3 ms·

It would be prudent to point out that not going to university when you are 19 isn't as much of a life-altering decision in Sweden as it is elsewhere; many choos

It would be prudent to point out that not going to university when you are 19 isn't as much of a life-altering decision in Sweden as it is elsewhere; many choose to attend university later (when they've worked for a couple of years or when they have kids), and it's still possible to get into the top universities.

_nalply 9y ago
This is true for much of Europe I believe. Case in point: myself. Being Deaf I didn't manage University in the nineties. However I have been lucky to get a second chance at the University of Applied Sciences to graduate as an engineer, a Dipl. Ing. FH 2006. And now, 2017, I graduated as a legal, a Bachelor of Law, too, and could do this part-time. So it seems at the age of 19 it is perhaps wise not to attend university yet. So young you still don't know what you do the best.
heartbreak 9y ago
If you have a safety net (wealthy parents, personal wealth, strong social welfare), it's not really a life-altering decision anywhere.
- emodendroket 9y ago
  Yeah, but I think the point is that in Sweden you don't need to have wealthy parents or personal wealth.
  - Cthulhu_ 9y ago
    Same in NL, although the government support has been slimmed down a lot and it's no longer offered if you're over 30, the assumption probably being that by then you make enough money to pay for an education on your own.
  - gaius 9y ago
    ... to go and live for a few months in a foreign holiday destination while taking an expensive private course? I call shenanigans. You need to be rich for that anywhere.
    - emodendroket 9y ago
      ??? To forego college and come back later.
    - lancebeet 9y ago
      There are actually foreign destination coding bootcamps that are free (for the attendee) organized by Swedish recruitment/consultancy firms. I'm not sure how they're financed, it may be the steep fees they charge companies for consultants. That being said, the girl in question is probably rich given that ancient Greek and Latin aren't part of the regular curriculum at public schools in Sweden.
herbst 9y ago
Same in Switzerland or Austria. In fact most IT professionals and developers I know never bothered with university.

_nalply 9y ago

This is true for much of Europe I believe. Case in point: myself. Being Deaf I didn't manage University in the nineties. However I have been lucky to get a second chance at the University of Applied Sciences to graduate as an engineer, a Dipl. Ing. FH 2006. And now, 2017, I graduated as a legal, a Bachelor of Law, too, and could do this part-time. So it seems at the age of 19 it is perhaps wise not to attend university yet. So young you still don't know what you do the best.

heartbreak 9y ago

If you have a safety net (wealthy parents, personal wealth, strong social welfare), it's not really a life-altering decision anywhere.

emodendroket 9y ago
Yeah, but I think the point is that in Sweden you don't need to have wealthy parents or personal wealth.
- Cthulhu_ 9y ago
  Same in NL, although the government support has been slimmed down a lot and it's no longer offered if you're over 30, the assumption probably being that by then you make enough money to pay for an education on your own.
- gaius 9y ago
  ... to go and live for a few months in a foreign holiday destination while taking an expensive private course? I call shenanigans. You need to be rich for that anywhere.
  - emodendroket 9y ago
    ??? To forego college and come back later.
  - lancebeet 9y ago
    There are actually foreign destination coding bootcamps that are free (for the attendee) organized by Swedish recruitment/consultancy firms. I'm not sure how they're financed, it may be the steep fees they charge companies for consultants. That being said, the girl in question is probably rich given that ancient Greek and Latin aren't part of the regular curriculum at public schools in Sweden.

herbst 9y ago

Same in Switzerland or Austria. In fact most IT professionals and developers I know never bothered with university.