It's not easy being big

News arrived promptly on my Twitter feed that the Welsh Assembly was going to cover the rise in tuition fees for all Welsh residents studying anywhere in the UK. A bold statement, and one that puts to shame the Westminster and pushes Wales to a more autocratic running like Scotland. http://bbc.in/dXk8UU

I bet English students will be FUMING. But I thought I'd jump in to defend Westminster and the Government for which I voted (sort of).

How does the phrase go? Comparing Oranges and Apples? I'd like to give you a few examples why it's inaccurate to compare Free University education for Scottish, Welsh, and English students. It boils down to people, and in effect money. For clarification, I'll be using the short-scale numbers, i.e. 1 trillion = 1000 billion, and 1 billion = 1000 million (naturally 1 million = 1,000,000 in both long and short scale). Please bear in mind that these numbers are astronomically huge, and it might be difficult to comprehend the true extent of their meaning. These numbers were obtained in one form or another from the Office for National Statistics. The numbers bellow are for illustration purposes and I can supply further details on my calculations upon request. The numbers are (as I understand it) for the year 2010 based on 2008 projections.

Here are some of my assumptions:

1. "University Age" is people between the ages of 18 and 23.
2. The cost of one year of a University Degree is £9,000
3. A maintanance loan or grant is £3,500 per year
4. Population of Scotland* = UK pop - England & Wales pop
5. Population of Wales* = England & Wales pop - England pop
6. Repayment of the loan takes 30 years
7. Average UK Salary = £25,428 (from 2009 ASHE by the ONS)

The UK's university age population is 5,073,900 people.

That means, that over a 3 year degree, it would cost the UK government £137 TRILLION to send 100% of the population to University. Add the maintenance loan and it rises to over £190 trillion. Then consider that Bachelors are being constantly devalued and a Masters becomes more and more necessary, so a 4 year degree is really a minimum, the value sky-rockets to just short of £254 trillion*!!! (*inc. maintenance).

But not 100% of 18 to 23 year-old's will go to University, so here are the numbers for just 50% of the population going to Uni:

3 years costs over £68 trillion. Plus the maintenance rises to just over £95 trillion; and add another year of studying and maintenance, £127 trillion.

What about only 25% going?

3 years costs £34 trillion, plus maintenance £48 trillion, and 4 years £63 trillion.

So how does this compare across England, Wales and Scotland? 100%

England Wales Scotland

3 years: £114T £7T £15T

3 + mnt: £160T £9T £21T

4 + mnt: £212T £13T £29T

50% of the University Age population

England Wales Scotland

3 years: £57T £3T £8T

3 + mnt: £80T £5T £11T

4 + mnt: £106T £6T £14T

25% of the University Age population

England Wales Scotland

3 years: £29T £2T £4T

3 + mnt: £40T £2T £5T

4 + mnt: £53T £3T £7T

It costs Scotland just 13% of what it costs England, and it costs Wales just 6%!

So it's not fair to complain that the government doesn't want to support its students. Of course it does. It's just not feasible! Where the hell is the UK government supposed to find that much money to put towards University? Especially at this time when money is scarce and we have a massive deficit to control!

Coming out of Uni with anywhere between £20,000 and £50,000 of debt sounds scary. And it looks even scarier when you put it next to the average wage in the UK of £25,428. Repayments over 30 years would constitute anywhere between 1/30th and 1/15th of your salary, assuming it was constant at £25,428 during those 30 years. But consider that the majority of graduate jobs (that require a qualification) I've heard of usually start at around this number (Engineering tends to start around £30,000, and Finance around £35,000), with plenty of scope for pay rises. This is a very small amount of money, and it will allow the government to give that money to the next generation who wants to go to Uni.

So stop your complaining and get back to studying! The government isn't ruining anyone's future!! At least not this way.

Money and Freedom

Student Fees seem to be a hot topic at the moment, so I thought I'd throw my two cents into the argument.

I remember during my search for a University I was amazed at the sheer number of Universities that exist in the UK. I wasn't sure if it was a mark of a 'civilised' nation, or that of a nation gone mad; I was inclined to lean towards the former, but I now question my judgement. Upon arriving at University, I was amazed at the geographic spread of the student population; the vast majority of students came from any and every extreme of the country, very few were locals. I remark this as a stark contrast to Universities in Mexico, where there aren't that many in one area, each specialising more in a particular area than the others, and people tend to go to their local one. So what does this have to do with Universities in the UK? With a completely different socio-economic situation?

