To ask the best degree to do in order to earn the most

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I've never been money-oriented and did a degree in my twenties in a very specific subject that interested me but which is never going to earn me much money. I only got a 2:2 plus it's such a specific subject I'd be surprised if it would get me into an MSc in anything useful.

I currently work to support myself and young dd in a field unrelated to my degree and in which there is no potential for progression or promotion.

I'm now completely sick of being poor and want to retrain in something that will earn enough for us to be comfortably off.

I have enough saved plus can get a career development loan to fund another undergraduate degree.

Please could anyone advise me what I should be looking at in order to get the most well-paid job possible following this? I have a BSc, am pretty good at maths, have good communication skills and lots of experience in various fields.

I was considering med school and scored well in practice GAMSAT exams - these aim to assess your capability in a variety of areas so I guess that's a good indication that I could potentially do well in various types of studies/jobs.

Would be very grateful for any advice

Economics.

Oh to add - I only got a 2:2 in my first degree however was scoring a high first in my first two years until a series of personal disasters in my third year pretty much ruined it!

Computer Science or Software Engineering

Maths / stats / economics / accountancy or an MBA should set you up for a well paid career. Financial services pay well and starting salaries are pretty good. Do you live somewhere with good employment opportunities ?

Thank you, I'm compiling a list and these have been added!

Train as an accountant, either ACA, CIMA or ACCA. I don't have a degree but am ACCA qualified and earn well. Newly qualified can earn c£30k, middle management c£50k+, senior management to FD £65k+ to over £100k. It's way more than just numbers and I have been involved in all sorts of roles over the years and have found it an interesting and challenging career.

Accountancy - degree subject doesn't matter - if you're good at maths you'll be fine at the exams and it can lead to very nice salaries (I might be biased as I am one!)

Find a nice local firm of accountants / auditors which is not too big and has good training reputation.

Moon They're not the best but not too terrible either. Certainly not great if I continue what I'm doing

Well, you also have to be good at what you choose so you can progress to the highly paid end.

Maths -> Investment banking
Law -> City lawyer
Economics -> General stuff in 'The City'

BUT the people I know who went in that direction worked very long hours in the early years (e.g. 'pulling all nighters') which might not work so well with a young DC.

Or maths/computing -> software. Well paid, more steady hours.

I have taken a long look at my earning potential for the next 34 years and decided it was worth me taking 4 years out to do an access course plus degree in order to earn more for the remaining 30 years. I have chosen computing and IT.
I am reasonably good with computers anyway although it doesn't interest me say as much as archaeology it has a greater chance of a better paid job at the end of it.

(I say not a big firm as larger firms require too many hours if you have a family)

I'd say a degree with a high % of maths/stats/economics makes you highly employable and versatile. I have a degree in management science with a lot of maths, stats and OR. Touch wood, I have never been out of work, have always had a comfortable salary (not huge because of where I have chosen to work) and worked across a variety of sectors.

If you are already a grad a conversion type masters in Computer science / Business computing or a coding boot camp ( if you want to be a programmer) may be more cost effective and quicker.

Look at unistats and see the average salary for people on those courses.
Generally medical courses come out best.
maybe be difficult with a child.

Law - but only if you are going to become a s'leb barrister in a company like Michcon de Reya. Medicine - but only if you are going to be a renowned cosmetic surgeon. Banking but only if you can hack it as a commodities broker.

Most professions are only well paid if you are top end.

Not Medicine. Bitter

I would say engineering.

I thought accountancy was dying out because of the computer software programs designed to replace real people. Thats what they're telling high school students here anyway.

Actuarial Science! Lots of exams but massive earning potential!

Engineering
Maths
Physics computing
All ex- imperial friends are rolling in it with these degrees

What kind of salary are you aiming for op? "Well paid" on mn seems to be £150k+ salary!

Maths, computer science or Eng. However I did Chemistry and got a 2:2 and I now have a six figure salary in the Cloud a computing industry. I work in business strategy and commercial development. There are plenty of jobs in computing and we can't hire enough with the right skills especially data driven skills and technical skills combined with commercial acumen. It's not enough to be a super need. The best paid senior jobs also have a sales and business background.

I think a hard science degree would stand you in good stead. I would say a large part of it is navigating a career path. I've never been in a job more than 3 years and I've made some smart choices on which companies to work for including working for major silicon valley companies that open doors for you simply because of their name. Bit like having an Oxbridge degree.

I think there isn't enough career coaching especially for women in navigating careers as getting the degree is only the start.

Well paid is £600+ a day as a contractor or anything above £150k. Bonus, pensions often add at least £40k to a salary.

Don't book on to a degree without checking you cant do a masters first.

Lots of areas like computing/machine learning/robotics. I kmow surrey offers an msc for robitics for people without a releated degree as they are so short.

Another bsc is a massive waste of money (mine has just cost me 50k) if you already have one.

This is what concerns me about people going to university and doing a degree in a subject that doesn't lead to any employment related to the degree.

Of course, for many, university life is a great experience and life enhancing, but is the debt worth it? You're planning to get into more debt in the hope of jam tomorrow? I think it's important to choose something you enjoy and are good at. You will know what that is and any suggestions made here might not be relevant by the time you graduate.

Is there no practical course that you can follow that would allow you to continue to work whilst training for a more lucrative career.

I think that medical training requires a passion and desire. Do you feel that you are passionate about becoming a doctor?

Some really good suggestions and advice here, some I never would have thought of by myself. Am going to research them all thoroughly, thank you.