Fred Wilhelmy had applied to a handful of universities when he realised studying for three more years was more of a duty than a desire for him.<\/p>\n
He had just completed high school where he chose economics and management as his main subjects.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw university more as a \u2018must\u2019 and not as an \u2018I want\u2019,\u201d the now-24-year-old who works at Spuerkeess said.<\/p>\n
He applied for a job as a branch agent at the state-owned bank and within five years moved up the ranks from his initial cashier role to personal banker and is about to be promoted again, to become a private banking advisor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no regrets that I didn\u2019t take the traditional route, especially because I feel like I\u2019m a step forward in my life if I compare myself with [others in] my age group,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe most jobs can be learned by doing and a\u00a0long-term working experience can be more worthy than any studies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Necessary or needless?<\/p>\n
Experts disagree over the prestige a university degree brings to the table.<\/p>\n
For J\u00e9r\u00f4me Carbonnelle, partner at GoToFreedom recruitment agency, getting a foot on the corporate ladder in the finance industry without any further studies is rare.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot many companies are open to people with a Bac [secondary school diploma] in the finance world and AI screening [in the recruitment process] will make it even more difficult,\u201d Carbonnelle said. \u201cThere\u2019s a real difference between people who have done a degree at a \u2018good\u2019, reputable university and someone who has no degree or who has a degree from an \u2018average\u2019 university. Those who come from an internationally reputable university have stronger analytical skills and are able to reflect more critically, and that is what makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Also read:Help your child with school and university options<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Master\u2019s degree graduates filled half of all jobs in Luxembourg\u2019s finance, insurance, IT and scientific sectors in 2021, the national statistics office, Statec, found. In a 2023 study<\/a> looking at graduates\u2019 access to the job market. The vast majority of Luxembourg youngster who had graduated in the three years previous were able to find a job, statistics bureau, Eurostat, said. <\/p>\n But two-thirds of workers in Luxembourg believe academic degrees no longer carry the same value they once did, according to a survey released by Luxembourg-based job platform Moovijob.com earlier this year. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also read:How to cope with disappointing exam results<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n