Well, I think it's great that under the UK's current system, geography isn't a limitation for anyone wanting to go to University. And if Southampton, or Edinburgh or wherever is the best (or one of) for what you want to study, you can go there (grades depending obviously). The fact that all the Universities are the same price also means that you're not limited by geography either. Throw in Student Loans and you're not limited by your family's financial situation.

So to me it begs the question: Why do crap universities exist? Why do crap degrees exist?

Harsh comments perhaps, but let me give you a practical example: If you wanted to study physics, and you didn't get into any of the top 10 in that field, why would you go to one that was number 87 in the league tables. If your grades weren't good enough to get into the top 10 or 20, how are you better off by going to a low ranking university? Surely a potential employer would factor in the standing of your university in that field. So say you don't go into that field, then what's the point in studying that in the first place?!

I also don't understand why people go to University not knowing what they want to do, looking for some sort of inspiration. I disagree with the idea of going to University "for the experience". Yes University is a great experience, and I wouldn't want to deny anyone of that specifically, but it shouldn't be the primary reason of going to University. University is about furthering your knowledge in a particular field in order to help you further your career in that field.

In that vain, I think there are too many Universities, and too many subjects, and too many people going to University. I think the policy of promoting University to everyone unfairly detracts value from respectable and fundamental jobs that society requires. The UK has a large shortage of Plumbers and Electricians for this reason, not to mention the massive shortage of Carpenters. There are some jobs that don't require a degree, but more a good apprenticeship.

That to me covers one of the biggest reasons/issues why Universities can't be free. You can't try and put such a massive population through University without them paying for it. Why does Scotland have free University for Scottish students? Because there are a lot less people in Scotland than in England & Wales. Finland was another example given, but it's a lot easier to get 80% of women through University when your TOTAL population isn't much more than 5 million people.

Regardless of whether population size is or isn't an issue, we have to make the best of what we have. I believe that despite the massive over-reaction, the UK government has come up with a very sensible compromise. They give you a loan at a cheaper rate than you could possibly get from any bank, and you only have to repay it if and when you can.

There is something that bothers me about talking to people recently. This holds true here at the Flight School I'm at, where people are incredibly privileged to simply be here, as well as students in the UK. There is a distinct difference between a right and a privilege. Free University education is a privilege that is afforded to some by the ones who can. Making you pay unreasonable amounts up front would be a violation of your right to education, yes. But giving you a means to pay for University in order to improve your career options, and being willing to write off any debt if it doesn't work out seems nothing but reasonable. The Student Loans simply ask you to give back the money that gave you the advantage you needed to further your career, and if it didn't work out, you don't have to pay.

I don't like that there are so many Universities, and so many degrees, and I would probably drastically reduce the number if it were up to me. But it's not.

And finally, I don't see the point in violent protests against a passive government over a simple issue. Violent protests are never warranted, and students feeble attempts at non-violent protests are laughable. They should research how non-violent protests managed to succeed and realise that this small issue isn't going to succeed. To that end, if you're protesting the government making cuts in whatever area affects you, it CERTAINLY doesn't help to destroy government property, it's simply a waste of money, your money.

For another option, of someone more opinionated and vastly more intelligent than me, look at this post: here.

Glued to the ground like an anvil

To be a pilot... ah to live amongst the stars... to be but one step below god.

I've been here in Spain for 10 weeks now. It's been great.

The 60 week program here is divided into three main sections: Phase 1) Ground School (theory); Phase 2) Ground School + Flying; Phase 3) Flying. They're each 20 weeks long and have exams at the half-way point and at the end of them.

I've learnt a lot since being here, even if most of it has just been reinforcing things I already knew. The Principles of Flight things I pretty much already knew, like Lift and Drag, aspect ratio and finesse ratio. I learnt all about Piston Engines which I really didn't have much of a clue about before coming here, so that was really interesting! I learnt about various Emergency Systems on aircraft, as well as the landing gear, hydraulics and cabin pressurisation. I had a nice brush with chemistry when studying batteries in Electrics, and learnt all about NDBs, VORs and ILS approaches in Radio Nav. General Navigation was fascinating, learning all about a load of different charts; it's crazy to think that there are so many different ways of depicting the earth on a piece of paper! Finally Meteorology, god it's mad. I have some respect for the people that try to predict the weather, though I know it's an in-exact science. Met is my biggest book, one of the more difficult subjects, and there's just sooo much crap to remember. But I can tell what might trigger clouds, the different types of clouds, and global wind distribution.

