A new study has revealed that the reasons young people are pursuing university educations are more often out of fear and pressure, rather than any intrinsic motivation. Combine this with the massive amount of debt that a degree results in, and it’s suddenly not so hard to understand why Gen Z is looking for alternative ways to learn — as well as travel.
It’s no secret that one of the demographics hit hardest by the economic state of Australia is Gen Z.
A cost of living crisis, the rental market and housing crisis, and HECS indexation constantly inflating the price of university degrees all have had negative impacts on the decisions that young people are forced to make about their futures.
“I think there’s pressure from parents and society in general. If an older sibling has been to university, or parents, then young people want to follow their footsteps,” Heartbreak High‘s Bryn Chapman Parish told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
Bryn studied a Bachelor of Arts at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) before starring as Spider in Netflix’s global smash hit Heartbreak High. Now, he’s adding one more feather to his cap: ambassador for Contiki University, the travel company’s tongue-in-cheek pitch for young Aussies to undertake an informal education via travel.
“A lot of people are also scared that if they don’t go to uni then they’re not gonna be able to secure a well-paying job — and then you just start stressing about the future and what’s coming,” Bryn continued.
According to a survey by Contiki of 1000 people aged between 18-35-years-old, a whopping 63 per cent of young people feel like without a degree they won’t be able to get a decent job in the future.
Additionally, 50 per cent cited pressure from their parents was a major reason for studying at uni in the first place. (Same y’all, same.)
Meanwhile, two thirds of young Aussies feel like they could learn more life skills while from travelling than in a typical university course.
Contiki also found a 51 per cent of young adults say they prefer learning through experiences rather than textbooks, and 46 per cent wish their degree included a gap term to study abroad.
This all begs the question: is university still worth it?
University was once seen as the necessary stepping stone to higher earning potential and a better life than our parents… but increasingly expensive tuition fees and an uncertain job market has tempered that view.
Last year, it was revealed the number of Australians enrolled in bachelor degrees had fallen by 12% in less than a decade.
Conversely, the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report estimated that by the year 2050 the amount of jobs in Australia that require a university degree could hit 55 per cent.
Currently the amount of Australians in the workforce with a uni degree is 36 per cent, however the amount of people in their late 20s with a degree is practically 50 per cent.
So if getting a degree is only growing more important for job security by the day, why is it that the number of Australians enrolled is dropping?
Well, maybe it’s the fact that the average HECS debt is $26,494, and takes an average of 9.6 years to pay off.
The cozzie livs crisis means young Aussies are beginning to have to do whatever they can to stay afloat financially. For many that might mean putting an education on hold — perhaps indefinitely.
If going on a gap year to hop around the Greek islands is going to be cheaper, and helps young people feel like they’re gaining the life skills they need, it’s no wonder they’re starting to look elsewhere for an education.
