In a world filled with graduates desperately seeking jobs that don’t seem to exist in an effort to pay off enormous student loans, it can be tempting to shun the status quo and seek to make your own fortune without the help of a degree. But this decision begs the question “how will I manage to be successful without a university education?” Well, below are three ways that you can set yourself up with a good career without burdening yourself with nearly £40,000 in tuition fees and maintenance loans.
Entry-level jobs
With the amount of graduate jobs actually available being a considerably smaller number than the amount of graduates being churned out of universities each year, many degree-holders find themselves taking entry-level jobs anyway. Why not get ahead of the curve by skipping the time and money spent on a degree and jumping straight into an entry-level position? Yes, you may miss out on the ‘student culture’, but what’s to stop you from partying on the weekends in your hometown anyway? The huge benefit of this is that you get a three-year head start on your peers and could end up being their manager by the time they graduate from university. All the time they are partying and studying, racking up a huge debt, you are earning money and building a stable base in your chosen career. You could even look into taking courses online, this way you're earning money and earning a degree at the same time.
Learn a trade
The world will always need mechanics, plumbers, electricians, and masons. Skilled trade workers are the foundation of any good economy, and you could be part of that. Why not search around for the apprenticeship opportunities in your area and see if any of the skills appeal to you? The pay, while you are training, may be quite low compared to other jobs, but many trainers end up employing their apprentices after they have finished training. The potential earnings for a competent trader are more than you might think and have the added benefit of not including paying back any student loans or overdrafts.
Start up your own company
In today’s digital world there is a huge scope of opportunity to earn a living while working from home. If you are quite tech-savvy or are able to teach yourself the basics, you could set up your own company to work with other businesses quite quickly. From SEO experts to marketing gurus to social media account managers, the list of options is almost endless. Not only does the remote working nature of these jobs allow you to travel the world while you earn if you want to, but it also means that you never have to worry about fighting your way through rush hour traffic or answering to a boss with a Napoleon complex.
There are a wealth of possibilities when it comes to starting a successful career outside of a university education. Some of the most successful people in the world either dropped out of or never went to university. The most important ingredients for success are your ability to work hard, be productive and never let a setback get you down. If you can master these skills, you can be successful anywhere.
