chloedickensonLast Updated on 18th March 2023
This post about the pros and cons of apprenticeships contains affiliate links.
When it comes to the pros and cons of apprenticeships, I’d like to think of myself as somewhat of an expert on the subject, considering I did one for a year and Matt did both a foundation and higher-level apprenticeship.
It’s not really something I’ve talked about loads across my blog and social media platforms and it’s something that I don’t think many people actually realise but I didn’t go to university. Instead, I opted to take a few months “off” while working at Starbucks while I ~figured out~ what I wanted to do with my life and then consequently obtained an apprenticeship in digital marketing.
I was always so sure that I’d go to university, but when the time actually came (and I attended the University of York for three days before realising I was doing a subject that I really didn’t want to do), I realised that it just wasn’t right for me and it wouldn’t take me on the path that I wanted to be on.
I’ve spoken more about my experience with my apprenticeship and why I didn’t go to university in my career journey post, my post about how I quit my job to travel the world and also my apprenticeship post, but today I wanted to discuss the pros and cons of apprenticeships as it’s a subject I feel very strongly about.
If you’re not sure what to do in the next stage of your life, or you’re struggling to decide whether university, an apprenticeship or going straight into full-time employment is the best option for you, I’ve got you covered in this post, largely based on my own experiences.
Here’s a list of the pros and cons of apprenticeships; feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below or let’s start a discussion on Twitter or Instagram!
P.S. Just a note to say that I’m in no way against people going to university; if you think that’s the best option for you, then by all means go ahead! Due to my personal experience with apprenticeships, however, I am personally an advocate for them!
What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting a job or an apprenticeship?
When it comes to deciding whether to get a job, go to university or get an apprenticeship, there are a lot of factors to consider and a lot of things to weigh up. Trust me, I’ve been there and done the leg work!
So, in my list below, I’ve compiled all the advantages and disadvantages of apprenticeships that you should consider when making your decision about whether it’s the right decision for you.
I hope it helps!
Pros of apprenticeship
You get to earn while you learn
One of the most obvious and arguably best advantages of doing an apprenticeship is that you get to earn while you learn.
Unlike going off to university and spending three or four years learning without being paid to do so (and actually getting into debt in the process), by doing an apprenticeship, you’ll be earning money alongside learning everything there is to know about your chosen industry.
You’ll develop plenty of new skills – advantages of apprenticeships
Another positive of completing an apprenticeship is that you’ll develop and learn plenty of new skills. Depending on the type of work you’re going into as an apprentice, you’ll likely spend time with various people from all over the company or business, so chances are you’ll gain a great wealth of knowledge in many different areas, regardless of where you’d like to specialise in.
You’ll be treated like a “grown-up”
This is one of my personal favourite pros of apprenticeships as it’s something that I was very grateful for when I completed mine in digital marketing.
As I was working with a team of people who were all older than me (although not by much, sorry Katie! 😉), I never really felt like I was treated like I was significantly younger or less experienced.
The sense of responsibility that will likely come with your role as an apprentice really helps you to grow up somewhat and I personally found that to be a great thing.
You get to do something that you’re (hopefully) passionate about
Almost all of my life, right up until I was about 16 years old, I was sure that I wanted to be a lawyer. However, when the time came to submit my uni applications, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at all, especially after completing work experience in a lawyer’s office and really not liking it.
However, one major dream that I’ve had pretty much ever since I’ve had the ability to, was to become a writer. People always told me that unless I miraculously became the next J.K. Rowling I’d never really be able to make proper money as a writer. That didn’t stop me from believing it was possible, though.
So, when the time came to finally decide on a “path” and give up my job at Starbucks to do something I really wanted to do, I discovered an apprenticeship job opening for a digital marketing agency in York and went for that. I always adored business studies at GCSE and A-Level and a decent part of the role would involve writing content for the company so it seemed like a perfect fit for me.
To cut a long story short, my apprenticeship allowed me to do something that I was passionate about and it allowed me to hone my creative skills and develop new ones that eventually enabled me to quit my job to pursue freelance writing and travel full time.
You’ll be qualified much quicker – apprenticeship pros
Unlike obtaining a degree from university, which can take at least three years, you’ll likely complete your apprenticeship qualification within a year (depending on the industry you’re in).
