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!

[Sarahpaula]

The biggest regret of my life was doing a degree.

I was told to do it. I wish I had the courage to say no.

I feel that I spent four years of my life totally broke, and studying really hard for no pay, when I could have been working for thise four years.

I then feel that I spent most of my twenties struggling and being out of work and sometimes having work, because I was told that I had to work in a job that was only related to my degree.

I would have liked to have just worked any job. One time I wanted to work in a fast food restaurant, and I was told by my family to give it up, as it was below me, it was below some one with a degree.

Even now in my thirties , I am arguing wih my elderly mother, that I just want to be a waitress or work in a shop. She is telling me that it is below me. Fuck that. I am going to try to stand up for myself in my thirties

I wish I had never done that bloody degree.

[QuestionableMouse]

BA English with Creative Writing

I've also just started a MA English.

Might also have a punt at a PhD

[Sarahpaula]

Does anyone else regret doing their degrees?

Many of us are forced to do it. It is not really our choice.

Colleges are profit making institutions. They like to take people in for four years, and take a lot of money from them.

It is all a big scam

[KoalasandRabbit]

Economics and Economist

[blackteaplease]

I went to uni to do biology as I loved science. Switched to ecology along the way as the field trips were better and my chemistry was woeful.

I'm now an Environmental Consultant specialising in ecology but also project manage larger scale multidisciplinary projects.

[MercedesDeMonteChristo]

No regrets. I went as a mature student though. I loved and still love my subject, the content, the rigour, the debate, the research - it has also literally changed my life in a number of ways. People I met, networks, how I feel about myself in certain situations etc. I would do it all again tomorrow.

[KoalasandRabbit]

No regrets loved my degree and opened lots of job opportunities. I had friends who regretted it though where the degree didn't lead to better job opportunities.

[ComicePear]

No regrets here - I had a great time and it's been essential in my career.

[Doje]

BA Linguistics and Philosophy. I'm now a Merchandiser.

Degree mostly unrelated to my career, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Suzi888]

Business management - housing manager. I just wanted to go to Uni for the experience. I don’t need a degree for my job.

[Lurkingforawhile]

I did a year of economics and politics (couldn't cope with the maths, but it was interesting) and swapped to law. I was a lawyer for 11 years. Then a masters in risk, disaster and resilience (mainly emergency planning) and now I work in emergency planning mainly related to flooding.

One thing I would say is a lot of lawyers don't do law degrees, as it's possible to convert. Law firms don't mind as long as you get a good degree.

[katieg03]

I did a law degree and then an HR degree so I've worked in both contracts for an oil company and then as a HR director. I had a career break of 2 years after my second son went to nursery. I did feel under pressure to go back to work after 6 months with both my boys. Stressful jobs, mounting up workloads and I wish I hadn't. Now I work 3 days a week as a Manager of an oil company. If I had my time again I'd have been a midwife or a social worker.... Totally different I know 🤣

[BobbinThreadbare123]

I definitely don't have any regrets for my degrees. They have allowed me to pull myself up the socioeconomic ladder. Although the PGCE was an unenjoyable bag of shite.

[MojoJojo71]

BSc Pharmacology
BSc Midwifery
PgDip Medical ultrasound
I’m a midwife sonographer now but worked in pharmaceutical research for about 10 years

[RosieposiePuddingandPi]

BSc Zoology then MSc.
I now run the public science communications and engagement team for a major UK tourist attraction.
I loved my 5 years of uni but a lot of people on my masters course with very similar qualifications now have jobs that don't use them at all. It's a hard field to get into if you finish uni without a strong idea of where you want to go.

[Sarahpaula]

I just feel like "why weren't my generation allowed to have a choice about whether to go to University or not".

We really did not have a choice. There was huge pressure from family and society to go to university. Nobody let any teenagers actually sit down and think "do I want to go to University or not".

My mother has four sisters. None of them went to University. They had the option to go straight from school and work. They all had good careers, and they all own their own houses. Yet, they forced every single one of their children go to University. They children did not get any say in the matter, they did not get any say in their own lives.

Why do we now have this obsession with making people go to University? I have one friend, who didn't go to University and she is a senior manager.

University is a bag of shite and is not needed. I also have another friend who works in the admission department of a University, and she told me that universities are certainly not there for the student's benefit. That there is loads of corruption going on behind the scenes. That all they want is money

[Ylvamoon]

@SunshineInMySprocket the question should be what they are passionate about and what type of job they want to do.
I personally would be careful with university unless it's a highly academic subject with good future prospects. Not sure they want to have all the student debt.
I work for a charity and we employ graduates at NMW... we like their transferable skills, but the jobs on offer are a world away from their degree subjects.

[cheeseycharlie]

Law. I'm an in-house solicitor in an industry I enjoy and earn enough to feel comfortable most of the time (current economic climate excepted).
Law degree was hard work but not impossible and I have never regretted choosing a degree with a steady job at the end of it.
Most solicitors train in a law firm which is a good craic at times, and a misogynistic slave driving hell hole at others.
At Uni I met great friends but it wasn't party time, we all had to work hard. But law school was a fucking blast.

[ErrolTheDragon]

the question should be what they are passionate about and what type of job they want to do.

Maybe that's the OPs second question, having gathered a list of the many and varied subjects people (mostly women) have studied, and the careers which have followed?

DH and I were talking today about the dearth of information when we were at school, particular re vast fields such as engineering. A broad view of the possibilities would have been useful.

[AnneElliott]

Degree in English Literature. I'm now a civil servant. Love my job though and wouldn't want to do anything else.

[MercedesDeMonteChristo]

@AnneElliott off topic but just to make you aware that I am Anne Elliott Wentworth when I’m not being Mercedes.

[BobbinThreadbare123]

You can thank Blair for the fact that so many people go to university. It was his millennial plan. Sadly, many degrees are just not worth the debt nowadays. It also means that lots of folk have to stay on and do Master's and PhDs in order to stand out from the crowd. I was certainly never forced although school encouraged it. Parents weren't bothered; nobody in my family had stayed in education beyond age 15.

[mumofpickles]

Agree with nice gerbil what do they enjoy? I have ba hons in dance and political history - a very random combination! also a pgce for secondary worked in both secondary and primary up to deputy head level and now in teacher training after having a break for children.

[cloudcett]

Interesting that so many regret their degrees. I did a degree in a subject I loved, and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, in terms of career opportunities, it has proved to be pretty useless. If I had my time again, I would seriously consider a degree in a subject that would lead to a professional qualification and better career opportunities

[CountFosco]

BSc (including Year in Industry) and PhD in biochemistry. Did a 2 year postdoc then joined the pharma company I did my year in industry with and 20 years later still here but now as a senior scientist leading projects.

Not sure I entirely agree about only doing a degree if you have a 'passion' for a subject, that would have made me feel quite pressurised as an 18yo. What subjects does this young person have A levels (or equivalents) in? What degree related to those subjects offers a good work life balance for good pay? How good are those qualifications? Can they get into a good Uni (in which case pretty much any degree is fine) or are they looking at a more run of the mill university in which case they should look at opportunities to gain work experience and graduate employment rates and think about a more vocational course. And they should remember it is never too pate to retrain.