You are looking at spending just short of £30K for the three years of you studying and the degree itself doesn’t even guarantee you a job. You end up walking away with a huge amount of debt, but now you have a degree. Whether you actually end up using that degree is a different matter.

And what if you spend all that time studying and then decide you want to have a career in a different area, which then requires another degree. What do you do then?

In order to get the job you want, you need to gain experience, but in order to get the experience, you need the job. I think unless you are wanting to be a lawyer or a doctor you don’t need a degree. There are cheaper and more effective ways to get the experience you need to get the job.

As years, have gone by the price of degrees has risen but the value of the degree itself has fallen. It would be understandable if the rise in tuition fees corresponded with the rise of wages. But it doesn’t.

When we are younger, we get told we can be anything. Absolutely anything. There are no strings attached. That’s why when you ask children in reception and kindergarten what they want to be when they are older, you hear so many creative and imaginative ideas. They don’t bear in mind whether higher education is required or whether it is even a good paying job because they don’t realise what else is involved when choosing a career.

You get to a certain age and you realise you have been told a white lie. You can still be anything you want, as long as you follow these rules. You have to do well in school and get the right grades. You have to continue onto higher education. You start to notice that whilst you can still be anything you want, not everyone can.

Normally, those who want to pursue a career in the creative arts are the ones who get the most grief. You got told you could be anything you wanted, so why are people getting so angry because you want to go into acting? Whether it is music, drama, art or fictional writing you will most likely have heard this phrase at least once:

“Get a real job”

No one is going to be able to give you a solid definition of what a “real job” is. Not even Google. And if Google can’t answer your question, you are fucked.

I have come up with a list of things that I have seen linked to “real jobs”. A job must have four or more of the five categories below for it to be classed as real:

• It must require a paid higher education qualification. For example, to become a nurse you do have to complete a qualification at nursing school, although you don’t necessarily need a degree.
• It must be well paid
• You must have a boss or a position you can move up to
• It must require you to dress up in smart or formal clothing
• And it must also require a routine schedule that you must follow.

If you are in a job that ticks less than four of those categories, unfortunately, it is imaginary.

So, you can still be anything you want but it has to be a real job. For example, J. K Rowling is a writer but because she is well paid it is a real job but for me writing is just a hobby, right?

We end up being brainwashed into thinking that if you pick the right subject, you’ll get the right job which will eventually lead to success. In reality, you could not have gone to university and become just as successful as someone who has. Remember, that time students are studying non-students are gaining experience through internships and apprenticeships.

I’m not saying don’t go to university because there are a lot of opportunities, you can meet new people and most importantly get drunk all the time. However, I can get drunk all the time sat in my bedroom and I don’t have to pay £9000 a year.