Going back to the original thread, I went to uni to study electrical engineering and I really did not enjoy it. I found the lecturers to be arrogant and disinterested in lowly undergrad students; and pastoral support was non-existent. I was on the MEng programme and tried to move to the BEng programme because I hated the maths and wanted out; only to be met by a massive propaganda campaign about how if you go on to do an MSc you're basically getting the same tuition but paying more. The best part of uni was the technical committees that I joined. After uni, I went to work in the railway for a few years before deciding to become a lampy, and doing various vocational electrical qualifications. Luckily, those qualifications coupled with previous learning allowed me to join NAPIT and that's got me through the pandemic. I think what I learned - at uni, in the railway and now working in the entertainment industry - is that I like being hands on. I've met various people who quit uni to go into an apprentice scheme, and I honestly think that I would have been happier if I'd gone off to become a spark. Equally, I've known people who have completed an apprenticeship and gone on to do HNC/HND/BEng/MSc and be much better than the people who did the "traditional" degree route. All the way through my education, the bright people went to uni and the "thickos" went to become apprentices. There was no talk of what an apprenticeship could actually lead to and if I'd known, I'd probably have taken a more vocational route. I think that's what's lacking, and I would urge any young people to explore all routes into the industry. However, I do agree about not learning a theatre apprenticeship / degree. My life experience makes me a better tech and I do think that there's a lot of people who live in tiny theatre bubbles.