Chapter 2225 - 255: New London University Society_2

Eld took a sip of tea: "Hmm... ever since the parliamentary reform was passed, even within the Whig Party, they’ve started to be seen as a hassle. I guess if there were a choice, the Whig Party would want to lock them in the attic now, and hope the key gets washed away in the Thames River. But, what can you do? If they weren’t those kinds of people, they wouldn’t have founded the University of London, and the parliamentary reform would certainly not have been passed."

"That’s the issue." Arthur rubbed his teacup: "Back then, they indeed needed to be considered radical, because the entire country was lying in the coffin of the old regime, refusing to rise. The University of London, Catholic emancipation, the abolition of slavery, parliamentary reform, encyclopedic social engineering... these all required daring individuals to accomplish."

At this point, Arthur paused and lowered his voice: "But the political stage does not welcome those who crash the door twice."

Eld frowned and asked: "Why?"

"Because the door is already open." Arthur looked up at him: "Once the door is open, most people, rather than smashing it to pieces, want to stabilize the door frame, fix the hinges, and hand the keys over to someone who can manage. Radicals break open doors, and the establishment moves in—whether in Britain or France, if you observe carefully, this is an almost scientific rule."

He leaned forward: "If we hope for the ideas of the University of London to be fully realized, then we must truly integrate our people into Britain’s power structure. This means we have to cultivate a new generation of strength, maintaining our current achievements in industry and law, while also nurturing a young bureaucrat group that can stand toe to toe with Oxford and Cambridge."

Although Eld always took pride in being a University of London graduate, the thought of placing the University alongside Oxford and Cambridge in White Hall, even he—a loyal "dog" of the University—found it unrealistic: "I have no doubt that one day the University of London can trample Oxford and Cambridge, but how many years have we been operating? The alumni circles of Oxford and Cambridge are the results of centuries of work. If you toss a brick in the Lower House, you’ll hit a few of their alumni. As for White Hall? I believe currently, the Permanent Secretaries of each department are all from their institutions, correct? And on our side... among the Civil Servants above the level of Second-class Clerk in White Hall, it’s just the two of us from the University of London."

As he said this, Eld could not help but complain about their classmates’ lack of ambition: "Admittedly, even if we can’t compete with Oxford and Cambridge in White Hall, that’s not surprising. However, we’ve been in operation for eleven years now, with a three-year academic system and eight graduating classes. But the countable alumni, just you, me, Alfred Tennyson, and maybe the dropout Robert Browning... hmm, honestly, if it weren’t for Blackwood’s Quarterly frequently praising Browning, I wouldn’t even think to include him, given his poetry collection sales are terribly bleak, far from being on the same level as Alfred."

Arthur knew Eld spoke the truth. As the chairman of the University of London alumni association, Arthur was well-acquainted with the alumni directory, of which few could stir the social strata in Britain.

According to Arthur’s statistics, University of London graduates primarily have four career directions.

Among them, those from the medical college fare best. Although the University of London’s medical college hasn’t been established for long, in a time when there are few universities with medical colleges in Britain, compounded by the fact that the medical sector is a major area of degree discrimination, these medical students generally start with a high status and do well, most getting certified by the Medical Association not long after graduation, ascending to the elite status of internal medicine doctors.

Secondly are the law graduates. It is well-known that lawyers have always been considered a superior class in British society. Although a University of London diploma doesn’t help them obtain a court lawyer qualification, after graduating, they still need to advance their studies at one of the four Inns of Court to obtain the practicing certificate as a court lawyer.

But not being able to become practicing lawyers doesn’t mean these grads can’t find work.

This group can work as paralegals to amass financial resources and connections, laying groundwork for future education at the Inns and obtaining practicing certifications.

Alternatively, they can apply for certifications as conveyancers or notaries, which are equally lucrative professions.

Moreover, even if settling for secondary options, banks, insurance companies, railway companies, and shipping companies have massive legal needs, whether it’s for insurance contracts, shipping bills, shareholder agreements, banking notes, or engineering contract deeds, all requiring legally trained individuals without the need for a lawyer’s qualification.

The third employment direction opens its arms to natural philosophy graduates from the University of London in the industrial sector.

Even though the University of London hasn’t been established long, its teaching quality in math and natural philosophy courses rivals European elite schools, and its students choosing careers are nowhere near as arrogant as the nobility students from Oxford and Cambridge.

As such, factory owners, who only see profit, naturally become the most welcoming employer group for graduates of the University of London.

Engineering consultants, surveyors, railway engineers, mechanics, any engineering company with a bit of scale in London will likely have University of London students among them.