h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

>> But, by the time you're thirty, your experience will start counting for more.

On the other hand, by the time you are 40 degrees start to matter again, because everyone has the same amount of experience.

Also there are various things you can't do without a degree. Emigrating is harder, for a start, and it is hard to get a second degree without a first one, so doing an MBA or a specialist or vocational Masters becomes much harder if not impossible.

All in all, I would recommend anyone in their late teens to do a degree, even though the advantages in your 20s might not be obvious. But go for something which enthusiases you if you cannot find a vocational one which leads you in a direction you want to go in.

B

Good points, Ben. What I was trying to say (badly) was that, by the time you're thirty, no amount of first degrees will save you if you don't have an aptitude for what you're doing, and conversely not having a degree shouldn't be a hindrance if you're really good at it. I use thirty as a sort of abitrary watershed.

Also, one of my regrets is that I didn't complete my degree, or any degree, when I was younger. I would recommend it to any young person, not just for the study (and I do wonder about some of the degrees being offered these days! ) but also as it enables personal growth, independence and maturity. Yes, go look at all those students acting in a mature fashion!

RF