Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you had your time again would you have done a different degree?

193 replies

malificent7 · 04/10/2016 17:36

I would. English. I was great at it at school (A*) gcse etc. Good degree but imo totally useless. No longer want to teach.
I was also good at science but found the maths component tricky. I wish id done something a bit more useful and scientific like radiography. I will prob go vack and study but i wish id done something more useful in the first place!

Anyone else?

OP posts:
edwinbear · 04/10/2016 21:53

Economics, it was a huge gamble as I hadn't studied the subject at A Level but I took to it like a duck water and loved everything about it. It's provided me with a fabulous banking career, which has paid very well over the years, but having just been made redundant, I'm at a crossroads of deciding if it can help me with a career change. It's not looking great at the moment if I'm honest.

user1472419718 · 04/10/2016 21:57

Yes and no.

The degree I chose at age 18 (Chemistry) was right for me at the time, and I was led to believe it had excellent career prospects. However, when I started looking for jobs aged 21, I found most places were looking for Chemical Engineering graduates.

As it turns out, for the career I have ended up in, actually a Biology/Biosciences degree would have been better.

GreyBird84 · 04/10/2016 21:58

I did English because I enjoyed it & achieved high marks consistently.
I was too scared I wouldn't get the A-levels for law & politics so I didn't put that as my first choice. I wish I had.

I wish I put more thought into a degree pathway that earns good money instead of just doing something I was good at. However i don't regret going to university per se.

bluechameleon · 04/10/2016 21:58

Yes. I did law and hated it. I wish I'd done history and politics. I would have found that interesting and it would have been easier getting onto a primary teaching PGCE.

JockTamsonsBairns · 04/10/2016 22:06

I did Economics and regret it massively. I've never worked in any field even remotely related to my degree, and I've barely retained any knowledge on the subject I must've had. Wish I'd done Politics or Law.

NoncommittalToSparkleMotion · 04/10/2016 22:13

I have an English degree. I don't know why- writing and reading in high school means fuck all in real life. I coasted through university and since I didn't want to teach, I'm stuck in jobs you don't need a degree to do, but years of experience.

But talk to me about Shakespeare. We'll have a blast!

Hairyfairy01 · 04/10/2016 22:14

Psychology, totally regret it. It's never got me anywhere career wise. Wish I had done nursing, however at 18 I wouldn't have been emotionally mature enough I don't think. Had a great time at uni though.

SukeyTakeItOffAgain · 04/10/2016 22:16

I wish I had done Geography or something marine related rather than history. I live history, and studying it is wonderful, but it hasn't been that useful.

madein1995 · 04/10/2016 22:16

I definitely would. Did early childhood (finished this year) but want to be either a social worker or a police officer, social work would have been better for either of those careers. As it is if I decide I want to be a social worker I'll have to get in a hell of a lot more debt Sad really wish I didn't jump the gun at 18 and waited a few years to decide

dovesong · 04/10/2016 22:16

Did English but loved it and it was definitely worthwhile. Broadened my mind and made me a better person and I had some incredible tutors. However I very much wish that I hadn't done a PGCE. I knew I'd made a mistake in the second week but forced myself to stick it out, much to the detriment of my mental health.

Readytomakechanges · 04/10/2016 22:22

Yes. I would not have done medicine knowing what I know now. I love my job, but the politics and the working practices are pushing me and many of my colleagues out of medicine, which feels like a massive waste of many years study and hard work.

belleandsnowwhite · 04/10/2016 22:27

Yes I did English over doing Biology at a better uni. I was scared to go to the better uni. I would go back to uni if I could afford it.

mimishimmi · 04/10/2016 22:31

Yes, definitely. Mine made me paranoid and depressed - history and political science.

ChocolatyClair · 04/10/2016 22:37

I'd have done maths or modern languages rather than law (which has a very short shelf life and is useless without a professional qual)

LemonEmmaP · 04/10/2016 22:40

I did maths, and wouldn't change it, although I would change some of the modules that I studied. I went into the subject with too many preconceived ideas about what areas I would enjoy and which I would find dull, but when I found that I did surprisingly well in an entirely different area of maths, I think that I should have realised that perhaps my original thoughts needed to be revisited! Instead I stuck with my plans and ended up failing that one module that I had thought would be so good for me. I also avoided the 'easy' modules which was a crazy idea - I could have got a much better degree if I'd chosen modules more wisely.

PurpleRainy · 04/10/2016 22:44

ready im in the NHS and feel youre pain Flowers

Sharptic · 04/10/2016 22:45

I'm not sure I am qualified to respond just yet, I'm in the final year of diagnostic radiography. I'm really excited about the year ahead, so many job prospects out there, there's a massive shortage in this profession. Its a hard degree, and I've a difficult year ahead but have no regrets about the choice at all.

BestIsWest · 04/10/2016 23:01

I did Economics because I did it for A level and had no idea what I wanted to do. I wish I'd done History but for some reason I was intimidated by it at 18.
Hardly ever used the Economics.

RaisingSteam · 04/10/2016 23:06

I had a discussion with DS recently about why I didn't do "O" level needlework (last year before it became GCSE) because I could sew perfectly well by then and didn't see what I had to learn. The thing was, it effectively cut off the chance to follow up with A level or a career in fashion or design. I've ended up doing engineering design instead, I love my job but I do wonder what if? I say this to DS when he is going on "why do computing when I know more than the teacher?". Good luck FelixFelix.

BadToTheBone · 04/10/2016 23:06

Yes, I went with the path of least resistance, I wish I'd gone with a more challenging course, I've found I'm quite intelligent when I apply myself.

honeyroar · 04/10/2016 23:09

Yes. I did. French and Italian and, although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't recommend to someone nowadays (sorry Secretfreckle!). I would just do an apprenticeship if I was young now.

TigerBreadAddict · 04/10/2016 23:09

Yep, Dentistry. It's seen me right. A good mix of art and science to it, a great salary on a part time wage, a worthwhile day job, secure employment, variety and challenge. Plus, the best 5 years of my life training.

Iusedtobecarmen · 04/10/2016 23:15

I did a degree leading to a professional qualification
God i regret it. Interesting yes,but generally hugely stressful and not rewarding.
Wish id done sometime to do with travel.
Actually i wish id not gone to uni at all but really did my research into what jobs paid the most money. Thats all really that matters to me. Earning so i can have a good life

Degrees for actual interest. Thats easy. English,history and languages.
Wish i could turn the clock back.

dottygamekeeper · 04/10/2016 23:25

I did Archaeology - if I had my time again I think I would have done a slight lydifferent A levels (to include Maths). My degree was interesting and I did work as an archaeologist for a few years but am now doing something totally unrelated.

If I had my time again I would choose a different uni - probably more of a campus uni than going to a small college in a big city, as I don't feel I really got the full social experience (was lacking in confidence and missed a large part of the first year due to illness). With hindsight, I should have restarted my degree at a different uni after the first year.

I was lucky to go to Uni in the days before fees and when we got maintenance grants. These days I would choose a vocational type degree or STEM subject, or not go to uni and do an apprenticeship instead.

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 04/10/2016 23:27

No. Wouldn't change a thing.

Did maths. Love maths. Lots of good careers available with a maths degree. (One of which I have.)

Sometimes regret my choice of university. (I went to Cambridge.) All my friends from home were off destroying their liver whilst I was in Saturday morning lectures. But I got to learn from some of the most amazing mathematicians in the world. So I can't really complain. (And I met Dh there.)