• Question: In your opinion which is the better route after college for education? University or an apprenticeship?

    Asked by AL3X99 - ROBOTLEGGANG to Vinita, Rachel, Pam, Christopher, Brian, Andrew on 4 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Andrew Ratcliffe

      Andrew Ratcliffe answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      Both are great routes in engineering. Apprenticeships provides you direct insight into industry and real experience in engineering projects. University may provide you with a more theoretical insight into design and manufacturing but may give you a broader insight into the field. There are some great apprenticeship schemes out there as well as University courses, so the best bet is to look at both and see which you will learn the most from.

    • Photo: Pam Anderson

      Pam Anderson answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      It really depends on what you like doing. Apprenticeships are a great way of getting hands-on experience and earning money while you learn. University might be a bit more theoretical (although some courses are very hands-on) and allow you to gain a broad knowledge of lots of areas to allow you to see which field you might like to work in in the future.

    • Photo: Brian Weaver

      Brian Weaver answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      For the university route, I suggest real-world work experience through internships (maybe during the summer).
      *
      When you graduate you and everyone else will have the same theoretical background. Your work experience will demonstrate how you used the theory (and your creativity) to solve real-world problems and set you apart from everyone else.

    • Photo: Rachel Hudson

      Rachel Hudson answered on 13 Mar 2019:

      It mostly depends what you want to do as a job and what you want to get from the experience.

      I never did an apprenticeship so I can’t say much about that but I really enjoyed university.

      Plus sides of uni: you get a very in-depth, technical knowledge about your subject. You often get to move to a new city which is a great experience without having to stay there permanently. Usually there is a lot of student activities on offer like sports and hobbies to try out.

      minus points: it costs really a lot of money + it’s hard to work at the same time. There is a lot of pressure at exam season. A lot of what you study wont be relevant again in future.

      Really it’s best to see what works for you and what there is on offer for your area of interest 🙂

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