If not university then what?

With final exams done, the situation got quite hot, very hot for all Form 4 and Upper Sixth students! Pass or fail, not everyone will go to university due to a number of reasons such as not meeting the entry requirements or maybe even parents who are unable to raise fees.Is this the end of the world for you if you don’t make it into university?

Of course not!

There’s whole world of alternative career paths that you can explore starting with certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas offered by various local colleges and polytechnics.

These professional and vocational qualifications are accredited by internationally recognised exam bodies.

This means that should you wish to work abroad, your qualification will be recognised.

Professional qualifications cover diverse areas such as marketing, finance, accounting, banking, hospitality, management, journalism, project management, travel and tourism, logistics and purchasing.

A number of professional business courses are just as good as, or better than, many university degrees, cost less and generally can be completed in a shorter time.

This means that you can start earning money much faster than your friends who opt to go the university route. Whether you enjoy tinkering with computer hardware or even if creating programmes and applications is your thing, there are a number of ICT based courses that will equip you with the skills to get a job or establish a business in the ICT sector.

Many of these ICT courses are internationally respected and will give you a firm foundation in important fields of ICT such as programming, networking, web development, database management and systems administration.

Some of these professional qualifications can lead to a university degree after one or two years further study.

If you’re not purely academic in your natural abilities, you may want to consider a hands-on qualification in any of the many vocational career options available.

Vocational qualifications cover technical areas such as motor maintenance, auto electrics, welding, carpentry, electrical engineering, telecommunications, as well as more creative pursuits such as fashion design, interior décor and events management.

The beauty about professional and vocational qualifications is that they contain a strong practical element which means that you not only learn about how things

work but you will often get involved.

So if you are doing say a motor maintenance course, in addition to learning diagrams about how a car engine works, you will actually get to work on, strip and reassemble a car and hold the different engine parts in your hands.

Start dates for professional and vocational courses are flexible and typically you don’t have to wait for the beginning of a new academic year. If you don’t have any Advanced Level qualifications or wish to enter tertiary education straight after your Ordinary Level studies, bridging courses are available for many qualifications.

So whether or not you make it to university, there’s a whole world of exciting and rewarding careers waiting to be discovered!