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University is definitely not right for everyone just out of school, not even after a year off. So don't be forced by the expectations of those around you, and know the alternatives: there's a lot of them out there.

Are you sure you want to go to University or College, and are you sure you want to go right now? You can postpone not just for a year, but for two or three years till there's a course or university you desperately want to go to because you've tasted the working world full-time which has developed and focused your ideas. Or, rather than do a full-time course, you could go part-time while you earn money in an apprenticeship for some profession. Later, you might choose to go to university full-time, or to do a one year masters or a three year doctorate in a specialist field. Bear in mind, too, that the extra personal confidence and focus that comes from postponing could help you shine in your studies and social life once you reach university.

It's too easy to get on an escalator towards college or university, and you stop asking yourself important questions. Take the stairs!

University can be as narrow-minded and mediocre, or as useful and exciting as you chose to make it. University isn't something that happens to you - where you go in as a 'uniformed school-student' and come out as 'a remarkable adult'. It's a diamond mine, but you have to do a lot of digging through a lot of crap to turn up the occasional jewel.

One thing they don't tell you in the adverts and brochures is that you can always take a year out of the middle of your course and postpone if you need to. It's a bit more hassle for the university, but it's your life, and you don't want to waste your college years if it's not working out straight away.

It's rarely owned up to, but three or four years spent studying at university can sometimes severely dampen entrepreneurial and inventive spirit. It can often be best to get out into the very heart of the working world as soon as possible. After all, university courses will always be an option for you in one form or another a little later down the road - when you're clearer about what you want to study, more confident in your approach, and wanting a change of pace.

What's wrong with creating your own 'training course' for yourself. Learn at your own pace, not only at some college classes'. Your track record of self-designed experiences will speak for itself and it will very quickly be evident to any employer what you can and cannot do. On their own, degree certificates are too vague and dilute a form of evidence about your abilities and passions.