On course for the future
Students up and down the country will have started their courses at university last week.
Thousands will be taking out expensive student loans to finance their studies, which in most cases will last three years. Others will be looking to the Bank of Mum and Dad.
Many will hope at the end of three, possibly four, years of hard work, they will break into their chosen careers.
But the sad fact is many may not.
Why? Because so many universities and high education colleges appear to offer a whole host of courses many of which are not worth the paper they are written on.
Scan through the UCAS website and you'll find obscure subjects ranging from Celtic Studies to the utterly pointless Surf Science.
I'm all for those who feel they want to better themselves by going to university, especially if they want to do a specific course to help them break into their chosen career, or even change direction.
But why do so many people do fashionable degrees in Media Studies and Psychology when such subjects, especially the former, have been pilloried by employers across the country?
Businesses continue to complain that there is a serious shortage of graduates with language degrees and we hear in the national press that fewer and fewer students opt to study French, German or any of the other major international tongues.
Some universities have even cut back on language provision because of the fall in demand.
In my personal opinion this is a national scandal.
As the European Union continues to expand and the economy becomes more global the ability to speak a foreign language will become more important.
I went to university and graduated in History and Geography. Looking back I wished I had done a degree in foreign languages. I did French up to AS Level and can speak fairly good Polish.
The flip side of the coin, one can argue, is that a lot of students appear to be fooled by various educational institutions convincing them that going to university, or 'uni' as many people refer to it as, is a must.
Brochures from universities are written like promotional manuals for products, akin to TV adverts, with the claim that at the end of the course you will be able to break into a high-flying profession.
The dream is blown when many find themselves stacking shelves in their local supermarket or becoming increasingly despondent in a job they don't want to do.
Going to university is not for everybody so people should not feel pressured to go. There are loads of courses and apprenticeships out there, which can help people get into a good career, and cost far less money, than say 3,000 plus a year.
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Weather for Hastings
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
