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When he first became Prime Minister, Tony Blair proudly announced that his party’s big focus was “Education, Education, Education�. A admirable enough focus and certainly not an area one would think of associating with frustration and high personal debt. But over the years, as greater numbers of colleges have gained the status of a university, and student loans have become effortlessly available to so many more, schools have encouraged a lot more young people to go for degrees without really spelling out the cost.

There’s no question that we require a more educated society, but is everyone actually receiving the very best advice? Let’s be honest; is it such a tricky sell to encourage an eighteen year old to leave the family home and live with a bunch of friends, not worry about obtaining a job for several years and get discounted beer at the student union bar. A over simplified interpretation perhaps – of course there’s a tad of lectures to go to, and a degree of juggling to keep afloat, then the rewards will be worth it eventually. But is that true For a great deal of families, the cost of university education continues for many years after graduation, both socially and financially.

The student loan system (the best method of lending for students at university), tuition fees, lodgings and day to day living expenses over three or four years can set you back well over £30,000 – without any guarantee of employment. It’s not a funny joke that young people with great ambitions too often become back-at-home twenty-somethings who haven’t even conquered their first job. Not only do parents still have to support them financially, but unemployed adult children in the house again can definitely make things awkward!

A university education can be a rewarding time for young people, and is the only path for many of our professions. But schools and parents should know that in some areas, there are other, often superior alternatives. As far as IT is concerned, employers are crying out for professionally qualified IT professionals. Only having a university degree means students frequently have to top up their IT training skills to be ready for work and have a chance in the job market against Microsoft, CompTIA or Cisco professionals. The disappointing fact is they could have saved themselves three years and not had a five figure debt if they’d studied with a global online computer training provider. Perhaps alcohol in the university bar isn’t quite so cheap after all – surely the family coffers would be a lot less used up, and there’d certainly be more space on the sofa!.

(C) Scott Edwards - www.learninglolly.com. Scott Edwards has been involved in the IT and Training Industry for 30 years.

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