University not the only game in town

Secondary school students who have sat end-of-year exams since 2020 deserve praise, and so do their parents. It’s not been an easy run due to all of the disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic with lockdowns, and now ongoing illnesses such as the flu.

But still, in the Bay of Plenty, our students have produced some great results. NZME yesterday published news stories that showed how successful our students were.

Data from NZQA, the Crown entity tasked with running educational assessments and qualifications, shows the Bay of Plenty pass rates for Year 11 level 1, Year 12 level 2, and Year 13 level 3 were above the national average. Unfortunately, Year 13 university entrance in this region was below the nationwide average.

There are other channels to make it to university, though, with universities and other providers offering preparation courses that are accepted as suitable entry qualifications.

That doesn’t mean the university people apply for will accept them but this lifeline, and others like it, provide opportunities for those who want it.

I was not a very engaged student but managed to secure my UE and pass level 3 — just.

Growing up near Dunedin, I wanted to stick around and enjoy the student life at the University of Otago, but I wish I hadn’t.

I ended up studying my best subjects from school, English and geography, despite not knowing what job I wanted.

By the end of the year, I had racked up a good amount of debt and dropped out. Luckily, that summer while interning, I discovered I had a knack for reporting.

I’ve managed to pursue a journalism career despite not having a degree.

And that’s what I want to emphasise to all those students out there — you don’t need a university degree to be successful.

Famous examples include Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison to name a few.

Not making university isn’t the end of the world, and in some ways, I believe it is a blessing, especially for those who don’t know what they want to do.

Don’t get me wrong, school is important and people should try their hardest at it — I wish I had.

But for those who don’t know what they want to do or if school isn’t their thing, I’d encourage them not to throw away a couple of years and tens of thousands of dollars on a degree but instead, go and seek some real-world work experience.