I'm writing this topic is because I believe I was given the wrong advice when I was at school. Everyone around me (teachers, parents, siblings, society) seemed to be saying:

"do your GCSEs, get good A Levels and go to university - any university, any subject, no matter how expensive because graduates can expect to earn on average £400,000 more than people less qualified"

Let me tell you, that simply is not true. Not unless you're an engineer or a dentist or a teacher with many many responsibilities and a larger than average pay packet.

Nowadays, with many more people going to university, that figure is actually closer to £160,000 - ie £4,000 extra a year or £77 extra a week.

Here's something young people aged 16-18 should know:

University for the vast majority of people is an extended holiday - a very expensive one. It's something to keep you sheltered for that bit longer until you enter the real world.

Also:

Going to university and not getting any work experience, internships or skills gained from things like the student radio station, newspaper, student union etc is actually worse in the eyes of employers than if you're a school leaver with A levels. So make sure you get involved and that you build an impressive CV by the time you graduate.

Personally, I think people should only go to university if they have an actual profession in mind which requires a university degree or are passionate about their subject and want to be an academic. In which case, only go to Russell Group universities or Oxbridge.

For everyone else who got average grades, do something useful, something vocational or something that you truly like. For example, an Art foundation course, Creative writing, Nursing, Midwifery, Plumbing, Sound engineering.

For those of you who don't know what they want in life - take some time out. Work, earn money or travel. Do a Tefl course and teach English abroad earning good money.

Only go to university because you want to.

At the end of the day, people who have A levels as their highest qualifications can earn as much as a graduate. I know someone who is a mortgage broker in a FTSE 100 blue chip company in Canary Wharf, London and he's got A levels.

If you don't have rich parents who will build contacts for you and who will coach you through the interview process or any other process, then university is probably a good idea for you. University is one of those great tools of social mobility, but only if you do the right course and gain work experience.