Unsure what to do? Railway vs Uni

EastCoastway · 7 Jun 2019

Hello,

Currently I'm an agency worker for a ToC and I applied for a "Station Announcer" job and got it subject to usual t's and c's. I also have applied to go back to uni to start my second year after a bit of a break. I wasn't expecting to get the Railway job to be honest and now I'm not sure what to do....

Any advice please?

RailUK Forums

D5581 · 7 Jun 2019

if your degree course is something worthwhile ie engineering or science etc, i wouldn't throw uni away for a station announcer job

alxndr · 7 Jun 2019

Open University and do both?

Bennski · 7 Jun 2019

Do what will make you happy in life.

cactustwirly · 7 Jun 2019

EastCoastway said:
Hello,

Currently I'm an agency worker for a ToC and I applied for a "Station Announcer" job and got it subject to usual t's and c's. I also have applied to go back to uni to start my second year after a bit of a break. I wasn't expecting to get the Railway job to be honest and now I'm not sure what to do....

Any advice please?

Finish your degree, that's worth a lot more than the job.

DanDaDriver · 7 Jun 2019

Uni all day long. Keep your options open.

Railways not going anywhere.

EastCoastway · 7 Jun 2019

Thanks for the comments so far, would it be wasting everyones time to do the job for the couple of months I have now prior to the start of uni?

BlockBackBobby · 7 Jun 2019

DanDaDriver said:
Uni all day long. Keep your options open.

Railways not going anywhere.

This.
Take 3 years, get a degree. Then look for railway jobs.

BlockBackBobby · 7 Jun 2019

EastCoastway said:
Thanks for the comments so far, would it be wasting everyones time to do the job for the couple of months I have now prior to the start of uni?

No. Earn some money, get some experience.

MOM67 · 8 Jun 2019

Go to Uni. I joined the railway at 35 ; it was a fantastic decision. My worst decision - not going to Uni , I went to work in Retail Management . I went for the money and to take a year's sabbatical.... and got stuck for 17 years.

Stigy · 8 Jun 2019

cactustwirly said:
Finish your degree, that's worth a lot more than the job.

Not necessarily.

I’m assuming @EastCoastway isn’t intending to be a station announcer for the rest of his working life (not that it’s a problem if that is the plan)? There are many career paths on the railway, and most don’t require a degree.

Having said that, a lot of employers do seem to favour those with degrees these days. There’s also graduate schemes to consider, which can be a great way of gaining industry knowledge and experience.

trainmania100 · 8 Jun 2019

When I was getting a job employers mostly looked for work experience, I didn't have much work experience so I did an apprenticeship

whhistle · 8 Jun 2019

cactustwirly said:
Finish your degree, that's worth a lot more than the job.

I wouldn't say so.

A degree only shows you can work at a certain level.
Unless you're doing something in the sciences, you can use any degree for nearly any position.

As @Stigy says above, employers sometimes take anyone that has a degree in anything - even something unrelated.
There was even a report a few months back saying people with just one degree struggle to get a job.

It has good sides, but also lots of debt.

If you really REALLY want railway as a career and you been offered a position, take it.
Announcing is a good foot in the door.
Progress to a safety critical position (dispatching is common) and you'll be in good stead to move on to other jobs.

Can you finish your degree part time?

Some companies will sponsor you to do degrees in Railway related subjects.
Take a look at the Institute of Railway Operator courses. Some TOCs hold any (Certificate, Diploma or Degree) qualification in this in high regard - GWR seem to, as does the London Underground.

tiptoptaff · 8 Jun 2019

Personally, I'd take the job and look to progress internally. Save yourself the debt. If you want a career in the railway, and you've got a shot now, take it. Why wait another two or three years and amass another 25k plus in debt.

Look at the OU, TOC sponsorship etc. A degree isn't the job ticket it once was. You can get a degree in almost anything these days. Having one doesn't set you apart like it used to

Stigy · 8 Jun 2019

whhistle said:
Some companies will sponsor you to do degrees in Railway related subjects.
Take a look at the Institute of Railway Operator courses. Some TOCs hold any (Certificate, Diploma or Degree) qualification in this in high regard - GWR seem to, as does the London Underground.

