http://hubpages.com/hub/Banking-preys-on-students
In this article I am going to outline some of the problems students encounter whilst studying, once they obtain their qualification, and also debt problems young people in general find themselves in. I was inspired to write this hub because I was a student myself and had to survive some financial stumbling blocks along with friends of my own who have similar problems. Referring to the title of the hub, I would like to outline some problems I see with banks marketing strategies and how you can avoid being bamboozled by your ‘friendly’ advisor.
To begin with I will start by telling the story of when I first entered university at the age of 21. I had recieved my student grant from the student loans company and this was to cover my tuition fees, rent, equipment, food etc. I managed fine with this and didnt go over board with the partying, being away from home at beautiful Swansea was fun enough for me. However, by the end of the year my old computer I had taken with me decided to conk-out. My parents advised me to talk to the bank about their student loans, Royal bank of Scotland who i was with said I could have upto 1500 pounds. This was perfect studying graphic design, I went straight out with my friend to PC world and bought myself a new iMac G4 for around a grand.
Just like a friend of mine who studies sound engineering, I was excited about giving my life some direction and didnt know about the realities of finding work once I had graduated. My friend has bank loans after graduating this year and now realises why I was desperately trying to save while he was still partying. I have had numerous job interviews for companies requiring a studio graphic designer, but most of them require extra skills which we were not taught such as printing operatives. I have managed to create a portfolio of freelance work, although companies ask questions like ‘ why do you want to change from freelance work’ and demand work experience which graduates do not have.
My friend now has a temporary job at a next clothing store while he looks for a sound engineering job, I don’t know how hard he is looking but he told me he now doubts his plan of a career in it. I have done a quick search for sound engineering jobs on the internet and many came up blank or just small jobs such as recording bands. He also told me he is trying to arrange a appointment for a credit card from his bank.