Who's the fool?

Jawgap

Would not disagree with you there - we cold probably do with taking a leaf from Switzerland's book. Most school leavers there go into vocational education, where you do an apprenticeship, be it in IT, law, business, plumbing, engineering etc.

Unlike Ireland there isn't same stigma attached to gaining your quals via the vocational route in preference to university.

StormWarrior

The reason they get so much money in Australia is because it's danger money. As in, there is always the danger of waking up to see this staring at you:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=huntsman+spider&biw=1607&bih=754&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=heqvVPeQCMTsaKytgsAJ&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.85#imgdii=_&imgrc=7LgzCEB-qsE0DM%253A%3BK6uG-I8SLvcNtM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fednieuw.home.xs4all.nl%252Faustralian%252Fhuntsman%252FHeteropoda_ZZ279_F2649.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fednieuw.home.xs4all.nl%252Faustralian%252Fhuntsman%252FHuntsman.html%3B1024%3B683

Now, no matter how much he is earning you would not swap lives with him after seeing that, surely?

ToxicPaddy

Big jobs and big earnings lead to big lifestyles of you let it, others want to use it to save a few quid.

Some people i know have went to Oz, worked their asses off to get enough money to buy a house outright and build up some decent savings then settled down got a degree and are now back in an average paying job working their way up the knowing they are pretty much debt free for life and have little or no stress.

Others are working hard and partying hard and blowing every penny and will be skint and burnt out with no prospects in a few years.

It all depends what people want.

I personally would happily work my ass off to set myself up and the do as option 1 did above.

OPs cousin might be willing to do exactly that. He's not blowing his money but is investing in a property and maybe just using it as he intends to come home eventually.

I wouldn't class uni as a waste OP, it's just your personal decision so why have such a negative outlook on it? Do what you want to do and plan for wherever you want to go.

valoren

You have to make hay while the sun shines. Your friend is applying this principle.
Unless it was thrown in your face at the wedding, in a dick measuring sort of thing, then it really isn't an issue.

Teyla Emmagan

He'll probably never make any more money then he's earning now. And he has no education. You on the other hand OP, will take your degree and someday you'll be the new Denis O'Brien/Michael O'Leary/Tony Ryan*.

*Hopes Tony Ryan had a degree*

Desolation Of Smug

You can feed pigs with degree grads these days, it has become meaningless. People who actually don't mind grafting, especially if the moneys good, they're a rarer breed. Degree me hole. Show me the money.