Debt woes

[pr1]

"I don’t know exactly how much I owe in student loans but based on what other people owe I think it is probably around £40,000. I’m not worried about it yet."

[BrilloPad]

Yep, I read this article this morning and couldn't believe the amount of debt a graduate starts their employment with: https://www.theguardian.com/educatio...th-it-students

I started work with £600 of debt. Spent on beer. I thought it was a lot of money. Inflation helped out enormously.

[VectraMan]

Yep, I read this article this morning and couldn't believe the amount of debt a graduate starts their employment with: https://www.theguardian.com/educatio...th-it-students

I think people often forget that the publicised £6K or even £9K a year isn't "all inclusive".

I owed about £2K by the time I left university and that seemed scary at the time and that was with the government paying me to go.

It seems to me a graduate tax would be a better solution, or at least a less bad solution. Pay a slightly higher rate of income tax for the rest of your life in exchange for free further education and a grant.

[LondonManc]

This can only be achieved by increasing tax, or by reducing drastically the number of places. Or just make certain courses free (perhaps just Physics, Maths, Chemistry, English and History); the rest can subsidise those.

Reduce places, like I said, if you'd read the rest of the post before hitting the quote button

Science degrees are a big must - but so are other essential tech disciplines including computing degrees. All I remember is that there was too much focus on the academic side of the subjects without much in the way of work-based examples. Uni in no way prepared you for the office workplace, but I suppose they want to keep people in academia forever.

[LondonManc]

"I don’t know exactly how much I owe in student loans but based on what other people owe I think it is probably around £40,000. I’m not worried about it yet."

I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually.

I started work with £600 of debt. Spent on beer. I thought it was a lot of money. Inflation helped out enormously.

I left uni having made a profit by working a Saturday job in the first year then full summers of night shifts between the other years. Obviously no fees back in the early 90s but no grants either.

[The_Equalizer]

This can only be achieved by increasing tax, or by reducing drastically the number of places. Or just make certain courses free (perhaps just Physics, Maths, Chemistry, English and History); the rest can subsidise those.

A bit UKIP isn't?

UKIP would make STEM tuition-fee free, and revise net migration count - TES

[LondonManc]

A bit UKIP isn't?

UKIP would make STEM tuition-fee free, and revise net migration count - TES

Quite possibly, but each party has a small selection of ideas that appeal. No party has an overall package that I've seen as worth voting for. I've been impressed with PM May since he left Top Gear; doing a cracking job at No 10.

[The_Equalizer]

I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually.




I left uni having made a profit by working a Saturday job in the first year then full summers of night shifts between the other years. Obviously no fees back in the early 90s but no grants either.

Same here of sorts. I did the first year of engineering away and then swapped degrees so I could live at home and not get into debt. Also worked in a factory 3-4 nights a week to ensure I had something to live on other than toenails. Saved up for the Masters too and then managed to get an award to do it so felt rather well off (for a student) for a year. If I were going now £9K/year would put in very sharp focus whether I should go at all, and if so, what to study.

[The_Equalizer]

Quite possibly, but each party has a small selection of ideas that appeal. No party has an overall package that I've seen as worth voting for. I've been impressed with PM May since he left Top Gear; doing a cracking job at No 10.

It was rather tongue-in-cheek. I think it makes good very good sense to me.

[LondonManc]

It was rather tongue-in-cheek. I think it makes good very good sense to me.

Fair enough; my comment still stands though about all parties having some good ideas.