that I couldn't already find on the internet. I think entrepreneurship is like riding a bike. Reading about it doesn't teach you much unless you actually experience doing it.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kaan Gullu]

Is the type of apprenticeship that you will pursue teach you high paying, challenging to acquire, and in demand skills? Not all apprenticeships will teach these types of skills, so it's best to choose wisely if you decide this path. Another thing, compare the starting salaries and the trajectory of based on the majors in universities and compare them to the trajectory of the salaries of the apprenticeships and see which will give you the best return on investment with your time.

If you decide to do university, STEM majors tend to be the most high paying and have good ROI. The hard sciences (various biology courses, various chemistry courses, and various physics courses) and math courses (statistics, trigonometry, and calculus) really work your brain muscles for critical thinking. I cried alot during these courses; they were so hard. They pushed my brain to another level, and it was worth it. There's always needs in these fields for business ventures, and I think entrepreneurs have a high probably of success in these fields. Elon Musk is a good example of a an entrepreneur heavily involved in STEM ventures.
This video might be interesting to you about engineering degrees, I think they should've collected more data across industries though:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEbVddOm2X8


I think business degrees are useless including entrepreneurship degrees. I took an entrepreneurship course at my college; and looking back on it, I didn't learn anything special that I couldn't already find on the internet. I think entrepreneurship is like riding a bike. Reading about it doesn't teach you much unless you actually experience doing it.

I haven't chosen a specific apprenticeship yet but I'll update this thread when I narrow it down to a couple of potentials. I will definitely remember to consider if its actually going to be in demand and high value because that hasn't crossed my mind for some reason, I've been focused on what i personally want. I 100% don't see myself pursuing hardcore sciences or maths degrees if I I choose to go to university. Despite them being very valuable I have absolutely zero passion or interest in them and its just be very impractical for me. I acknowledge your last point I need to be realistic and not let myself be persuaded and regret it later. Thanks for the help and I'll watch the video now

 

[p0stscript]

Did you go to university yourself if you don't mind me asking?

I was lucky to go in the late 70s when you could get grants and the local Education Authority paid your tuition fees. I worked for the National Coal Board at the time and they helped me get in and gave me a grant towards accommodation and study materials, there were far less Universities back then so I am very grateful for their assistance.

 

[tenacity]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get some advice on my career and the uncertainties I'm currently having and any comments or tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm 17 and am currently studying Economics, Philosophy and Ethics and Sociology at A Level (I'm not sure what the American equivalent is). I'm on the fence about whether to go to university or to pursue an apprenticeship which is basically an on the job earn while you learn qualification. (No fees and far more practical or experience based) and they are deemed to be almost equal in credibility. I really don't want to enter into university and make the mistake of following the most generic path and being in debt when I could have very easily avoided it. I know that I want to work in the corporate or business field and I know that sounds very vague but I'm having trouble narrowing down a specific role I'd like to commit to. I'm put off quite a bit from university as I'm sure many have especially when familiarising myself with the Unscripted mindset and way of life but there are some aspects of it that appeals to me and there are many universities that offer a business degree with an entrepreneurship specialisation/focus which I feel myself being tempted to choose as my next steps but I'm just really not sure.

Hey I'm in the UK too but lived in Cyprus (EU) before moving and I also did my A Levels here. The issues was that when I applied to apprenticeships, 10+ applied, I got rejected from ALL of them at different stages (done interviews) just because my general studies that included maths, sciences etc from CY couldn't be verified and its a GOVERMENT must that you have GCSE English and Maths that are verified. I had 2 English IGCSE's and Modern Greek and good grades from my A Levels but that didn't matter. I contacted ECCTIS (UK NARIC) and payed for them to verify and they refunded me because they couldn't do it.. Anyhow I couldn't apply for higher apprenticeships, Level 2 where you do maths or English for free and earn I couldn't either because I was overqualified so I ditched apprenticeships. I even contacted local colleges and they couldn't offer me free maths to do since I had to be 19+ to do part time studies and no job or money / motivation to do maths GCSE online. Anyway make sure you have them two and if you have international qualifications then see if you can get them verified, will save you time.

I applied to universities and got unconditional offers despite my messy GCSE equivalent and I'm also thinking about going to uni but not 100% sure yet.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kaan Gullu]

Hey I'm in the UK too but lived in Cyprus (EU) before moving and I also did my A Levels here. The issues was that when I applied to apprenticeships, 10+ applied, I got rejected from ALL of them at different stages (done interviews) just because my general studies that included maths, sciences etc from CY couldn't be verified and its a GOVERMENT must that you have GCSE English and Maths that are verified. I had 2 English IGCSE's and Modern Greek and good grades from my A Levels but that didn't matter. I contacted ECCTIS (UK NARIC) and payed for them to verify and they refunded me because they couldn't do it.. Anyhow I couldn't apply for higher apprenticeships, Level 2 where you do maths or English for free and earn I couldn't either because I was overqualified so I ditched apprenticeships. I even contacted local colleges and they couldn't offer me free maths to do since I had to be 19+ to do part time studies and no job or money / motivation to do maths GCSE online. Anyway make sure you have them two and if you have international qualifications then see if you can get them verified, will save you time.

I applied to universities and got unconditional offers despite my messy GCSE equivalent and I'm also thinking about going to uni but not 100% sure yet.

Nice to hear from a fellow cypriot I'm from the northern side of Cyprus. I've been through all stages of the UK education system and have English and maths gcse but thank you for the comments. If you need any help since we're on a similar journey feel free to message me

 

[tenacity]

Nice to hear from a fellow cypriot I'm from the northern side of Cyprus. I've been through all stages of the UK education system and have English and maths gcse but thank you for the comments. If you need any help since we're on a similar journey feel free to message me

Oh wow hahahaha that's awesome. I lived on the Greek side in Limassol not far from the sea. Also sure, feel free to message me too. That was quite unexpected to be honest!!

 

[Kaan Gullu]

Oh wow hahahaha that's awesome. I lived on the Greek side in Limassol not far from the sea. Also sure, feel free to message me too. That was quite unexpected to be honest!!

Oh nice when is the last time you went to Cyprus?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[tenacity]

Oh nice when is the last time you went to Cyprus?

It was when I left Cyprus with family, back in mid 2019. I didn't have a lot of reason to go back to Cyprus except to see my good friend but I would like to go sometime or him to come to the UK.

 

[Kaan Gullu]

It was when I left Cyprus with family, back in mid 2019. I didn't have a lot of reason to go back to Cyprus except to see my good friend but I would like to go sometime or him to come to the UK.

Last time i went was new years 2020 right before covid hit