We Asked Our Newest Recruit: University – Is It Worth It?

Graduation day. Lining up with my course mates to receive my diploma in front of an array of tearful parents and family members.

I believe it was my mother who made that drunken bellowing sound when I stepped up to podium, drawing the attention of not only me but half of the audience. Despite such a prestigious, and apparently, fulfilling day, my mind was more occupied with the issues dwelling on every graduate's mind: Am I ready for the real world?

I had studied Filmmaking for three years. Three years that shot by within the blink of an eye. How much did I learn? Had I gained enough industry knowledge? Did university set me up for the future? The short answer is… yes and no. Confusing and unclear, I know, but there are so many reasons arguing for both sides on the subject of a university's worthiness and value. I remember my interview day, fresh from A-Levels, I was a young, scared child unaware of the adult world. The head of the faculty stepped out to greet us; I can only describe him as a short, quirky professor with an uncanny resemblance to Danny DeVito mixed with Leslie Jordan.

Regardless, his charisma and intellect blew me away. I felt that this man could teach me all the secrets of the world, that he could guide me towards greatness and brilliance in unforeseeable ways. It's a shame that once I got a place on the course, I only saw him a total of five times… or was it six? Not all was lost however; I had a team of highly educated and experienced tutors eager to teach me and my fellow inexperienced colleagues. Throughout my three years, they taught me a plethora of film techniques, knowledge and general theory about film. It was incredibly useful and supported my journey and knowledge about the industry. But, you know what they didn't teach me?

Anything about how the industry works. Nor did they teach me about how to get my foot in the door, or how to even attempt a job interview. Work experience was non-existent, the only way I managed to get any work in my first year was through my privileged friend who had a rich, well-connected dad. The tutors were not totally useless, I mean they provided some advice on a basic level of how to break into the industry, but it wasn't anything you couldn't find on the internet.

The people on my course, however, were more helpful than I could have imagined. We were all in the same boat – a disastrous, sinking boat – but the same boat nonetheless. We traded tips and advice, supported each other when somebody found a freelance job, offering up help whenever we needed it. It was a small ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark and terrifying world. Had I not been at university, I would not have been surrounded with such a lucrative and comforting support network. I would have lacked motivation and knowledge on how to succeed, living at home with my mother, working in a retail job to support myself, whilst hopelessly applying for jobs online here and there with an appalling CV.

Had I not gone to university, I would never have gained maturity and independence. My washing would have still been done for me, my food cooked for me, I would be living the same life I had been living since I was a foot tall. Sometimes, it is less about the content of your lectures and more about the overall experience of growing up. It's essentially a FastTrack to becoming a self-sufficient adult in a few short years. Don't get me wrong; some people don't quite flourish in the environment. There are many who don't throw themselves out of their comfort zone and stay chained to their own bubble; it's painful to see when there's a whole land of inspiration and opportunity.

University doesn't mollycoddle you and carry you to the safety of your first job; it pushes you to do it for yourself. It may not tell you the most efficient ways of applying for jobs, but you will know more than you ever would have otherwise. In a world where the inexperienced get little to no help, university is one of the only things we have to lead us into the working world filled with a horde of competition. I mean, at least you get a degree out of it. Without that on my CV, who knows when I would have got my first job. Fortunately I'm happily working in the industry I want to be in, Soho Editors Talent & Training, which was also a case of 'right place, right time' – I'm not going to lie to you – but, I never would have even found myself in that position had it not been for university and that push for me to apply for everything, everywhere. My thoughts: university is worth it.

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