Is getting a degree necessary?

Excluding jobs with specialist requirements, degrees are useful for the first 2-5 years of your employment. After that expect to further any career growth via your work experience.

While private degrees are often shunned by local uni grads they help you get your foot in the door and with the right strategy you can outperform them.​​​

Similar to what others have shared here, I think it'd also depend on where your career goals ultimately lies. If it's in STEM or in specific Business careers such as Investment Banking, Management consulting then degrees are a must.

Hey OP, this is definitely not an easy decision to make, especially in Singapore where paper qualifications are often put on a pedestal. Given the trajectory of past answers, and with the knowledge that you are going into the hospitality industry, I would think that a degree is more of a good-to-have in this scenario. If money is not of a concern to you, getting that degree would have its advantages. However should you eventually decide not to enrol into university, I believe it is still very much possible for you to excel in the hospitality industry, though it may be necessary to put in additional effort in building your experiences and convincing employers of your capabilities (especially in the early phases of your career). Grades and qualifications are but a way for employers to measure your worth in the initial stages of your career; once you can prove your skills through experience, I believe the importance of qualifications will pale in comparison to that of your experience.

Hope that offers a new perspective!

Hi, just my 2 cents on this. Think when you do get your first job, you might realize actually you could probably do the same job without a degree, unless you're in a specialized field. Then you wonder if it was even worth going to uni in the first place.

That being said, I believe that uni provides you the resources to "test the waters" to see what you want to do. Be it through modules, internships, networking sessions, which might not be as easily accessible outside of uni. Ultimately, a degree will help you open doors to many opportunities compared to without one.