With youth unemployment at its highest level in five years, we asked Kingston University students about their choice of degree subject
What would you pursue if money was not a concern? Over half of local Kingston students are driven by job security, not passion for their chosen subject, according to our survey.
We surveyed students from Kingston University, as ONS figures released this month showed youth unemployment among 18-24 year olds has risen to a five year high in the U.K.
Most of those surveyed by The Kingston Courier said they made their decisions based on money and job prospects. Our survey of 50 students found that 62 per cent ruled out a degree because of concerns that it would not be profitable enough in the future.
More students than ever are choosing to pursue a degree in the hope that it boosts their job prospects. Between 1994 and 2018, the amount of home student applications in the UK rose by 66 per cent according to the Commons Library Research database.
But not necessarily all these students are following their passions or doing degrees they enjoy.
Sabrina Lin, studying for a BA in Fashion Design, said her degree choice came firmly from her parents. “I am not really enjoying my degree, it’s very tiring,” she said. “I am doing it mainly because of my parents, they own a fashion brand.”
We asked students if job prospects were not a concern, which degrees they would opt for. 28 per cent of the surveyed said they would study a subject in the creative industries, such as film, media or creative writing. No one surveyed said they would choose science and research.
In reality, students are actively opting out of creative programmes. As part of a trend across the Higher education sector, Kingston University shut down its Humanities department last year, citing low recruitment rates for the subjects. The move was part of a £20m money saving measure for the university.
But some students thrived even through the pressure of pursuing a safe degree. Deji Adelusola, studying for a BA in Furniture Design, said he would not choose a “profitable course” even if it meant more income. “I would rather do anything else other than a desk job. I would still be unhappy even with a higher salary,” he said.
Adelusola started the Furniture Design last year in Wales, but moved to Kingston University to pursue his passion and never thought about changing courses when re-starting his first year. “This is what I have the most fun doing, I could see myself doing it long term,” he said.
Since 2014 there has been a 57 per cent drop in the number of students taking up creative subjects for further education in England, according to data released by Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre. Over half of students said graduate employability rates influenced their degree choice, UCAS has reported.
Ragini Balaine, a BA in Business and Administration student from New Delhi, said that if she could, she would study something creative. I would probably be painting, It is my true passion”. She said that pursuing business and administration is the closest she can get to working creatively. “I figured that with this degree, I could work in the marketing and advertising field, expressing my creativity,” she said.
Not every student regrets their choice. Elian Wareham, 19, who is in his first year of the Furniture Design degree, says that his degree was a great match after he tried the Fine Art course during his foundation year. “I love the projects and the workshops. I’m glad I chose this course after all,” he said.
