Hazel Dawson, 18, has just got a B and two Ds in her A-levels, in sociology, government and politics, and geography at Christ the King sixth-form college in Lewisham, London.
Since I don’t know what I want to do for my career, I couldn’t see a reason to go to university. Instead, I’m going to give myself those three years to try out lots of jobs, do courses and volunteering, and work out what I want to do that way.
I feel people my age aren’t allowed to be unsure of things – it’s all, “quick, make a decision about what you want to do for the rest of your life, and off you go”. But I’m embracing uncertainty – I want to try to find something I really love.
I’m training for a scheme where I can go into schools to help children learn to read, and applying for retail jobs for the money. I’m living at home: my parents have definitely got me for a while, but I tell them they’re lucky – it would cost a lot more money if I was off to uni.
All my friends are going, though – literally everyone in my year group. My mum supported my decision, but my dad was keen on me going to uni: he’s an academic – he went to university and never left – and he maintains I’ll become a student one day. Maybe I will, I think I’d appreciate it more when I’m older.
George Purchase, 18, took accounts, physics and chemistry A-levels at Barr Beacon school in the West Midlands. He got an A and two Bs.
Work experience made me realise I didn’t need to go to university. I did a week in the finance department of a hospital, and then another with [accountancy firm] PwC, and I really enjoyed it. At the end of the week, I was put through the assessment scheme … and was offered a place on the higher apprenticeship in tax.
I had intended to go to uni, but faced with a choice of going through Ucas and three years of studies, or going straight into work, with a guaranteed job as a tax technician while avoiding £9,000-a-year debt in fees, it seemed like a no-brainer. I talked to my parents about it – they didn’t go to university and although initially they were keen for me to get a degree, we agreed it was better to get straight in and get professional qualifications.
I’ll miss the comparatively laid-back life of education but I’m not worried about missing out on the social bit of uni. A lot of my friends are going to local universities, and with social media I can talk to everyone on Skype and play online games – technology means distance isn’t really an issue. Read more
