Is it worth going to uni during the recession?
With the economy diving like a lead penguin, you've probably heard rumours that there aren't going to be enough jobs for students when they graduate. If they manage to find a job at all, it's likely to be something they didn't need a degree for. And they didn't need to plunge neck-deep into student debt for it either.
So does it still make sense to go to university?
All the usual reasons [why bother with uni?] still apply, but more importantly, in these hard times, university can be a place to lay low and wait for things to pick up.
Afterall, with 2 million people out of work, your chances of landing a dream job right now are as low as a limbo dancing ant if all you've got are a couple of A levels and the work experience that comes from a Saturday job stacking shelves.
So why not kick back and weather the financial storm in a student-cocoon? The likelihood is that by the time your three years are up, the worst of the crisis will be over and employers will be clamouring for fresh-faced graduates to refill the ranks and mend their battered businesses.
And should, unthinkable as it is, the crunch not have cracked when you come to graduate, at least you'll have a degree to show for it and, although it may still be hard to find a job, you'll be nearer the front of the queue. According to the Government, by 2010, 50% of all jobs will require a degree education - do you really want to count yourself out of half of all jobs when competition is so fierce?
Meanwhile, as a student, you're entitled to the same funding as ever. You can probably get a grant and/or loan and, even though the economy is stretched, ironically this means student funding is less likely to be cut. Going to university is no more expensive now than it was 6 months ago.
Push doesn't want to tell you what to do, but if you were intending to go to uni before the recession, the argument for doing so is at least as strong now.
Last updated on: 06 February 2009