Apprenticeship vs. University: Making the Right Choice
Choosing your career is an important step of your life and requires a lot of consideration and thought put into it. When deciding career paths, some people are given the option to choose between apprenticeships and university qualification.
The apprenticeship vs. university degree debate is an age-old debate, confusing prospective students each year. In this article, we try to offer you a perspective to assist you in this debate by listing out the pros and cons of each.
The Differences
Firstly, it must be understood that the two are completely different in nature and offer different benefits. For instance, apprenticeships are preferred by prospective candidates because of how they offer both the training as well as the skills for the job role while also paying them for their efforts.
Apprenticeships are also considered because of the experience they offer which gives apprentices an upper hand over other people, with lesser or no experience, when applying for jobs.
Degrees, on the contrary, require students to pay tuition fee often leaving them in heavy student loan debts and poor financial conditions. However, university degrees are still preferred by the larger masses because of how they offer a more comprehensive training, wider skill set, and higher employ-ability chances.
Another differentiating factor between the two is the availability of programs. University degrees and qualifications offer a wider, more in-depth range of programs, while apprenticeships can sometimes have a limited range.
What Do You Learn?
University degrees focus more on education, research and comprehensive assessments of the taught material. These degrees are more theory-based and are supported by regular teaching sessions such as lectures, seminars etc.
What Are the Job Opportunities Offered?
A traditional university degree has a longer tenure, is more comprehensive, and regularly assesses students skills as compared to a vocational degree. However, both of these offer a good range of job opportunities and have good career scopes.
Apprenticeships have a limiting nature in terms of the training and skills offered which are industry-specific. Moreover, the skills gained from apprenticeships are mostly nontransferable. It must also be noted that professions related to healthcare, business, and science would require a conventional university degree rather than a vocational degree.
Employer’s Preferences
Both pathways are highly respected by employers and generally well-received. University degrees are regarded for their comprehensive nature and skill sets while vocational degrees are valued for the experience and hands on training.
Both apprenticeships and university qualifications have equal job opportunities, no preferences and fair assessing criteria, however, certain professions require a degree such as medical practitioners and nurses, corporate managers, etc.
Therefore, in conclusion, for those who are looking for a more comprehensive degree, university degrees are the best choice. While for experience seeking candidates, vocational degrees make a more suitable option.
It must be noted, however, that an applicant’s financial situation should not influence their career pathway choice.
If you want to choose the university route then ensure your financial route is as covered as it can be, do not take out payday or short term loans to cover any expenses, even a student loan is a last resort. Try and get a part time job to help you through, maybe a family member can help? whatever choice you make you will probably come out of university with debt, but your career choices from there should be considerably better and paying of that debt shouldn’t be a burden for too long
If you found this article interesting then try out our other blog articles for general life hints and tips, contact us if you have any questions or requests