[timp]

I know that you know but... *sigh*

OK yeah I shouldn't have capitalised the 'r' on 'revision'.

[bmstinton93]

Exam period is almost upon me again. And this time I can't resit

[Yudster]

Ah Ben - absolute worst case scenario, you can ALWAYS resit. Maybe not in this school year, but you can. I understand why you don't want to though. Best of luck, I reckon you'll be fine.

[bmstinton93]

Technically, I can resit but its not really an option as it would be pointless because tuition fees will be at £9,000 a year after this year and no matter what anyone says it isn't worth going to Uni for that amount.

And Thanks

[chrysostom]

Technically, I can resit but its not really an option as it would be pointless because tuition fees will be at £9,000 a year after this year and no matter what anyone says it isn't worth going to Uni for that amount.

that's not technically true now, is it? £9,000 a year, with living costs of £7,200 a year, means a 3 year degree would represent an investment of £48,600.

If you know what you're going to do, and that degree will help you in a career which will earn you £40,000 a year after the first 5 years (just for arguments sake)then you can look at taking 10% of your earnings - and paying off your student debt by the age of 39 (without taking into account any increase in your salary that could arise), leaving you to work for another 25+ years, at what would presumably be a higher rate when compared to your career without a degree.

however that's not always the case, and careers where degrees aren't essential are just as financially rewarding - but they tend to be utility oriented (plumbers, electricians, mechanics etc [feel free to correct me if i'm wrong]). if you don't want to go into a career like that, then you'll have to get a degree in order to compete in a majority of company/agency based industries - just to be noticed by your potential employers.

future generations won't have it anywhere near as easy as the ones who came before them - but that doesn't make it impossible.

[bmstinton93]

Technically, I can resit but its not really an option as it would be pointless because tuition fees will be at £9,000 a year after this year and no matter what anyone says it isn't worth going to Uni for that amount.

that's not technically true now, is it? £9,000 a year, with living costs of £7,200 a year, means a 3 year degree would represent an investment of £48,600.

If you know what you're going to do, and that degree will help you in a career which will earn you £40,000 a year after the first 5 years (just for arguments sake)then you can look at taking 10% of your earnings - and paying off your student debt by the age of 39 (without taking into account any increase in your salary that could arise), leaving you to work for another 25+ years, at what would presumably be a higher rate when compared to your career without a degree.

however that's not always the case, and careers where degrees aren't essential are just as financially rewarding - but they tend to be utility oriented (plumbers, electricians, mechanics etc [feel free to correct me if i'm wrong]). if you don't want to go into a career like that, then you'll have to get a degree in order to compete in a majority of company/agency based industries - just to be noticed by your potential employers.

future generations won't have it anywhere near as easy as the ones who came before them - but that doesn't make it impossible.

But also, it can be a hell of a lot harder to get a job even with a good degree and there are many people still in unemployment with good degrees so its a bigger risk now

[Yudster]

There's no way Miss Yudster could have gone to uni if we'd had to pay tuition fees at all, let alone at those ridiculous rates. However, as it begins to bite, and the current trend of a far higher proportion of school leavers than ever before going to uni slows and then reverses (which surely it must), I do think that the current necessity of a degree in order to get any entry level white-collar job will dilute. There simply won't be the same number of applicants WITH one. Initially it will probably mean that having a degree will mean you are far more likely to get a job (which would mean money well spent), but over time I think that will change, as employers realise that the best candidates aren't always the ones with the university educations.

[MK Chris]

I love how the government line on tuition fees is that it's to raise more money.... but realistically they won't get any of that money back for at least five years after they've loaned it, all it means in the short term is that they're loaning more money... which means they don't have as much as they would have if they'd not raised tuition fees. Madness.

