University or Apprenticeship

University or apprenticeship? A question so many school and college leavers (including myself) will have been asking themselves this summer.

Growing up I had always heard stories of university student life. The parties, meeting new friends and living away from home seemed like the dream yet the financial side was not so inviting. I would then speak to friends who went in to an apprenticeship after finishing school who would boast about the concept of learning and making money at the same time; allowing them to gain experience within the work place and progress in their job role.



Toward the end of my time at college I was in two minds as to where I wanted to go after college, completely stuck within two minds as to whether an apprenticeship or university would be better for me. For this reason I applied for both; spending countless hours in search of the right apprenticeships and university courses for me. I knew I wanted to continue my education within the media, marketing industry and therefore searched for a future with this in mind. I applied for a place at Sheffield Hallam University studying 'Digital media production' and got an unconditional offer. This was fabulous news but I was still unsure of if the pro's of student life overwhelmed the con's and whether this would be a right life choice for me as an individual. Growing up many of my friends had their hearts set on university since high school; knowing exactly what and where they wanted to study. As for me, I wasn't overly bothered about university I just wanted the reassurance of knowing I had a career and experience so that I could progress into my chosen area of industry.

I applied for various apprenticeships, some resulting in the success of an interview and others not so successful. The process was long and required a lot of patience as I wanted to be sure of cramming in every aspect to my CV to its full potential. After a few nerve racking interviews I had experienced the reality of applying for a job and the interview process, which is beneficial as it provides me with a taste of how interviews are held. After reading up on apprenticeships and what each had to offer I realised that an apprenticeship was what I wanted. An apprenticeship allows me to learn within the working environment as well as gain knowledge and experience with my selected industry of interest. Additionally, I will be informed of how the company is ran and live the working day within the companies environment. I feel that this experience and knowledge picked up within the apprenticeship process is more valuable than leaving university with a degree and limited experience. Furthermore, there is a chance of permanent employment with the company once the apprenticeship year is over; an opportunity to further your chances within the industry.

There are various options for school and college leavers, and the final decision for them completely depends on which suits the candidate best.