What would you do if you could change direction?

[PopsandBangs]

Talking to a few friends over the weekend and I suppose a lot of us are re-evaluating and taking stock of our current situations after the last year.

One thing we were all agreed on was that, looking back, it was perhaps not the wisest path to take going to university for the sake of it and just because that was the natural progression for us Grammar school boys

We say this, because the majority of us are doing OK but in professions that are completely unrelated to our degree.

Those in our extended circle who are doing the best, and further up the ladder, are those in the big law firms or the Oxford maths graduates at IBs, or surgeons. Got there following a specific path with dedicated degrees and subsequent qualifications.

I’m often thinking about how I wish I knew more precisely about what I wanted to do back then.

We are all very early 30s, so I suppose just about in time to change direction if we really wanted to. Perhaps not able to dedicate 10 years to becoming a doctor however

If you gave yourself 3 years or so, what would you do or learn properly to build a life/career out of.... Or did do?

[PopsandBangs]

okgo said:

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Of course they are...but it's been thus for a generation.

They aren't though, if you do a good one at a good uni. Going to a good uni doesn't exclude you from having pissed up fun as per your post. The difference is it likely gives you far more options at the end of your years there.

That would be my only advice (I didn't do go college or uni) to my son, 100% do it, but if you're going to, and you'll inherit the same debt whether its Cambridge or Bolton (maybe, but it's not just good unis charging 9k per year), so may as well make it count eh

I think that’s part of issue Okgo - that’s what I ended up doing, going to an ok-ish Uni and obtaining an ok-ish degree (in Economics) which was largely blagged as I’m ste at maths and was probably missold the degree thinking back..... “ohhh we’ll teach you the maths you need to know...” Just thought “I think I want to be in the City, so better do an Economics degree,” and didn’t set myself apart from the rest. Now that’s down to me, but I was in the wrong degree. Anyway, as we know, degrees mean f all unless they’re specific.

From your historical posts I think were near enough the same age in the same part of London doing similar work .... but you didn’t have the £30k debt haha. So what was the point, apart from the fun and games (which were good.)

Hoofy- I think that’s the underlying issue here..... the “itch.” Also, I do OK, but part of me wishes I was really really good as something worthwhile, something to be very proud of. Extracting money being a half decent salesman (of decent stuff that goes in products that make a difference admittedly) ain’t making me proud these days!