Education and The Future

Yesterday in Britain, for the majority of 17-18 year old's, it was results day; the end of thirteen years of studying at school. For many, this day was nerve-racking as their place at University, or a job that they had secured, probably depended on their grades. For me however, it was simply me saying goodbye to seven years at the same place, and the end of my education.

I didn't get bad grades, in fact the grades I got could take me to University easily. I received 280 UCAS points, which is pretty decent and many courses in the creative sector have lower grade boundaries than this. The reason I'm not going to University is that I still don't really know what I want to do in life definitively; I have always wanted to do something creative and for a long time I wanted to go into Photography, yet I don't know if there is room for me in such an over saturated market such as Fashion and I don't think I stand out enough to justify spending thousands of pounds on an education where I can potentially be self-taught.

I was awarded two B's for Textiles and Drama and a C in Business Studies; I didn't really expect these grades and thought that I had failed completely. Towards the end of Sixth Form, one of my best friends dropped out and this made me question whether I should also drop out; I had lost all motivation for every one of my subjects and I didn't really put in any effort at all if I am honest, I just couldn't be bothered.

Looking back, I am glad that I stuck Sixth Form out, any grades are more attractive to a prospective employer than none, however I feel like I am always going to be left wondering 'what if'. What would my life be like if I had actually made effort, would I have got higher grades and would I be writing this telling the world that I was accepted into University, like my friends are bombarding my varied social networks telling me?

However, right now, something is telling me that this is the right decision. The department store I work in is currently expanding the handbags department and there are many new positions opening up, offering exciting opportunities for me; one of which I have already applied for.

University isn't for everyone and I'm not sure that I could have coped with another three, or potentially four, years of education after thirteen years of intense learning. I think there will be days I do regret not going, and right now a tab on browser is open for a University close to me which has their late admissions line on but I need to stick it out and trust my instincts for a while and hope that I am doing the right thing. And lets be honest, I can always apply next year.

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