I did an apprenticeship instead of going to university. I love my job and feel like I've got a 4-year head start on saving for a house.

• Matthew Rutherford won a national award in the UK for his carpentry skills and dedication.
• He chose an apprenticeship over attending university.
• "I can start saving for things such as a mortgage now. It's like I have a four-year advantage," he said.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matthew Rutherford, an apprentice carpenter from County Down in Northern Ireland. He was named the Screwfix Trade Apprentice 2024 champion.

I was definitely on a trajectory toward university, but I knew that wasn't really for me.

Once you pass GCSEs — a national assessment taken by all students aged 16 in the UK — and continue to A-Levels — a high-school qualification — students are basically pushed into going to university. There's no opportunity to even entertain the idea of doing an apprenticeship.

I knew I wanted to work with my hands, which is not what people expected because I was getting on fairly well at school. Before I finished my A-Levels, I was definitely being pushed to go to university.

But when I had them under my belt, and once I got over the hurdle of convincing my parents that doing a trade apprenticeship was a good idea, I was all set.

Where it all began

Throughout my life, I've been building things. My dad's big into renovations and property maintenance, so he's taught me a lot. We've done a number of projects together, like building garages and renovating our house.

I also spent time working for some construction companies and for a landscape architect who designs and builds gardens.

When I look back, I just have a great love for the built environment and the whole project and how it comes together from start to finish.

When my dad and I built a garage in our back garden, I got to see from the ground up what happens and what's involved from the footings, to the block work, to the roof.

There are so many different stages in construction, which is incredibly exciting to me. A carpenter is there from the beginning — they're the first one there, and they're the last one to go. They get to see the entire project.

This is what pushed me down the carpentry and joinery route. It gives me the broadest overview of building, and I just want to absorb it all.

The day-to-day

As part of my three-year apprenticeship, I go to college one day a week, where I'm doing a post-GCSE course in carpentry and joinery. This is important because it gives me a chance to chat about health and safety aspects.

The other four days are spent with my employer. One day, I could be hanging doors; the next, I could be laying floors or cleaning out a house after a job is done.

I make sure to ask loads of questions, so I've been learning a lot. I've definitely seen a progression over the past year, which has been really encouraging. Last year, I won a national apprenticeship award from Screwfix, a UK tool and hardware retailer.

The prize was a bundle of cash, tools, and training worth £10,000, which is just over $13,000, which has been invaluable, and not something I would've expected in school two years ago.

No student debt

The other good thing about an apprenticeship is getting to earn while you learn.

I've got a number of friends in university and they're taking out loans, working part-time jobs — and they're going to end up with a debt pile after four years.

I can start saving for things such as a mortgage now. It's like I have a four-year advantage, and I still end up with a high qualification.

Trades should be treated as a first choice

It was difficult to convince the people around me that not everyone needs to go to university.

There's this idea that if everything goes downhill or if you can't get into further education, a trade is always there. It's almost put down as a second choice, just something as a means to go to work and make money.

I'm keen that people start seeing it as a first choice because it's something to be proud of. It's such a rewarding career, and I can't promote it enough.

You get higher-quality work when you attract people who are invested in what they're doing.

If you look around yourself, you'll notice that every day you trust a tradesperson to do a good job. You're walking into their airports, their schools, their offices. You're driving their cars, and you're using their roads. It's not as if you expect this stuff to crumble around you, so I think it's massively undervalued as a career option.

I'd recommend doing an apprenticeship to anyone. You get to learn from people who have been working for years, and there's much to be said for learning on the job.