[bmstinton93]

I hate the fact that they have had to make them rise so steeply. Obviously, I see why they have done it but there must have been some other way of saving money than ruining education for many young people.
Luckily I just avoid the tuition fee rises

[chrysostom]

but over time I think that will change, as employers realise that the best candidates aren't always the ones with the university educations.

but surely the biggest and most prestigious jobs will continue to go to graduates - meaning that at the higher end of the scale, a degree is still desirable.

in reality it will probably cut the number of unemployed graduates by making less graduates altogether, but attaching more value to a degree (as the candidates with degrees will be going to the top of the list). as hard as alan sugar tries, companies will always see a young person with a degree as more capable as one of the same age with 'life experience'. to get the industry experience is a much more difficult route - which still favours those with a degree.

[timp]

I'm not sure I'd have gone to uni for 9 grand a year. So glad I managed to do my undergrad with capped fees AND have managed to get onto a Classics PGCE for next year before the fees treble...

[Yudster]

I don't think anyone sees individuals with degrees as automatically "more capable" - its just a more obvious pointer towards their capability. But yes, on the whole I think you're probably right, but it was ever thus - that is what university has always been for and its always been a middle class institution. Its only very recently that changed at all really, and it hasn't taken very long for everyone to adopt the mindset that university is a right rather than a privilege. Just because it should be doesn't mean it will be though.

[Nicola_Red]

It's crazy. I got all my tuition fees paid and got a grant (under the early 90s Tory government!) - if I was 18 now, I wouldn't be able to afford to go to uni at all. But it's not necessarily true that degrees will afford people the better careers, or that the only careers open to those without will be trades like plumbing. Dan flunked college and didn't go to uni at all - he is an SQL software developer and earns 32k. I have a BA and an MA and I work in theatre and earn 13k.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

Technically, I can resit but its not really an option as it would be pointless because tuition fees will be at £9,000 a year after this year and no matter what anyone says it isn't worth going to Uni for that amount.

that's not technically true now, is it? £9,000 a year, with living costs of £7,200 a year, means a 3 year degree would represent an investment of £48,600.

If you know what you're going to do, and that degree will help you in a career which will earn you £40,000 a year after the first 5 years (just for arguments sake)then you can look at taking 10% of your earnings - and paying off your student debt by the age of 39 (without taking into account any increase in your salary that could arise), leaving you to work for another 25+ years, at what would presumably be a higher rate when compared to your career without a degree.

however that's not always the case, and careers where degrees aren't essential are just as financially rewarding - but they tend to be utility oriented (plumbers, electricians, mechanics etc [feel free to correct me if i'm wrong]). if you don't want to go into a career like that, then you'll have to get a degree in order to compete in a majority of company/agency based industries - just to be noticed by your potential employers.

future generations won't have it anywhere near as easy as the ones who came before them - but that doesn't make it impossible.

You would have to pay more then 48k interest is charged at the rate of inflation. I'm still paying mine back despite it only being 9k and that was 8 years ago. I'm not earning 40k admittedly...

[Nicola_Red]

Piercing replacement update: I just found I had eaten my entire tongue bar with my tea. I guess the ball wasn't screwed on tight enough after all...*sigh*

[dreamer1978]

The rain that affected Central Scotland today. Waking up to dark clouds and rain. Then having to go outside and got completely soaked.

[foot-loose]

The Scots * anything with a pulse! Talking of which......where is foots?

Apparently he hasn't got much internet currently. He did name a quick visit a couple of weeks ago but didn't post or anything

I'm here. Basically Sky made a right * up of putting me online. Started off they blamed BT for the delay which I believed, then lost the internet order and told me it would be another "fifteen" working days which, including the bank holidays, would have meant I wasn't gonna be online till mid May. That basically meant it would take them twelve weeks to put me on the net. Combined with there terrible customer service, involving three separate complaints, I canceled their contract. On the other hand, O2 spoke to me on the Friday, the router was with me on Monday and they had me online by Thursday. Four working days.

I am a big fan of O2 now.

NATWEST!!! What a bunch of wankers!! I HATE BANKS!! Honestly, how much do Natwest waste on selling themselves as 'the helpful bank'. BOLLOCKS! You iz a bunch of ***ts just like all the rest.

I have paid myself today, as usual. Natwest have taken the money out of my business acount, but not put it into my personal account. Apparently this is because all my S/O's would leave me £8 overdrawn on business account, so they have stopped ALL payments. NOTE: stopped ALL payments, for the sake of £8 - not stopped my £20 S/O, or my £50 S/O. No, no, no. That'd be far to silly, why bounce ONE payment when you can hold them all.

