To think most of the money is in the sciences?

[superstarheartbreaker]

I'm one of those kids who opted for both arts and a science ( Biology) at alevel. In the end I went for a degree in English lit and lang but now wish I'd completed a degree in Biological Sciences.
I loved biology but I loved English more. I'm a trained English teacher but it's soooo stressful and I reckon a degree in science would have been much more useful... To humanity as well as my pocket!

Humph. No. No benefit to your pocket, at any rate.

Ner. Most of the money is in PPE Oxbridge.

Pope stands for......? Psychology, philosophy and...?

No. Both scientists here, we might be saving the world, but the paycheque is slim...

E = economics

I did a biological sciences degree and PhD and I earn relatively little, full time equivalent is £16k

Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

PPE = philosophy politics economics.

Add Eton and there's your cabinet.

Oh yeah... Just googled it ... And also US presidents.

I would say most money is in electrical engineering at Imperial. My three friends who did that are all now multi millionaires.

Definitely not in Scientific research.....short term contracts...grant funding...low pay (for the qualifications)

My most successful university contemporary studied economics and is now a director in a major utility company Still, at least strangers don't routinely slag me off on the internet.
Don't even think about it.

Surely even now, banking and finance is where the real money is. DH gets pretty well paid for science/IT qualifications, but science research money is pants.

Well from what I hear science graduates aren't getting very great salaries at the moment. Seems companies are on the look out for graduates from the top unis and are paying them the most.

Science pays well as long as you don't stay in academia. My friends who are still in Universities are low paid (these are Oxford graduates who all now have permanent contracts), those of us who went into Pharms or other industries are comfortable (and live in the biggest houses since we live in unfashionable parts of the country), those who did best financially are those who left science (best paid job: Head of European IT for a logistics company but the accountants and consultants seem reasonably well paid as well). Banking and Finance is full of people with numerate degrees (aka science graduates).

My unemployed chemistry PhD qualified partner would disagree :-(

Engineering I'd say

The only way scientists are making big money is to go into banking etc.

Most scientists staying in science are earning low to middle incomes at best. Many graduates and even PhDs etc are earning well below £20k pa, ie not a huge amount more than minimum wage.

I'm a chemistry graduate with over 20 years experience in an extremely specialised field, that includes national emergency response functions, which if they ever get implemented, most mumsnetters will be retreating to underground bunkers with their OFRSs, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to earn £40k.

I did a science degree, and PhD, and now do, er.... What you do (science though,not English, obviously).

Teaching pays reasonably well though I think.

Disagree.
My money has come from learning to make a reasoned argument (history at Cambridge) and to write well.
I do have an interest in business and economics which has helped!

More money in sciences ha ha ha. More money in plumbing.

The two highest earning of my contemporaries did English and drama at university.

Both of my (early '30s) research scientist friends are currently unemployed, and both have opted to take time out to have DC now as the prospect of them finding employment in the current climate is so remote. They say they'll probably retrain.

Think IT is where at least some of the money is - not on the scale of banking/finance, but DP is an enterprise architect (no, I've no idea either! ) and earns fairly well because his skills are in demand and not that easy to come by. Apparently his company often ends up employing contract workers from Asia as thy can't find UK graduates with the right skillset.

I did physics and most people from my year still working in physics related jobs are doing ok but not earning big amounts - like me. The ones earning the big money are those who went into sw development, finance etc.

However, I think in the sciences it is possible to earn fairly good money for a 9-5 job without needing to commute to the city. I guess I earn a good salary per worked hour as do not do much unpaid overtime.

A science degree does make it easier to get into these well paid occupations as perceived as more 'difficult' degrees.

I think provided you get into the private sector or maybe public sector (but I don't know many there myself) as a scientist, as opposed to academia, there's plenty of scope to get yourself to around the £40k mark, but very few people in science earn mega-bucks. DH and I are both scientists in industry. However of my contemporaries (mid 40s), the ones in £100k + jobs are all Libdon based and in the legal or financial sectors.

London not Libdon