Opinion : Were your exam results A-Ok?

Last Thursday, 13th August 2015, was a decisive day for many of the younger citizens of the town as it was the day they got their exam results.

Of the 300,000 (or so) youngsters in the UK who got their exam results last week over 98% passed all their exams and 25.9% received A or A* grades.

Many will have the necessary grades to continue their education. But for those who failed the only option is to sign on the dole while trying to find work.

Of course those who do continue in education are likely to rack up huge debts in the process now tuition fees have risen so high.

Personally my good self thinks it’s wrong that the youngsters should be shouldered with such huge debt so early in their lives.

Surely it would be better to give an incentive to do well such as saying that anyone who gets good grades at University has their tuition fees wiped out while those who underachieve have to pay off their debt in full?

Even if the youngsters get a good degree grade they are not certain of getting a well paid job. If there is a downturn in the economy when they graduate then finding work could be hard.

Just having a degree is no longer a guarantee of well paid employment indeed choosing a qualification relevant to your desired career choice is vital. These days degrees are offered is some wacky subjects that have very little relevance to a commercial environment.

Far worse than the burden of tuition fee debt is the realisation that the subject you have studied for the past three years is totally useless and you have got into great debt while filling your brain with pointless knowledge.

As for my good self, well, in my younger day all those years ago I was lucky enough to achieve qualifications from some of the worlds top educational establishments. Indeed my certificate from Harvard was probably the pinnacle of my academic achievement.

Yours truly was even invited to give lectures on particle physics at top establishments in London. But look at me now. Clinically obese and stuck in a dead end job the highlight of my day is a trip down Wycombe High Street to the Parish Churchyard to eat my sandwiches.

Life is what you make it, but you never know how things will turn out.

I say good luck to all those who got their exam results last week but before you make a life changing decision about what to do next stop and think very carefully.

If you do decide to further your education then spend your money wisely. Find a good place to study with a proven track record of academic excellence that is highly placed in the educational establishment league tables.

If you’re going to get into huge debt then it’s best to get value for your money.

What do you think?

*My blogs are published every Tuesday and Friday evening around 8.00pm here on the WycombeToday.com website.

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