‘What Do YOU Want To Do After Uni?’ – Is Higher Education Only A Stepping Stone For What Comes Next?

— ‘Do you know what you wanna do after uni?’  

That was the question asked to me on the third day of induction week back in September, a week before I even began my three-year degree. I’d only just arrived and already, amongst the usual small talk, I was being asked what was next. I laughed a little and replied that I had no clue. This interaction would repeat itself countless times within that week and between countless groups of students. Looking back more than two months later, I’ve begun to question the points it raises. 

Is that all university is?  

Is it just a stepping stone to achieve what comes next, erasing any real standalone value?  

Surely university has worth beyond simply setting you up for what comes next? 

I think there’s a certain (not unexpected) anxiety surrounding the question of what to do following university. The only reason one completes a degree is to increase their career prospects, right? So surely one must get a job as soon as those three years are up? For me, that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth and I think it’s important to get comfortable with the idea that university isn’t always just about increasing job opportunities or gaining access to a specific career path. Personally, I adore my subject and to pursue it post-college level felt obvious to understand and study it in more depth. I am lucky and privileged that for me, university was about continuing to do something I love and am passionate about. Whilst this may very well lead to better job opportunities down the line, it wasn’t THE reason I chose to continue with education. For me, university was very much about the ‘during’ rather than the ‘after.’

However, this is not the case for everyone. Having asked other students’ opinions, one individual stated their reason for choosing to attend university is that ‘[they] want to have better/more interesting and fulfilling job opportunities – better job prospects and higher income jobs’. This is an equally valid reason to choose to go to university (and note that this does not mean there isn’t passion and interest in the subject being studied) and makes sense that it would factor into their decisions. Furthermore, with the cost of living crisis and inflation, and more people struggling financially on the daily, it is unsurprising that students would attend university with access to higher-paying jobs and careers in mind.

My main takeaway is that there isn’t one reason why people choose to pursue education at a university level. To assume that people ONLY attend university for career prospects would be false and short-sighted. A student’s uni experience is unique to the individual and the same can be said for their reasons of being there. Often, I think, there is pressure for your experience to match an expectation of what university “should” be like. But at the end of the day, only YOU know why you’re here and only YOU can define your uni experience. (And you definitely don’t need to know what comes next on day one!).

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