2014 Update: I didn’t go to University in the end. All my applications were turned down. I ended up working for ReferralCandy. I love it.

I seriously think that going to university after I complete my NS isn’t a very good idea. I think it’s a decent idea, but I don’t think it’s a “very good” idea.

I predict that university degrees will be worth very little over the next few years. And I believe this so strongly that I’m willing to put my future where my mouth is. I don’t even think that not going to university is risky business. I can always go to university on my own accord at a later time, after all- if I see the need for it.

I can’t shake the feeling that conventional wisdom about university education is seriously flawed- outside of fields where there are barriers to entry for people without university educations, such as law, medicine and physics. I actually think these barriers aren’t entirely justified, but that’s another topic altogether.

What am I going to be? I’m going to be a manager, a consultant, a salesperson, a coach, an entrepreneur, a promoter, a marketer, a designer, a writer- all of those things. And I sincerely believe that all of those things require skills that can and should be developed effectively outside of university.

University requires two things- time and money. I don’t have the money, and I’m almost conceited enough to say I don’t have the time. By that I mean to say that I sincerely think I could be making better use of my time. I understand how silly that sounds, and I will not pursue that thought further at this point.

Too many people are getting degrees. What we have is a degree inflation epidemic- if it isn’t obvious now it will be soon. The “obvious” solution, apparently, is to get more degrees, and Master’s, and PhD’s. I don’t understand. I have met many people who are in university right now who are- there is no way of saying this nicely- not very skilled.

It all seriously doesn’t make sense to me. It gives me an awkward and uncomfortable feeling in my stomach that I can’t explain, the same feeling I had growing up as a child and sensing the inconsistencies inherent in religion, and reading arguments that are eloquent but flawed. I don’t normally describe myself as an “intuitive” person, but when I do get these gut instincts they are strong, powerful, and almost always correct.

“Who is going to hire you?” I think conventional notions of employers and employees are going to become largely redundant in the near future. Almost everything is going to be a lot more flexible- it already is, and it will be even more so. It’s like how musicians these days can bypass the entire record industry to reach out directly to their fans- if you have skills that are valued and you know how to sell them, you should be just fine, if not better off than most people.

I am fully aware that these ideas seem controversial, even iconoclastic. Some of my closest friends think I’m crazy. I may very well go to university. But I would much rather not. I’m writing this blog post right now to validate my perspective. I fully acknowledge that my point of view may change, that I may be hit by “reality” like a drunk-driven truck in the near future and swallow my words. But I feel so strongly about this that I am willing to put myself on the line for it.

I will be applying for local universities anyway, to appease my family. But if circumstances permit, I would probably prefer to strike it out on my own.