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Is University Really Worth It? - Part 3

Georgia Dunstan-Brown

Welcome to the last part in our series on “Is university really worth it?” We’ve talked to a couple of Kuvio team members and everyone has been to university at some stage in their life, it’s whether they believed the time and money spent at university was truly valuable to them.

Taking out a student loan should probably be taken more seriously than what it is currently. Many students may not understand how much debt they’re getting into, especially because most have a lack of experience when it comes to finances. With tuition being so expensive, it also puts a lot of pressure on people entering university as they feel that the major that they choose is what their career will turn out to be.

Georgia, one of our marketing associates and writers knew that she always wanted to get into the media, whether that be through journalism or broadcasting. But the thought of sitting in a lecture hall and writing essays wasn’t appealing to her.

“I wanted to study after school, but didn’t want to go to university, so looked at other options. In New Zealand we have a polytech called Whitireia, which teaches a bit of everything from construction, to nursing, to radio broadcasting. It was the perfect transition from high school as the classrooms were small and you had better one on one time with your tutor.”

After entering Whitireia, Georgia decided to go ahead with radio broadcasting, but into her second year, she realised she didn’t really want to go into the radio industry (mostly due to the job prospects) and wanted to pursue journalism.

“After graduating from Whitireia, I realised that I wanted to study more, so enrolled in university, majoring in journalism. I got over my fear of lecture halls and have really enjoyed the experience.”

Getting to the end of her degree has shown Georgia that even though she doesn’t actually want to pursue journalism, the skills she learnt from her communications degree, have been invaluable.

“I’ve learnt how to write in different styles and be more conscious of my creative process, which has proven useful in the job I have now at Kuvio. I think that even though university is very expensive and you do have to think hard into what degree you want to do, it does give you life lessons that you couldn’t get from being self-taught.

But if university isn’t right for you, it’s ok to look for other options and try things out, like I did. Think about study as a long-term investment for your future, because even though some things don’t work out, you still have time to try something else.”

Kayla, another one of our marketing associates also studies communications at university. She knew in high school that she wanted to attend university, but had no idea what she wanted to study or what kind of career she wanted. At first she wanted to be a veterinarian, but the sight of blood made her feel unwell, so it wasn’t a realistic goal.

“I ended up choosing the university I attend because they allow students to be undeclared for up to two years.”

The university experience was important to Kayla as it helped her to mature, become more independent and gain skills she needed to be more successful in the working world.

“I think you can learn a lot from your professors and college helps to improve your work ethic. I also think having a degree can make you a more attractive candidate when applying for jobs.

However, I hate how expensive it is because it can really limit students who would like to attend college.”

Regardless, Kayla wishes the whole experience would last longer.

“I am graduating next spring and I am not ready for it to end! I guess that might be a sign I need to head on to grad school…”

While also studying, Kayla has been working at Kuvio after having applied last summer when she saw an internship posting through her university’s website.

“I had a Skype interview and after learning more about the company I knew this would be a fantastic place to work. I was offered the job and the rest is history!”

When choosing to study after high school or to self-teach yourself, it ultimately comes down to you. University comes with debt, but it also comes with valuable experiences. Self-teaching can come with discipline and a great work ethic that can get you to your dream job without the debt. It’s ok to take the time to figure it out for yourself as it is a big decision.

We hope that this blog series has been useful to you in some way, whether that be inspiration to try something new, or hearing that your degree can be useful. Tell us about your experiences on our socials @kuviocreative.

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