My comments here are not meant to be deliberately controversial, but are designed to alert managers and aspiring managers, of all ages, to the fact that a first degree is a good option, but not the only option, yes, for some, perhaps for some, but definitely no for others.



As with most careers, a first degree BA or BSc is very valuable, and if you are leaving school and moving on to university, great choose an appropriate course (business & management related if that is the field you plan to enter), work hard, and make sure you obtain as good a degree as possible and enjoy it, you're only there once. However, if you are about to, or have recently left high school, and university is not for you, or if you are in your early twenties and did not go to university there are many attractive options, including studying by distance learning.

One excellent option available in the UK and in dozens of other countries, is the Higher National Certificate, followed by the Higher National Diploma, known as the HNC and HND, also known as the degree foundation. These are accredited by the internationally recognised Edexcel BTEC, the UK's most prestigious and largest accreditation body. You can take an HNC and HND with a wide range of options, focusing on, for example, management, business, finance, human resources and marketing. An HNC or, better, an HND, is accepted by every employer, and international ones too, as evidence that you are a well qualified, well-informed, knowledgeable person, who is serious about business and management. For many young managers and specialists, the HND, mixed in with good experience, will be enough to ensure a solid, high quality start to their careers.

If a degree is still needed, which is the case in a few professions, students gaining a high mark HND can find many universities in the UK and USA and Australasia, which will accept them on to the Year 3, final year, of a business & management degree.

There are also a range of foundation, introductory level courses and qualifications, suitable for the younger, 18 to 23 year old, who wishes to make a positive start to their careers, but have not taken the university route. Examples of these are the Certificate in Management, the NVQs in Management at level 3 and 4, and professional specialist qualifications such as the Certificate in Quality and the Certificate in Project Management.

Most employers, small, medium, large, or gigantic, will be happy to employ you if you can show one of these qualifications as well of course, showing that you are hard working and a good team member. If you are aiming to be a young entrepreneur, and hate the thought of working for someone else these qualifications are for you too. They all help you to learn about the basics, the foundation stones, on which business and management are built.