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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

226 replies

Vitalic · 19/08/2017 08:51

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

OP posts:
OhTheRoses · 19/08/2017 09:10

Surely you would be better of looking at a post grad qualification at this point? It's difficult to generalise but I think to break into the jobs mentioned on here the firm's are looking for firsts from top uni's with bells and whistles added such as a foreign language - Russian goes down well I believe.

Veinarde · 19/08/2017 09:11

I am paid £350 a day when contracting as a financial planning manager, I have ACCA accounting qualification and I am mid senior level at the moment. It is also a very interesting job.

Original poster
Vitalic · 19/08/2017 09:13

I should probably specify what well-paid means to me! I guess around 50-100k but would be happy I guess if it stayed around 60ish. We'd be confortable on that. I'm planning on staying single forever so it has to be enough for just me and dd.

I actually do feel very passionately about wanting to be a doctor, I have many years experience of working with doctors, especially junior ones, so am aware of what it entails, and have wanted to do it for many years, hence practising for the GAMSAT (I even got as far as booking and paying for it a couple of years ago but then dd came along) but I've been put off by everyone pretty much telling me it'd be a terrible decision, and having to work away from home etc. with no partner to support me.

OP posts:
Jedimum1 · 19/08/2017 09:15

Dentistry. Reasonable hours and high fees. Society is getting more appearance-conscious, not the opposite.

Accountancy, as others said, but no clue on the hours (which would be a very important thing for me!)

Psychiatry, same thing. People are getting more and more mental health problems, not likely to decrease. High fees.

Chartered secretary / PA. Not too bad, plus if you are chartered, very desirable for a company.

Jedimum1 · 19/08/2017 09:18

I'd ask junior doctors more about their hours, one of the main complains with the new contracts was how unfair it was for single mums. If you have to work all week and sometimes 12h straight, do you have family support that can do childcare? If you need to pay a nanny for 12h shifts or weekend work, you'll spend so much that it wouldn't be worth it.

Jedimum1 · 19/08/2017 09:20

But then it depends what specialisation you might do.

May50 · 19/08/2017 09:20

Actuary. More money than accountant. You want need to pay for a further degree though - was your first degree mathematical?

daisypond · 19/08/2017 09:20

Do you have science/maths A levels? Maybe so, if you were talking about an MSc. If you haven't, you can do an Access to Medicine course first which will give you the right qualifications for university entrance for medicine. A friend of mine had a BA degree in a humanities subject and then did this course, went to medical school and is now a doctor.

NoArmaniNoPunani · 19/08/2017 09:23

Dentistry. Reasonable hours and high fees. Society is getting more appearance-conscious, not the opposite.

Hahaha, Are you a dentist? I am. It's no where near as well paid as the other jobs mentioned here

JulietNeverMetRomeo · 19/08/2017 09:23

Why do you want to take another degree? I would pay to do your Prince2 (project management qualification) and maybe Agile and get a job being a PM. If you can get into project managing IT projects you can command a big daily rate. Alternatively you could get a job in any sector that requires PM's. The training for Prince2 is about a week long or two weekends and in the interim you could apply for project support roles to learn the ropes.

PhilODox · 19/08/2017 09:25

Maths, become an actuary.

But in fact, you don't need a degree to go into computing, and you can earn a lot as a coder or project manager if you're good.

lljkk · 19/08/2017 09:26

Where's Xenia? She normally gushes forth with ways to earn £100 an hour. She'd say study law, of course. It's only a single year conversion course, assuming you can get on the conversion course with only a 2:2.

Someone I know with PhD is planning to train to be a physician's Associate (I think that's name). It's a lot of doctor duties without some of the negatives.

JulietNeverMetRomeo · 19/08/2017 09:27

Definitely wouldn't become a doctor the hours are insane and you don't make good money until you become a consultant which can take a long time.

LivLemler · 19/08/2017 09:27

A maths degree, especially one with a high stats and computational element, will open lots of doors.

I see actuarial science has been recommended - I'm an actuary and it's a very long route. I had no exemptions from the exams despite a first class mathematical degree and MSc. It took me eight years of bloody hard work from there. If you already have a DC, you'd need to really really want it.