SWR run several apprenticeship schemes in customer service, leadership and management which delegates complete whilst still carrying out their full time roles in the company. These are often at degree level (like management L7 for example). The railway has always been really good at offering courses etc to develop their people.

Bikkushii · 8 Jun 2019

Honestly, as someone who did 4 years at uni - I wish I hadn't bothered. 4 wasted years and lots of debt is what I got from uni.
Now, that isn't to say that this applies to all uni courses. No, some people I know found their degrees very useful to their careers.

It's best to sit down and really weigh up the pros and cons of both. Is your course something you can get work out of? The last thing you want to do is make a rash decision and come to regret it later down the years.

EastCoastway · 8 Jun 2019

Bikkushii said:
Honestly, as someone who did 4 years at uni - I wish I hadn't bothered. 4 wasted years and lots of debt is what I got from uni.
Now, that isn't to say that this applies to all uni courses. No, some people I know found their degrees very useful to their careers.

It's best to sit down and really weigh up the pros and cons of both. Is your course something you can get work out of? The last thing you want to do is make a rash decision and come to regret it later down the years.

The course is History and Politics

Stigy · 8 Jun 2019

EastCoastway said:
The course is History and Politics

I’d stick with the railway....

I agree that degrees are useful in certain areas requiring them, but realistically, what job did you intend to get once you graduate? Granted, some employers (the railway included) will employ graduates to their graduate schemes with a degree in general, and it tends not to matter what in. That’s what kind of bugs me, because they’re basically basing one’s ability on their level of education, rather than any ‘real life’ experience. Having said that, certainly SWR don’t actually require candidates to possess a degree to grant them entry to one of their graduate entry schemes these days, so I guess it’s swings and roundabouts.

cactustwirly · 8 Jun 2019

EastCoastway said:
The course is History and Politics

It depends, a station announcer isn't very useful if you want to progress to other areas, and there's no guarantee that you would be able to progress easily through the railway.

If you have a degree behind your back, it opens up other avenues, so if you do change your mind you have other career options available.

cactustwirly · 8 Jun 2019

whhistle said:
I wouldn't say so.

A degree only shows you can work at a certain level.
Unless you're doing something in the sciences, you can use any degree for nearly any position.

As @Stigy says above, employers sometimes take anyone that has a degree in anything - even something unrelated.
There was even a report a few months back saying people with just one degree struggle to get a job.

It has good sides, but also lots of debt.

If you really REALLY want railway as a career and you been offered a position, take it.
Announcing is a good foot in the door.
Progress to a safety critical position (dispatching is common) and you'll be in good stead to move on to other jobs.

Can you finish your degree part time?

Some companies will sponsor you to do degrees in Railway related subjects.
Take a look at the Institute of Railway Operator courses. Some TOCs hold any (Certificate, Diploma or Degree) qualification in this in high regard - GWR seem to, as does the London Underground.

But the tuition fee loans aren't "proper debt", as in it doesn't affect your credit score, and the repayment rate depends on how much you earn per year.
As Martin Lewis says, it works more like a graduate tax, because the OP has already done a year, they would still have to repay it.

EastCoastway · 8 Jun 2019

cactustwirly said:
It depends, a station announcer isn't very useful if you want to progress to other areas, and there's no guarantee that you would be able to progress easily through the railway.

If you have a degree behind your back, it opens up other avenues, so if you do change your mind you have other career options available.

To be completely honest, the Station Announcer job has quite a bit with it besides announcing so I don't know really... I would guess that there are avenues to progress.

EastCoastway · 8 Jun 2019

cactustwirly said:
But the tuition fee loans aren't "proper debt", as in it doesn't affect your credit score, and the repayment rate depends on how much you earn per year.
As Martin Lewis says, it works more like a graduate tax, because the OP has already done a year, he would still have to repay it.

I don't want to be pedantic but She

S-Car-Go · 8 Jun 2019

Difficult decision, but only you know what is right for you at the right time. But getting your foot in the door to a career is half the battle. As has already been said here:

A degree doesn't guarantee a job.
A uni course can be postponed and taken up again later at the same institution or elsewhere like the OU.
Railway companies do sponsor employees to do degrees/diplomas/apprenticeships.

