Much like political life the UK over the past two years, life at University can sometimes feel like a never-ending cycle of voting.
What modules or electives do I choose? Which people should I move in with? Should I save money and cook, or be lazy and order a takeaway? Do I have enough money for another round in the pub? The difference is, of course, that these decisions are all up to you and you alone – they don’t depend on millions of other people to think the same for them to go your way.
On one hand that’s great, because it means you get exactly what you want. On the other hand it means that you are fully responsible for your decisions and have to own the outcome, for better or worse. With so many decisions to make, some trivial and some not, the whole process can feel daunting. But just like eating an elephant, the only way to take control is one bite at a time. The first bite is almost always to get educated. That’s true for money and it’s true for life in general. Change is fast and unpredictable and while we can’t control what happens to us we can control how we respond.
In today’s shaky political landscape it’s even more important than ever to be smart about financial decisions and plan ahead as much as possible. A rocky economic road ahead with a potentially unstable government, a divided country, and precarious Brexit negotiations could see stock markets fluctuating, investment being pulled, and job creation slowing down. Or… things could all be totally fine or better than they are. That’s the point – it’s impossible to know yet, but we can’t afford to take any blind gambles. Check out our modules on Savings, Budgeting and Risk to help you plan for the present and the future.
As the summer break begins, we hope you’ve been able to secure a seasonal job, volunteer programme, work experience, go travelling, or a combination of all of these things that will embolden your CV and enrichen your life experiences. You never know how things will turn out.
Speaking of ‘turn out’, in this election voter turnout among 18-24 year-olds was 58% – up from 44% in 2015!
Source: YouGov
This shows that more students are becoming more engaged with what’s going on politically in the UK and want their voices heard. Read, engage, debate, question, vote – your financial future depends on it.