Metro.co.uk, 15/08/2024
On A-level results day, Emily Allen explains why university might not always be the best route to get ready for the world of work.
Digging my nails into my palms, I got up from my desk and stumbled down the corridor.
Once I reached the privacy of the office loos, I finally let the tears stream down my cheeks.
Sadly, this had become a common occurrence. Two, maybe three times a day, I’d find myself crying in a toilet cubicle, or sometimes silently at my desk.
This particular upset was all because of an email my boss had sent. It read: ‘This isn’t the standard we expect – start it again.’
On the surface that might seem like a perfectly reasonable request between a manager and junior staff member. But all it did was reinforce how inadequate, useless and wholly unprepared I felt for the world of work.
Just a few months before, I’d left university feeling full of success, and eager for the future.
Now, with hindsight, I wish I’d never bothered with higher education at all and had instead taken a completely different path.
When I was in sixth form, university was seen as the only route to success.
No one ever talked about exploring other direct-to-workplace avenues – such as an internship – and in truth I never considered any alternative. Continue Reading >>
