Degree or Apprenticeship?

rander00

Just looking for some opinions/advice:

Im debating between a plumbing apprenticeship or going the 3rd level education route with a degree in building surveying. These are the 2 areas im interested in.

Im 21 now, so either the degree or apprenticeship route ill be 25 at the end of it. What other jobs can i get with the building surveying degree if i wasnt in a practice. Also i`d have to complete 1/2 yrs professional competence after the degree.

Ive always worked with builders and such during summers and stuff and like that sort of work,,, so i`d enjoy the apprenticeship. Also ive a cousin thats a plumber that could come in handy.
Im also interested in buildings and the outside world, (Not architecture though),,, and would like to work at planning maybe,,, like do a post-grad in town planning, ect,,,, after I got the degree in surveying or whatever.

The surveying seems the more interesting route,,, and being stuck working as a plumber for the rest of my life doesnt fully appeal to me in the long run. Hmmmmmmmm,,,,,!

I`d appreciate any help/advice/opinions on this. Thanks!

Boston

tbh you should have gone for the Apprenticeship 5 years ago, you would have your time finished by now and be earning a nice amounth of money. You say Degree or Apprenticeship, do you realise to becoem a fully qualified plumber you will have to go to college anyway? If your lucky bolton street? Either way theres allot of study involved and don't think an Apprenticeship is an easy way out.

As for site surveyor, far less in demand then plumbers, someone with the right civil engineering degree would do it, and theres loads of them knocking around.

seamus

There's nothing to say that if you do plumbing that's what you'll be doing for the rest of your life.
There's also nothing to say that you can't do both eventually.

It's a matter of having to choose.

Here's my personal opinion on it, but don't use it as a factor in your decision.
Go for the apprenticeship, if it's something you'd like to do. Here's why - Apprenticeships are full-time, pay little or nothing, and are full of lads having the craic. You're young, you've no responsibilities, and I assume you like to have the craic. Then later on, you can do your surveying degree part-time (or even full-time), when you're older and you need the money that a proper job, i.e. plumbing, brings in.
Plumbing will also give you practical experience about the building trade, things to look out for when putting in pipes, etc etc etc .

The thing is, you could do the degree, and then when You're 27 realise "Ah ****, I really should have done the plumbing". Then you're stuck with the choice to go back and do something that pays almost nothing, or stay with something you're not enjoying.
At least if you do plumbing and realise when you're 27, that it's not something you wanted to do, you have the option to go back and do a part-time degree. It'll be a lot of work, but the sacrifices would be relatively small in comparison.

My brother did an apprenticeship in Cabinet Making, is now doing a part time surveying degree at 27, yet still making an extremely good living.

rander00

@Boston - I know civil engineers would do the work of a site surveyor, but the degree im interested in is specific to building surveying rather than sites. I reckon u`d get fairly good jobs out of it,,, once you got a bit of experience under your belt anyway.

Yeah, you make a lot of sense there Seamus. I could always study the degree part-time or whatever at a later stage. And the plumbing and general construction work would have given me some related experience to a certain extent, if i did decide to pursue the surveying at a later stage.

The age thing, doesnt bother me. I dont mind the fact i`d be on small wages by doing the apprenticeship for the first 2 yrs anyway. Its not as if i have a morgtage and 10 kids or anything.

Im leaning towards the apprenticeship more and more.