If you then decide to complete a higher-level apprenticeship qualification, this can take another year, but that’s still one year less than a university degree and you’ll be earning money at the same time.
You’ll hopefully be able to go into a “proper” job quicker
As well as gaining your qualification quicker, you’ll also hopefully be able to go straight into a “proper” job quicker too.
If you’re lucky (like both Matt and I were), you may even be hired for a full-time role at the place you completed your apprenticeship which will give you the chance to develop your skills even more and enjoy learning more about the business.
You’ll have no debt to pay back
I think this is another incredible advantage of completing an apprenticeship as not only will you be paid to learn essentially, but you won’t have any debt to pay back, unlike going to university.
Both Matt and I had completely finished our qualifications by the time we were 20 and we were able to go travelling full-time the following year as we worked and saved money. If we’d gone to university, we would still be carrying out our degrees and we’d have left with a tonne of debt.
As I mentioned above, I have absolutely nothing against people going to uni and obviously wholeheartedly applaud them, but for the lifestyle that we wanted, an apprenticeship was a much better option for us.
It will increase your confidence
Another awesome thing about apprenticeships is that they will inevitably significantly improve your confidence.
Before I began my apprenticeship, I was working at Starbucks and had only just started writing my blog and I was the least confident person in the world. So much so, that it took me months to pluck up the courage to even tell my closest family about my blog.
However, once I started working in digital marketing and completing my qualification, I soon learned that I was more than capable of doing it and my confidence absolutely soared.
Cons of apprenticeships
Of course, nothing’s perfect and there are still a few downsides of an apprenticeship that you should be aware of too.
You could be potentially limiting your options – negatives of apprenticeships
One of those disadvantages is that you could be potentially limiting your career options for later in life. Naturally, if you wanted to become a lawyer or a surgeon, you couldn’t do an apprenticeship in this and would instead need fully-fledged university qualifications to do so.
It’s also thought that qualified apprentices don’t earn quite as much money as university graduates, but this really is dependent on the sector and industry that you choose to go into.
You won’t have a “proper” degree – disadvantages of apprenticeship
For me, this point isn’t as much a disadvantage as it is an “aesthetic” point. Saying that you don’t have a “proper” degree seems trivial really unless you really need a university degree to do a highly qualified job such as a surgeon.
On paper, however, you’ve still earned a well-deserved qualification, it’s just unfortunately sometimes looked down upon as opposed to a fully-fledged university degree.
You won’t get paid an awful lot – pros and cons of apprenticeships
As of August 2020, the National Minimum Wage for apprentices aged 16 to 18 is £4.15 and it’s also the same for those aged 19 or over during the first year of their apprenticeship.
Those aged 19 or over and who’ve completed the first year of their apprenticeship are entitled to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for their age.
As you can see from the table above taken from the Gov.UK website, apprentices earn significantly less than traditional workers, regardless of their age.
The low wages often put people off apprenticeships, but the way I see it is that you’re still earning money, regardless of whether it’s a relatively low wage or not. Furthermore, you’re also still earning while you’re learning, unlike when you complete a university degree and then you still have all the debt to pay back.
You won’t get to experience “university life”
This is something that really didn’t bother me too much at all as I’m not really a “university life” person and I still managed to enjoy plenty of nights out with my friends who went to uni anyway.
However, the lack of university social life sometimes puts people off apprenticeships, but I can honestly say that my social life never suffered as I had the ability to go out with friends who were at uni as well as with the people I worked full-time with while completing my apprenticeship.
Conclusion – are apprenticeships worth it?
So there you have it; a comprehensive list of all the pros and cons of apprenticeships. Hopefully, this post has given you something to think about if you’re currently at the stage of deciding what to do next in your life! Please feel free to drop me an email if you have any more questions as I’d be more than happy to help!
Related posts:
- How I Quit My Job To Travel The World At 20 Years Old
- My Career Journey So Far: From Barista To Blogger & Businesswoman
- The Pros And Cons Of Being A Digital Nomad
- The Best Decisions I’ve Ever Made
Pin for later – pros and cons of apprenticeships
What are your thoughts on apprenticeships? Do you have anything else to add to the list of pros and cons of an apprenticeship? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.
