Option A? Option B? - Starting a New Role Over the Traditional Route

Option A or Option B?

With my Computing (HNC) course due to start in September, I found myself facing a genuine fork in the road: continue down the traditional route into further study, or take up an e-commerce job opportunity that had come up instead.

On paper, Option A - going to college - is the “expected” path, especially after already stepping away from one course of study before. Option B - taking the job - meant trading a classroom for real, hands-on experience straight away.

Why I Chose the Non-Traditional Route

After weighing both up, I chose Option B. A few things tipped the decision:

• Learning by doing. An e-commerce role gets me working with real systems, real customers, and real problems from day one, rather than waiting for a qualification to open that door.
• It doesn’t close off further study. Choosing a job now doesn’t rule out going back to formal education later - it just changes the order I’m doing things in.
• It builds directly on what I’ve already taught myself. Between the portfolio projects, the NCFE course, and my own self-study, I already have a base to build on in a working environment.

Is the Traditional Route Still Valuable?

I don’t think this is really an either/or situation long-term. The traditional academic route still has real value - structure, depth, and credentials that matter in plenty of fields. This is more about sequencing: taking the opportunity in front of me now, while keeping the door open to formal study further down the line if it makes sense for where I want to end up.

What This Means Going Forward

Taking this role over the traditional route is a bet on practical experience over credentials, at this stage of my career change. I plan to keep building my portfolio and technical skills alongside the role, and to keep this blog updated with how that combination plays out in practice.

Conclusion

Choosing the non-traditional route wasn’t about dismissing further education - it was about recognising the right opportunity when it showed up. I’m looking forward to sharing how this decision shapes the next stage of my journey from law, through cybersecurity study, and now into e-commerce and web development.