I'm told, if I can put the £8 in before 1430 today, all will be fine. Yet when I pointed out you've taken my pay, but not given it to me, or I could just transfer £8 back again, I was told there is nothing they can do to help!!!

how these organisations have got like this is beyond me. Bankers should all be regulated or shut down. I understand the requirement to make money for providing a service, but they are a bunch of law-less scumbags with no regard for real life.

That level of red tape is totally ridiculous, but I am totally sure that if something like that happened with my bank, given the level of unreasonableness of what they've done, I am 100% confident that if I went in and explained and pointed out that they had put me in an impossible position, they would sort it out for me. I might be being naive, but I really believe they would help me.

Yeah, I was told my business account manager would be able to sort it, I should see him. I pointed out my business manager is 85 miles away, and you've taken my pay but not given it back to me, so how do you expect me to travel 85 miles with no money....?

"I don't know sir".

TWATS!!!

honestly, I am such a placid character, it takes a lot to get me annoyed, but right now, I really think if I were stood in front of my bank manager, and I had a shot-gun...... I know its wrong and i'd end up in lots of trouble, but them *unts need to understand how it is. Act a twat, BOOM, bye-bye head!

Agreed Bob, and your not far off the mark. it was poor planning on my behalf to be ending the week £8 down. But, what my problem was on Friday was the fact Natwest hadn't taken 1 of my standing orders (prefer a £20 one over a £200 one, but either way) and bounced it, charged me, and paid the rest. That I could handle. They had put ALL my S/O's on hold while awaiting this £8. Meaning my 'pay' had been taken from one account, but was not available in the other.

Although I left work and ended up getting this sorted within brach, the shower of shit did continue. Turns out the 'business account manager' I was told would be contacting me back (within 4 hours) to resolve the issue was not even with the company any more! But, I remained polite, made my point and stuck to my guns. Took half hour in the branch, but they got it sorted in the end.

I suppose this is sorted now but please feel free to PM me if you wish to talk about it. Did anyone explain why they canceled all the payments? I have never worked in that part of the business but I would assume that the Bank can't make the decision which standing orders to pay and which ones to cancel if it is going to take you overdrawn. Are you signed up with telephone / online banking? They should be able to move money about for you.

They're part of RBS, so he should be able to help actually.

Yes and no. On one hand I want to help as best I can. However, on the other hand, there are always two sides to the story and in this instance, I don't know the Bank's side. I am wary of storming into the middle of whatever is happening and potentially making a situation worse.

I'm happy to talk to folk, give my opinion on whatever is happening and point in the right direction. I would probably draw the line at actually looking at someones account though.

[SAV1OUR]

These hangovers are getting worse, got completely shitfaced, didn't intend to, spot of beergardening as yer do.

[dreamer1978]

These hangovers are getting worse, got completely shitfaced, didn't intend to, spot of beergardening as yer do.

As you get older hangovers get worse and you don't have to drink that much to get one. Argh. I get drunk quicker and easier now. Sucks.

[SAV1OUR]

Yeah it's awful cos you just wanna sleep all the time. Knocked a drink over the same person as last time, I ran away. I broke a glass the other day too, at home. Lighting the candle at both ends and I'm turning into Clumsy Westwood.

[DevilsDuck]

Annoying me is this twat footloose coming back and not even saying hello!

*sulks*

[foot-loose]

You'll get your hello later sweet cheeks x

[Yudster]

Piercing replacement update: I just found I had eaten my entire tongue bar with my tea. I guess the ball wasn't screwed on tight enough after all...*sigh*

Ok - I know I shouldn't, but I have to ask - when it reappears, will you clean it up and put it back in?!

[Nicola_Red]

No, I purchased a new one. If I waited, the piercing might close up (obviously that's the only reason).

[Senninha25]

Spring is here, and so is the sun...Nice weather and all that but I hate it when I end up sweating after a 5/10 minute walk.