When I was around 14 or 15, I sat at the dinner table with my family in Iceland. It was a few years before I completed high school. “I’m not going to university,” I declared. My grandmother, who has since passed away, was gently probing at my future education plans. The table fell silent. Despite my fine academic performance in primary school, I couldn’t see the value in higher education. Little did I know how much my perspective would change in the next 10 years.

This was a period of my life where I was questioning life paths and many societal norms, particularly the expected academic path. I struggled to see the value in acquiring extensive scientific knowledge when I felt that learning basic life skills like understanding taxes and financial management should be a priority for me and my peers. At that moment, I couldn’t see the practical benefits a university education would provide, and I questioned whether investing (or “wasting”) my twenties in further education would truly benefit me.

This skepticism reflects a growing discourse among young people today, particularly in male circles. We're witnessing a decline in the perceived value of university education, with an increasing emphasis on entrepreneurial spirit and prominent figures in Iceland (and other countries of the Western world) rejecting the academic route. This trend is also reflected in the rise of the ‘trad wife’ movement and anti-feminist sentiments.

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The Turning Point: Studying in China

What changed my mind? I hadn’t always wanted to become a doctor. I binged the first season of Grey's Anatomy every evening during the summer when I worked at Keflavik Airport as an eighteen-year-old. “Man,” I thought, “their life is cool.” Cool, yes. But hard. In Europe, this career path typically requires six years of medical school. After that summer, I embarked on a semester-long exchange program in China, which would completely transform my education perspective.

I was placed in a bilingual high school in the Jiangsu region, with Chinese students my age studying for British A-levels to get accepted into their dream universities abroad. This environment starkly contrasted with the community high school I attended in Iceland.

In Iceland, university education is relatively affordable, and the socioeconomic situation is favorable. China, however, presented with fierce competition for university places. Students either compete for spots at state universities through a crucial exam or, if coming from a more privileged background, pursue education abroad with years of extensive preparation.

Seeing their determination and aspirations first-hand changed my outlook on higher education. They didn’t give a shit about “life skills”. Their motivation was the hope for a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities, the desire to see the world differently, and the ambition to drive positive change and opportunities in China. Witnessing my Chinese peers’ inexhaustible work ethic shifted my perspective completely. Seeing other people allowing themselves to dream big, having undivided faith in themselves, and working day and night to make that dream a reality inspired me to do the same.

On the plane ride home after that semester, I decided to pursue medicine.

The Journey to Medical School and Beyond

I applied to universities in Iceland and abroad, taking preparatory courses to enhance my chances. I was accepted into medical school in Slovakia on my first try.

As a 19-year-old starting medical school, six years seemed like an eternity. Looking forward and imagining my 25-year-old self graduating, seemed comical. For a teenager, a 25-year-old’s life is half over. The thirties are the door to retirement. Therefore, I was perhaps the most surprised person when I decided to prolong my education further by pursuing a PhD.

Now, as I near completion of my PhD (the highest academic degree attainable before professorship) I can reflect on how the academic path has shaped me. A PhD, for those who do not know, represents more than just comprehensive knowledge; it signifies a meaningful contribution to human knowledge in a specific scientific field. Therefore, pursuing a PhD did not train me (solely) in the knowledge of a particular scientific field. It taught me to question the science itself.

Photo by Dan Dimmock on Unsplash

The True Value of University Education

Contrary to popular belief, a STEM degree is not about memorising and understanding facts about the world we live in. It’s about understanding how we conclude what is true and false in the world.

And here is where it gets really interesting, because science ended up being the opposite of what I expected.

My initial criticisms of university education centred on its lack of practical life skills. However, I've realised that such skills, like operating a washing machine, and filing taxes, can only be learned through real-life experience and practice, not in a classroom.

The true value of university education lies in developing critical thinking skills, questioning everything you’re told to draw objective conclusions instead of swallowing what we’re fed online by our governments or close communities. University exposes you to diverse environments, scenarios, and conversations that demand analytical thinking to progress. It teaches you to question everything, including scientific knowledge itself. This is particularly ironic given the rise of anti-vaxxers who claim to “do their own research” while parroting misinterpretations of scientific papers by other conspiracy theorists online. They misunderstand the fundamental principle of science: developing hypotheses and repeatedly attempting to disprove them. This snowballs into a mistrust in directors and institutions serving the role of streamlining dissemination of scientific findings.

Even as academics, we must maintain humility and acknowledge our potential for error. The credibility of scientific theories is strengthened when colleagues attempt to challenge them and fail, highlighting the importance of continuous testing and open dialogue.

A Broader Perspective on Gender and Education

Coincidentally, with the rise in conspiracy theorists, believers in alternative medicine, and science skeptics, I’ve noticed a reverse progression in many fields. Youth is becoming more religious, gender roles are repackaged and introduced in the form of “divine femininity/masculinity”, previously accepted nutritional advice is accused of being poison by the government of their people. In other terms, we are going backward. Simultaneously, the progression of gender equality has come to a halt.

The drop in perceived value of university education in youth likely coincides with the higher proportion of women entering the space. The correlation between female representation in professions and declining wages is known and presents repeatedly. With medical schools now having a female majority, we can subsequently expect a similar erosion of respect and compensation in the field. This problem is a symptom of the system our world is built upon and cannot go away until the root of the problem is addressed.

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Conclusion

The continuous undermining of female-dominated spaces keeps us ignorant, subservient, and powerless forever. It will not be fixed until the patriarchy as a whole is addressed and radically uprooted. There might never be a better time to organise and resist in unison, than there is now. A university education, I’ve found, is the most valuable investment you can obtain in your life, and it is the only thing that no one can ever take away from you. Societies are better off when we protect and uplift higher educational institutions and aim to educate as many people as possible, especially from marginalised groups. Contrary to what many right-wing spokespeople complain about, the “inflation in the value of degrees” is not a warning sign, but rather the hallmark of wealth we have in our community.

Despite my initial skepticism, attending university has been the best decision ever. It broadened my horizons in ways I couldn't have imagined at 15. The value of university education is immeasurable, providing knowledge and critical thinking skills that no amount of life experience or monetary investment alone can deliver. I wish more young people like me could understand this perspective when deciding their future education.

Attending university was the best decision I ever made, not just for the knowledge it gave me, but for the critical thinker it shaped me into. As extremism grows and societal progress stagnates, we must radicalise ourselves in the opposite direction—toward equality, empathy, and progress. Our future depends on it.

3 takeaways from me to you today

1. Go to university. It is fun, and you will learn invaluable life skills.

2. As extremism grows in Europe, people against it must also radicalise themselves in the opposite direction

3. Subscribe to my newsletter for more insights, and feel free to find me on social media to continue the discussion (or get further readings from me).