What's your degree in?

[SunshineInMySprocket]

Morning,

I'm trying to help a young person decide what comes next in their education. They definitely want to go to university but are struggling to see the wood for the trees when it comes to degree courses. So to help them see how broad their options are, could I ask if you have a degree, what's it in and what job do you do now?

Thanks!

BSc Medical Anthropology- Creative Art Therapist (did a Master's enroute)

BA in Education with childhood and family studies.
And then PGCE

Architecture and unsurprisingly an architect.

BSc in Biotechnology - it was mainly genetic engineering and microbiology. I'm now a software engineer! I did work in life sciences for a decade after graduating though.

English Literature. I'm a solicitor as I then took the GDL and LPC so I could qualify.

I have a BSc in Nursing and am now doing an MA in creative writing. Complete change!

LLB and LLM in law. Hard work, but thoroughly enjoyable!

Sociology and I am in fact a sociologist (but did a master’s and PhD after that). Prior to that though I worked for charities and was a social worker.

I liked physics and maths so I studied mechanical engineering and got a BEng with honours. Then did my MSc in energy. I’m now a subsea engineer

BSc Mathematics, consultant in a data analytics firm.

I think it's the wrong question.

What do they love?
Do they want to study something for the passion, or do something very vocational?

I studied a subject I loved. I do not regret that at all. I am probably successful in work by most people's standards.

Bsc social work.

This degree gives a lot of scope for areas of work.

I work in children's services and there are various areas within this to work. There's assessment, children in care, adoption, family safeguarding, youth justice, leaving care, the list goes on...

Then you have adult services, vulnerable adults, mental health, hospital discharge teams, the list goes on but this isn't my area so I can't remember any more 🤔

It's a very adaptable degree and gives you lots of options for different careers.

There are excellent choices for degree type vocational. Actuarial science springs to mind.

Law - now a senior manager in health and social care

KUDOS to sister A.

Erm. By the way.

Got a bit excited

OP there is no point asking random women what they did.

What does this young person enjoy? Love? What do they imagine doing for a job,? Etc..

BA in Business administration.

I graduated just after the IBM PC was launched and the industry was seeing massive growth so managed to catch the wave.

Looking at what might be needed for the next 30 years - nutritionalist might be a good idea.

I find it odd when people want to go to university but don't know what course to do, surely you should only go because there's a course you want/need to do? If they really don't know I suggest a gap year and spell in employment (appreciate that's a tall order atm). As much as university is about experience, you're paying £50,000 for a qualification so you need to get it right, you don't want to have to go back, and well, it's not going to be much of an experience in the next 1-2 years anyway.

Otherwise, try not to do something too specific unless you really know it links to your desired career path, and if you do something like a broad subject humanities degree (as I did) think ahead about additional CV filling like volunteering/part time work in a desired career path, to set you apart and give you a head start on graduation.

BSc in Public Health

Electrical and Electronic engineering

20 years in O&G as a engineer - very well paying industry.

Now a technician at secondary school in HE (so sorting out cooking ingredients) department part time as fits in with my kids.

BA English studies and PgCert in educational leadership. Now working in the civil service mostly developing and writing policy.

Engineering (MEng), but I never actually worked as an engineer. I worked in finance and I'm now a maths lecturer.

I have two degrees. The first was in English and I went on to work in marketing, publishing, and IT. The second was in History, and I'm now doing postgraduate study and working as a researcher.

NiceGerbil gives good advice! Most degrees provide transferable skills, so unless the young person wants to do something vocational (nursing, dentistry), they should pick a subject they love. A degree takes a long time to complete and would be a real chore if you don't feel passionate about the subject.

Professional accountant qualification ACCA, Senior Civil Servant leading on climate policy.

Religious studies