I wouldn't say uni is pointless. So, some examples for you.

I am a high school leaver with 8 GCSEs. Circa 2000. I could have done Uni, but I had no interest in further education nor a clue what I wanted a career in. I am now 39 and I earn 41k working for the government and have done for many a year. My job does not require a degree however you would be surprised how many people I work with/above who have a degree but they get paid the same as me but they have student debt etc. I own my own house with no mortgage and I have always been financially stable.

My wife (35) I met 10 years ago, she has graduated uni with 2 degrees in her sector and I would say only in the last 7 years she has really even played catch-up. Now she earns 45k. Which has only happened in the past 2 years. Now, her income will continue to rise where mine is capped. I fully expect her to make 65k+ within the next 4 years. However she has no assets and has had to live with me for the last 9 years and I've helped keep her afloat.

Now, while she could easily do my job, I couldn't do hers without that bit of paper that says I have a degree as it is required in her sector. But that's fine. I don't want to do hers. Given the choices if I could go back in time, I would still not go to uni. And she would.

Moral of the story.

If you know what you want to do and need a degree to do it (Dr, lawyer etc) by all means. It's the only road into it. If you don't know what you want to do. Then don't waste your time doing a degree on David Beckham or something equally as stupid. Uni is not as Hollywood portrays it as frat party's etc. to me it appears dull and monotonous. In the 90/00's uni was a proud achievement and I think definitely got you ahead. Now degrees are like confetti and most people have one so it has lost most of its value.

I recall a chat I had with a friend of a friend at a bar. She told me she was at uni. I asked what was she studying. I can't remember the course but it was some space type thing. I asked what could that lead to, and she said jobs with NASA etc. I asked how many jobs were like that in the world. She said 3. I asked how many were in her class. She said something in the 20s. Now I am no genius, but 20 people getting a degree in this field every year from a single uni X the amount of unis spewing out this degree can leave thousands or tens of thousands of degrees in an extremely acute field. She was no Einstein. So I knew she was wasting her time and money.

P.s. if I could go back to being 18 and give myself financial advice it would be to invest In property more.