In common with thousands of adults up and down the country, my phone pinged at just after eight this morning. It was my honorary god-daughter who had texted me to say that she’d achieved the requisite grades to study drama at Manchester University, and she, her family, and indeed I, couldn’t be more pleased.
In that deeply satisfying moment when industry, determination and study reaps its due reward, no one is in the least interested in considering a cost-benefit analysis of a university education, either for the student or the taxpayer. Who knows where Evie’s drama degree will propel her in her future life, and who cares yet whether it will give her extra earning power? All I know is this: as someone who never went to university, I envy her these next few years of experiencing what independence really means, making firm friendships and emotional discovery. Also, just learning stuff.
That, more than an academic qualification, is what I believe to be the indefinable and unquantifiable value of a university education, and we should embrace this wholeheartedly, particularly in the age of helicopter parenting, virtual relationships, artificial intelligence and the sluggish post-Covid recovery that has disproportionately affected younger people.
It is a well-worn argument that, for instance, studying drama is not the passport to a high-earning future in the way a degree in engineering or chemistry might be, but the framing is always the same: a degree is an investment, and investments are judged primarily by financial return. This is not necessarily so.
As the Institute for Fiscal Studies points out, creative studies and arts graduates earn less over a lifetime than non-graduates or those who studied, say, economics, but university cannot be thought of as a clearing house for the high-earners of tomorrow. If it is viewed from that perspective, so many courses for which students will be enrolling joyfully today may not be worth the bother.
A degree in English, for example. It may not be considered something that you can easily parlay into a position as a captain of industry, but our Prime Minister – the first ever to hold that position as an English graduate – provides an interesting counterpoint to the contention that studying humanities is not a blue-chip investment.
Clearly, Andy Burnham’s tenure at No 10 is in its infancy, but experienced commentators have already pointed out that the study of English literature, rather than PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) – as is customary for the political class – has given the PM a greater appreciation of the value of communication, a greater understanding of the human condition and the ability to colour an effective narrative. Or at least it should do.
We wait to see how it translates to the day-to-day exigencies of running the country, but at least Burnham governs in a different register. He himself has questioned the value of secondary education being programmed with university in mind, but that is for another day. Today, he is the living riposte for all those humanities students who will be force-fed the idea that their degree may be of little value. It’s not what it’s for that counts, it’s how it shapes your character.
Without a degree, I did pretty well in a predominantly meritocratic industry. In fact, when I went for my first interview at a newspaper, the editor asked if I’d been to university. When I told him that I hadn’t, he just replied: “Good”. But, even now, I believe I’d have read more, have more rounded opinions, and, put simply, have more knowledge, had I gone to university rather than straight into a job. I have always felt at something of an intellectual disadvantage not having spent those formative years learning, rather than doing.
So, dear Evie, this is my advice for you, and for the thousands of students in your fortunate position today. You have won yourself a golden ticket, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But the prize is indeterminate. Studying is its own virtue. And even though you may be saddled with debt for much of your working life, it’s all going to be worth it.
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