The owner of a three-bed, semi-detached house and an Audi TT, her "dream car", Fiona O'Sullivan is the envy of many of her friends who are struggling to pay off student debt.
O'Sullivan, 26, has a first-class honours degree in business and IT and a well-paid job as a database administrator. The difference is she went straight into employment after A-levels, while her friends went off to university.
With eight years of paid employment behind her, she is able to afford the luxuries of life that are unattainable to many graduates her own age. She was offered places to study at several universities after passing her A-levels with good grades, but chose instead to start an apprenticeship at 18 with an IT company in Telford, Shropshire.
Starting on NVQ level 2, a lower level qualification than A-level, she quickly moved on to NVQ level 3 and then a foundation degree. She then converted that into an honours degree, studying evening and weekends while continuing to work.
"I have no regrets about not going to university," she says. "With my experience and business knowledge, I feel as if I am in a much better position than if I had taken the academic route."