Something to consider is are you currently satisfied with your degree course and enjoy it? Would you get more satisfaction from a full-time job + valuable experience?

To give you my perspective, I was in the middle of a 3 year course + 1 year abroad. It wasn't going that great, wasn't enjoying it. Came home from year abroad, my dad got made redundant about that time so I decided to look for a job. 3 months later I started in the railways and never left. Since then I've completed a sponsored condensed diploma which equates to a half-degree which I can top up if I want. And now awaiting my medical for a trainee driver position.

EastCoastway · 8 Jun 2019

Is there room to grow from a CO3 job?

tiptoptaff · 8 Jun 2019

EastCoastway said:
Is there room to grow from a CO3 job?

Undoubtedly. If you've the right attitude and work ethic, the railway are very good at progressing you

Economist · 8 Jun 2019

Well, OP I'd say it partially depends how high in the rankings the university is, what grade your first year was and whether you're enjoying the course. A first or upper second from a Russell Group institution would most likely get you a place on a generic graduate scheme, whereas a lower second from a place in the bottom half of the league tables probably wouldn't. If you really want a career in history, I'd stay on the course. Politics, depending on your leanings, may be achievable through the trade unions on the railway.

Can you suspend your studies for a year? The job would allow you to gain a fair bit of cash to support your studies later and useful experience when applying for internships. Do you do much extra-curricular stuff, i.e. clubs and societies? If you are, those might give you enough of an edge in the competition for internships.

I went to university and dropped out after six months, I was on a STEM course with a lot of mathematics, I wasn't understanding a fair bit of it and I didn't enjoy sitting in a lecture theatre watching someone talk at me. I now drive trains for a living so university certainly isn't everything.

Numbnuts846 · 8 Jun 2019

Why not take the job and then see if the TOC you work for is a member of the institute of railway operators as you can get funded and free course in conjunction with glasgow Caledonia uni on various railway related courses.

https://www.railwayoperators.co.uk/

tsr · 8 Jun 2019

If you're in a Station Announcer job then you will be able to directly explore avenues into CIS (Customer Information Systems) operator roles, then into other aspects of train running control. It doesn't take much foresight to see a very good career pathway if you stick at it, and looking at the OP's post, I can see this realisation has been reached. No bad thing, in my view.

With the rise of Rail Operating Centres, where CIS teams are based more and more, there is a lot of opportunity for transferring there, and networking with different teams who visit, or simply with those who run different aspects of the railway. (I also know of a number of CIS people who have gone into station manager positions or transferred to crew resource management, amongst other areas.)

None of the above avenues of exploration are likely to need a degree until you start applying for jobs at least 10 years or so down the line, by which time you'll have had plenty of opportunities to complete studies part-time or even gain other qualifications which might appeal to an employer.

I'd suspend your studies on the degree course until such time as you know if the role you've been offered is any good for you - so try it. There's so much competition for railway jobs that there's a very good reason you've got this far. It's better than being half-hearted about your degree, wondering "what if", and dropping out of it that way. Stop while you're in a good position to continue later.

Ken H · 8 Jun 2019

EastCoastway said:
The course is History and Politics

over £20,000 of debt for that? I think 3 years experience would be more valuable. Once you have a railway job, other jobs may come up as internal vacancies.
Unless you have a career mapped out that needs a History and politics degree.

if you had said you were doing a STEM* subject i may have said do the degree.

* science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Tomnick · 8 Jun 2019

I’d ask whether you *want* to make a career of working on the railway or whether you just see it as a way of paying the bills until you can get into something else that you really fancy where your degree would be useful.

If the former, and given that you’ve got a job offer in your hand, then personally I’d go for that over uni. My voluntary heritage railway experience has helped me much further than my degree has - experience is everything. You’d come out of the other end of uni into a competitive job market where most will end up with an irrelevant, poorly paid entry level job, and you’re already a step up from that. I wouldn’t throw that away!

Unsure what to do? Railway vs Uni

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