Qualification or vocation?

I bet I’m not the only one who has asked themselves the question; why the hell am I actually at University?

Now that I have a specific career goal in mind (PR,) I do sometimes wonder if my degree is really equipping me with skills for the big wide world. Or could I have just started at the bottom and worked my way up in the industry? I mean, last semester for example, I had 6 hours worth of lectures a week. That works out as something ridiculous like £50 a lecture. Is it really worth it?

Some argue that to be successful in industries like PR it’s all about personality. So the chances are, you could just have the qualification, just the personality, or both. Does one really mean better chance of success than the other?

In my opinion, my degree alone may not be my key to my dream job, but going to University has opened so many doors for me and has given me access to opportunities that I never would have had otherwise. I think PR seems like a pretty perfect job for me, but before I came to Uni I didn’t even know what it was! My degree is equipping me with the obvious skills, like time management, communication, team-work etc, but there are other ways that you can really get your money’s worth out of University! You can be involved in sports and societies, student newspapers, get free careers and business guidance, network, you can get help finding a part-time job, you get involved in events and the list goes on.

As for that ideal personality, when I think of my former just turned 18 self beginning uni, and look at myself just a year and a half on there is a huge difference. I kind of felt like I was being thrown in at the deep end, moving away from home, making new friends, getting used to a new way of learning and all the rest- but it’s definitely done wonders for my confidence. Uni has made me realise that stuff doesn’t just happen; you have to make it happen.

So okay, maybe not everyone who is studying for a degree will make use of it in future, or will need it to get into their prospective sector, but I know I would be at a complete loss without mine!