[~starlight~]

Up until very recently I had plans to become a social worker, to get a degree starting in 2011. I have since figured out that I am far too emotional to even think about working in the social field, I know I am a strong person generally, but I have no idea how I will cope emotionally, and now my gut is telling me, this is not meant for me.

I have examined my reasons for wanting a degree, and there were a few reasons. One being no one in my family has one. Secondly, I almost felt pressure from society to have one. I used to feel inferior in the company of those that had a high level of education, but in the end I realised this boiled down to how I felt, and the lack of confidence in myself, and how I thought society percieved me iykwim.

I believe I have recieved my education from the "university of life" lol, I have traveled extensively, and have learnt so much while doing so.

My life is starting to change direction quite rapidly, and I am now in a place where I realise that if I go on to study this degree, I'll get to the job, and then find out I'm really crap at it, and all that time will be wasted. Instead I am going to focus my time and energy into doing something I really love! Don't get me wrong, I still want to do courses, and to be honest I am learning about stuff every day, I have a huge appetite for reading and learning at the moment.

I've just realised that I have no need to get this degree just for the sake of it, and it feels great!

So over to you!

People with degrees can comment too

This post has been edited by ~starlight~: 13/09/2009, 09:26 AM

[leapfrog]

Congratulations on your resolution. I guess we all have our insecurities, and mine is the reverse of yours. I have an 'education', but haven't travelled. I love being in the company of those who have, even though I can't contribute (my first and last o/s trip was 17 years ago!)

However, don't discount your experience in contributing to your ability to do a job very well - you said you don't want to find out you'll be crap at social work - this probably won't be the case. Confidence can go a long way!

Good luck Starlight, on whatever path you continue on

[**MrsMummy**]

I had my first baby at 16 and felt a huge pressure to succeed just to prove everyone (including society wrong) and because I didn't want to be stereotyped as one of those young mothers.

I've been accepted to uni twice and declined twice (haha). I suffer from anxiety and can be a completely emotional mess and thought adding the pressure of uni to my life would just be to much for me.

I'm now studying at Polytechnic (Tafe) and enjoying it so much. I don't feel the pressure I assumed I would have at uni and my teachers are all very understanding and supportive .. so are my classmates.

I also felt that going to uni was a huge commitment. I did not want to end up with a HECS debt and find half way through my degree I didn't enjoy it or end up with my degree and find I hated the work. It's a lot of years of studying and a big debt if you're not completely sure.

My course this year has given me so much confidence and I don't feel inferior to people who have degrees or high paying jobs anymore and I don't buy into the BS of society expecting mothers to be "perfect" including being university educated.

[baggy]

I want to get a degree, I'm at TAFE at the moment, but hopefully, I'll eventually get in to uni. I think I want this more for DD than for me. I want to have a good job at the end of all this, that pays enough to support us well and let do things without worrying about every penny we spend.

I want to be able to send her on all the school excursions. I want to be able to let her do hobbies such as dancing/sport outside of school if she wants to. I want to show her that I can do it, that I will do it, and that I will do anything to get us a better life style.

I think I also want this to prove a lot of people wrong. Dad expected me to go far education wise, but I didn't. I got pregnant. I feel like I owe it to him too. To show him that he did raise me OK, not all is bad, and that I can do it. I want him to be proud of me, I feel like I have let him down.

I like that when I am studying, I have a break. I get to go to TAFE without the pram and nappies. I get to be myself, not me and DD. I like that, in that day, I get to put myself first and think only about the work handed to me.

So to me, getting university education is really important, and I'd feel like a failure as a mother and daughter if I don't get a degree at the end of this.

ETA: I like the course that I'm doing and I'm good at it. So I'm sure that If/when I get to the degree, I'm not going to regret it or waste money.

This post has been edited by baggy: 13/09/2009, 09:07 AM

[Kitty-N]

OP - you dont need a university degree to get by in this world, I have 2 diplomas (ie, tafe level as opposed to Uni degree) and I am studing another one by correspondance, and I feel that my style of learning is much more suited to this, ie, VOC Ed, as opposed to OHE, because Im not a bookish type, Im a hands on, practial type.

I have a pretty cool job, its interesting and varied, and I can go pretty much anywhere I want. I also think that these types of qualifications are a bit easier to work for yourself with, although of course anyone with any sort of education (or no education!!) can start thier own business, but often tafe courses give you better tools to do this.

So I guess what Im saying is that you definitely dont need a university degree to have a great life/career etc, but it is worth looking into Certificate level/Diploma level qualifications if you find an area that genuinely does interest you

FWIW, I am a massage/beauty therapist and am working towards becoming an aromatherapist too. So I can do lots with these qualifications, and I didnt go to uni to do it.

All the best,

[tigerfan88]

I did not want to end up with a HECS debt and find half way through my degree I didn't enjoy it or end up with my degree and find I hated the work. It's a lot of years of studying and a big debt if you're not completely sure.

This is the main reason I didn't want to go to uni. I'm still unsure what I want to do with my life career-wise, and think it would be silly to go & spend thousands of dollars doing something I might not like at the end of it.

I don't feel bad about this, and everyone who asks gets the same response as above. I don't feel any less intelligent than my friends who went/are at uni - they spend half their life partying anyway and I've never really been into that.

I consider myself to be fairly intelligent, my IQ backs this up & I'm fairly well-read for a 20 year old. I just feel that life has more to teach me than any tertiary institution can.

edited: I've just realised that my last paragraph makes me sound a bit arrogant, but I do realise that there are other people in this word who are more intelligent etc.! I'm not a snob!!

This post has been edited by tigerfan88: 13/09/2009, 09:07 AM

[~starlight~]

Baggy, just wanted to say that you don't need a degree for all those things you mentioned (kind of like the pp mentioned to me!), these can all be achieved with determination etc.. but on the same hand, I think your drive and passion is admirable, lovely that you have this head on you at this age, I'm almost 34 and only starting to connect the dots now! Good luck with your studies too, what are you studying btw?

[kemisz]

I plan on going to uni one day.

And yes, I feel inferior to those with a university degree.

But also because I want to prove to myself that I can do it.

I was too chicken#*%$ to actually try and do it before and was sure that I wouldn't be able to cope.

But I'm not that girl anymore.

[**Xena**]

I did one year of University and I regret going (not for the experience but the cost). I went to University because it was expected of me. All my friends were going and I was told I was too intelligent to 'waste my brains' by not going. My friends are all career driven and so I thought I should be too.

Eventually I managed to get up the courage to lead my own life and I am very glad I left. Don't get me wrong- I had fun and I got great marks which will still be accredited to me if I decide to go back but i don't like the HECS debt .

ETA FWIW baggy my DF left school at 16 and earns more than all my friends with university degrees and subsequent jobs in those fields. For me now, if I were to go back, it would be because I found a job that I really felt passionate about and required a degree.

This post has been edited by **Xena**: 13/09/2009, 09:17 AM

[feb-bubby]

when i completed yr 12 i applied for a uni place and a tafe place, i only got offered a tafe position and was pretty dissapointed but went on to get a diploma after 2yrs ft tafe. now im so glad i didnt go to uni! my tafe course was subsidised so cost me not much at all and got me the job that i wanted! im so glad i dont have a hecs debt to pay back.
All my friends went to uni (and made me feel inferior) only to quit within the first year or 2 and now have to pay for something they cant even utilise.

This post has been edited by feb-bubby: 13/09/2009, 09:16 AM