This has lead up to my first set of exams; the so-called "week 9's". I'm happy to report that I passed them all, eight of them in total. I got an 86% average which is fairly respectable; the school considers 85% to be an indication that you're doing/coping well. There's some merit too in that I managed to achieve this with little more than a weekend of revision (interspersed with plenty of procrastination). But I'm not happy with it. I'm ashamed, because I know that if I had studied for just a week or so before, and put more effort into it, I could have gotten 100% (or there abouts) in all of them. Alas, I hope I've learnt my lesson. At least I have a free morning off this Monday and Tuesday while my classmates re-sit the exams they failed (I was one of three out of 15 who didn't fail any).

Perhaps I'll show my stuff when I get into the sky.

The first months and to a lesser extent the second where frequently punctuated with copious amounts of partying. The night-life here in Jerez leaves a lot to be desired, but it's very good as the Spanish certainly know how to party. The problem I guess is that the Spanish party late, very late. A club here will be practically empty before 3am, and it might just open at midnight or 1am. The Spanish like to party from 3am until the clubs close at around 7. That's after enjoying a few drinks at the local bars from around midnight till 3. It's a very fun night out I must say, but it takes a lot out of you; I don't know how the Spanish do it.

On the up side, there is a bar on campus, that closes at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. And it's spectacularly cheap, compared to Jerez or anywhere for that matter. A pint of beer? €1.50 a can of coke? €0.60. It's not bad at all. So as of late I've decided to stay in and enjoy this luxury, but I fear soon I'll be required to go out again, if only to be social.

The rest of my social life has been taken up by Tennis. I took classes when I was little, around ten or so, but wasn't great at it. Now I started again, and played abysmally, I'm starting to hold my own. It's a lot of fun, and it's great that so many people here enjoy playing it. I always remember something my dad said to me: "Tennis and Golf are the most important sports you can play in the world. Learn one, or both." Sadly the rain has been getting us down lately, and it's not nice to play on flooded or even mildly moist courts. So I haven't played in a while.

So that's me so far. But what does the future hold?

Well medium term, I'd really like to fly with FlyBE. I have become quite endeared to their turbo-props and wouldn't snuff at an opportunity to fly them. Even better it seems like a magnificent airline, and a great chance to get lots of great experience in turbo-props (and bad-weather) whilst offering an opportunity to move on to Jets with their Embraer 195s. They also happen to have bases in Scotland (particularly Edinburgh) where I would really like to live, at least for the moment. I would seriously consider building a career with FlyBE; I believe a lot in their business model and attitudes towards staff. However I'd be lying if I said FlyBE was the dream.

The dream ever since the 4th of January 1994 has been to fly Long Haul with BA. The first time I stepped onto the magnificent 747 at the tender age of six, I knew this is what I wanted to do, (after already knowing I wanted to be a pilot, now I knew what kind of pilot). So I guess my long-term plan is to get a job at BA and fly long-haul for them. To be more specific, I'll consider my dream fulfiled the day I fly in the Captain's seat of a BA A380. The A380 bit I guess highlights the fact that dreams can change, but their essence remains.

In the Short term, I have to finish this course and get my licence! So what's in store for me in these next 52 weeks?

1. You got a small taste of what I'm doing at the moment, so the first step is to pass my exams in February. Know everything there is to know about Engines, Meteorology, Navigations, and Flight.
2. In Phase 2 I'll start learning about Air Law, Operational Proceedures, and much more. It's when the theory gets a little closer to the things I'll be doing every day I guess. But most of all I'll start flying! The time table will be split into: one day flying, one day ground school, etc. for a total of about 20 weeks. After 10 weeks of that I can expect another set of progress tests for the ground-school stuff (week 30's) and PT1 (Progress Test) for the flying side comes in whenever I'm ready (and roughly equates to a PPL). At the end of phase 2 I will take the official exams for the subjects I was taking in Ground School. Once I pass those, that'll mark the end of all the theory!
3. Around mid June is when I can expect Phase 2 to finish and Phase 3 to start. Phase 3 is just flying 6 or maybe even 7 days a week. It's very hard work, but also gives me a bit of a breather. I won't be flying more than 2 or 3 hrs a day, and won't necessarily be flying every day (there are many factors that influence this). So it should hopefully mean that I'll have a very nice summer, and I'll get onto the bad weather flying (Instrument Rating) around October/November when the bad weather actually starts. It also means that the ideal time for people to come visit is in the summer :) When most people can! (Hint hint!)

But for now, I just have Christmas to look forward to. I won't be spending it with my family, but rather with my best friends! I'll spend Christmas in Somerset with one of my best friends from childhood. And I'll jet off up to Scotland after that to spend New Year with my best friend! I can't wait! It promises to be an amazing and unforgettable holiday.