I’m 18 years old and for as long as I can remember I have wanted a career criminology – the problem is, I don’t want to go to uni but I feel I’ve no choice.

Often I hear people talk about how apprenticeships are seen as the fall-back, second choice that people take when things don’t go well. My experience though is the opposite. I am desperate to get out there and start doing the job. I finish my A-levels in philosophy, psychology and law this August and an apprenticeship would be perfect for me.

I Can’t Find An Apprenticeship

The problem is, I can’t find anything – no apprenticeship, no school-leaver programme, nothing that I can access which would allow me to get started on developing a career in criminology.

I Don’t Want To Go To Uni

The thought of going to university really doesn’t appeal to me and yet, if I can’t find a suitable apprenticeship or other sort of programme where I can work and get qualified then it seems like there’s not much choice for me. What am I supposed to do? Leave school with my A-levels and just work in the local shop? That doesn’t offer me any opportunity to develop the kind of career that I want. I heard about the new policing apprenticeship and that sounded great, but I’ve no idea how to apply for this.

I think that too many young people feel just like me – it’s not that we think that university is the only way to go about preparing for a successful career, it’s more that we can’t find any other way to do it – so there you have it, I don’t want to go to uni but I feel I’ve no choice.

Disgruntled Anon.