RJ
Established Member
I'll tell you a few things that people generally won't.
Money comes and money goes. But you may well make more in the long run if you persevere with your degree. You can rush to earn £22k now, as long as you are comfortable with the prospect of earning the same in 10 years time. There is nothing at all wrong with that, but the fact you have chosen to invest in further education suggests this is not likely to be the case.
Don't worry about leaving a job after working for 2 months. Worry about funding your living and bills first and foremost. It's an opportunity to gain experience, make contacts and have something to put on your CV.
If progression is what you're after, the fastest way to get to management and senior roles is to get a degree and onto a graduate scheme. You can start in a customer facing role and work your way up, but the reality is you could be stuck in one grade for several years. Nepotism and favouritsm is rife in the railways and should you fall on the wrong side of these, you may find progression to be glacial. These days other career paths are available, even if people grumble about it.
Some people in this thread have mocked your course but pay them no mind at all. A degree in humanities will qualify you to apply for a broad range of graduate schemes, including those on the railways. And if you have extra curricular activities/work experience on the railways, these will help you to get a job once you graduate.
Do not let the debt element influence your decision. It really does work more like a tax - your repayments are contingent on your earnings. It doesn't show on your credit report and you won't be chased by debt collectors.
There's nothing to stop you doing the degree and working for the railways part time - you'll earn a few quid to boost your quality of life whilst at university and you will have valuable experience that will set you apart from the competition when it comes time for the grad scheme bunfight.
At university, you will benefit from mixing with people who share your interest and are from a variety of social classes and cultures. Don't underestimate the value of this. Some people's cultural norms from a young age prime them to work the education, experience day, internship and grad scheme systems to walk into careers with a decent salary and accelerated progression rate. Learn from them and you won't be one of the people left jobless after graduation.
The most valuable part of the degree I did was the 3rd year industrial placement - do one if you can. Everyone who did this on my course landed a role they were happy with some months prior to the end of the final academic year. I also attained a fair amount of rail industry working experience whilst I was studying and this proved invaluable when job hunting in final year.
Of course, all this only applies if you are committed to your course - if you won't complete it, consider switching and transfering credits across.
That's my advice.
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