IME, accounting has the best balance of opportunities Vs the effort it takes to qualify. You don't even need to stay in practice, lots go on to do other things. You may also manage to avoid paying for another degree if you go down this route. You should seriously consider it.

reetgood · 19/08/2017 09:28

Consider that in medicine once you've qualified you also have a number of years on a junior doctor salary, which starts at £22k rising to £22-30k in specialism training which is another four years. You only start seeing your target salary once you're consulting. I really don't think it's the route for you.

I think an msc conversion might be the right route for you. If you are serious about maths, being an actuary has loads of it and you can train whilst working. It might depend on what your current role involves.

It could be useful to work with someone who specialises in career change to help narrow down your options. It's difficult for you to be too specific on here but it could be there's a transition using your skill set that doesn't require full retraining.

JulietNeverMetRomeo · 19/08/2017 09:28

I should have said don't become a doctor if you are chasing money. If you have a real calling then you should follow that.

SonicBoomBoom · 19/08/2017 09:29

Of you are aiming for £60k +, then accountancy or actuary is a good, very safe, bet.

I have never known a Chartered Accountant to be out of work, and well paid work at that.

ethelfleda · 19/08/2017 09:34

Are you artisitic in any way? Have you thought about architecture? Many 'architects' aren't trained to degree level now and you can earn a lot of money on the side with the right software and CAD/Photoshop skills. From drawing up extensions for a few hubdred quid for a day's work to designing entire housing layouts for thousands of pounds.... plus you can make so many good contacts. If you get some money behind you, you can potentially buy land - then apply for planning permission on it and sell it on with a nice profit.
I know people who know people who have gotten in to property development this way and earnings can be massive in such a short space of time. Although you do need a lot of capital behind you!

TrishanFlips · 19/08/2017 09:35

I think Doctor's Associate only pays £30000 - £50000. But less stressful and perhaps more manageable hours than Doctor. However maybe they would also have to do shifts. Sound like you are very keen on Doctor - so try to get onto Access to Medicine course as pp suggested.

MyMorningHasBroken · 19/08/2017 09:37

I went to university. Came from a medical family. Dad was a Dr. I was the only one out of 5 of us to go to university. One sister trained as a nurse, but I felt obliged to go because the others didn't.
I started taking Eurpean Studies with French.( I'd lived in France for 3 years during my teenage years). However I had a bad experience which left me leaving uni that year and I relocated AND changed degree course.
I studied Theology and Philosophy,didn't work very hard and got a 2:2.
I went abroad to teach English soon after for a few years and got a TEFL cert.
However, after from my TEFL work and some teaching support on min wage, I've found it very hard to get anything. I'm 38 now and really regret the degree i took. I wish i had stayed with European studies and French.

I don't feel my degree is worth anything really and I've never even started paying anything back as I've never earned that much. I have however, payed out for courses to retrain in different areas.
I just took a level 3 NCFE which I feel is probably worth more than the ancient degree.

I find everyone has a degree now and so if you are not planning on taking it further I don't think it makes any difference tbh.

BrandNewHouse · 19/08/2017 09:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KeiraKnightleyActsWithHerTeeth · 19/08/2017 09:38

How old are you OP? I wouldn't want to go through the slog of medicine and the training (to the point where you would make a comfortable salary) past the age of about 33.

ethelfleda · 19/08/2017 09:39

I shoukd say If you're looking for a £60k salary then I would say probably a layout designer at a property developers would get you there but you do need experience first. Basic salaries aren't that great from what i understand.

MrsOverTheRoad · 19/08/2017 09:39

Funeral Directing.

mscongeniality · 19/08/2017 09:39

What was your first degree in? Is it anything out of Science/Engineering/Math/English? I did Science in my undergrad but didn't want to pursue Masters/PhD so ended up doing a graduate certification in Technical Writing. Its not the most exciting job in the world but the job market is great for it, reasonably well paid especially if you're contracting, normal hours, lots of flexibility because you can work from home a lot, lots of contracts available, and the best part is your knowledge doesn't become outdated if you don't work for a while. I took almost 3 years off to have my son and I started job hunting last month, had 2 interviews which I turned down and accepted the 3rd so it was easy to get back to work!