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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:
dazedandconfused12 · 20/08/2017 21:34

It's something like economics from London business school. Tbh if you got a 2.2 last time I'm guessing it's unrealistic you would get in..
What can you realistically do bearing in mind you'd have to start from the bottom? Are you entrepreneurial?

hellotoyellow · 20/08/2017 21:36

Masters in Medical Stats. Always short of people, £40k start. London school of hygiene does an excellent one

HeyPesto55 · 20/08/2017 21:37

Another vote for Project Management. I am a career changer, working as a PM Trainee and prospects are good (6 figures common in Financial Services and IT).

No need for a new degree, just practical learning in an entry level role and some additional qualifications like Prince2 would help. So far, it's everything I hoped for. Interesting, challenging and the opportunity for continual development.

And you can bring all your other learning and life experience with you. Joy of being an older trainee!

dazedandconfused12 · 20/08/2017 21:42

A couple of people have suggested chemical engineering. It's a 4 year course with plenty of maths but if you get a good job with a big company you can be earning £100-150k 20 years after graduating. It's not particularly family friendly and quite location specific. You would be competing with 21-23 year olds for £30k jobs so I wouldn't recommend it.

titchy · 20/08/2017 21:56

Cyber security or big data (would combine well with STEM first degree) - conversion MS first. Add in a project management qualification a few years down the line and you're sorted.

Or can you consult in what you do now? £500-£1000 a day.

TennisAtXmas · 21/08/2017 00:18

Look at unistats and see the average salary for people on those courses.
Definitely worth checking this, and check potential for progression too. Surprised to see people suggesting computer science, as its not generally anything like as well paid as accounting etc, but its a common misconception that you'd earn a small fortune as a programmer/ systems engineer.

Abbylee · 21/08/2017 01:30

Instead of another 4 year degree, can you move into an advanced degree? It doesn't have to be advanced in the field that your first degree is in. My friend got two undergrad degrees.,wasn't helpful. Best of luck!

xkatie27x · 21/08/2017 06:24

If you do accountancy don't bother doing a degree - go down the AAT then ACCA/CIMA route. A lot cheaper than university and employers prefer it to a degree anyway - they'd only ask you to study ACCA after uni anyway!!

Oblomov17 · 21/08/2017 06:59

Very interesting thread, for ds1 careers advice. Will re-read.

Nordicwannabe · 21/08/2017 07:19

I'd recommend IT - really interesting, well paid, and generally has a very good life balance.

Try doing some programming at home to see if you like it. If so, do a 1 year conversion course. Experience beats qualifications in IT and no-one will expect you to spend another 3 years studying. Get some projects up on github, and talk about relevant experience in your previous career.

If you don't like programming but do like tech, do consider testing. With your background you could get a junior manual testing role without any further training. Then whilst doing that, if you wanted to you could study at home to become an automation tester (writing code which tests the 'actual product' code) which pays better.

JanKind · 21/08/2017 08:03

management consultant

RhiWrites · 21/08/2017 08:21

Have we had Real Estate Investment Finance yet? They do quite well for themselves.

thekillers · 21/08/2017 08:27

Age 39 and want £60k. Primary school teacher. Realistic to be a Head/Head of School within 6 years and on that salary. Train on the job through school based ITT in an academy chain.

OhTheRoses · 21/08/2017 08:43

Or train driver £65,000.

AhhhhThatsBass · 21/08/2017 09:24

Apologies, haven't read the full thread.
It's not all about what you read, it's also about where you do it and the industry you enter.
My husband read English (but a 2.2) at a Russell group university and is in Finance earning 6 figures.
I studied Economics at a similar university and got a 2.1, work in finance and also earn 6 figures though way less than him.
The point of the above is not to stealthily boast but merely to tell you that I think Finance pays the best of all industries but that you can take all sorts of routes in; it just might take longer if you don't have the greatest degree from a top college for example go in at back office and work your way up.
If you were to go into Finance, you may find it far less fulfilling than a more rewarding career. You're not saving the world or anyone's life, or helping anyone in any way. You're in it for the money, pure and simple and as great as earning good money is, it isn't the be all and end all. I am financially rewarded very well but do I find my career rewarding? No. Do I hate my career? More or less. But do I like the money? Yes.
So it's not just as straightforward as being happy just because you earn a lot of money.

Clearaschristal · 21/08/2017 10:47

Actuarial Science - dead boring but a good earner if you can cope with it.

pringlecat · 21/08/2017 11:26

Another vote for accountancy. It's very parent-friendly and age isn't an issue, both of which are considerations for you. You can also earn while you learn, which would make more sense in your circumstances than going back to uni (plus you already have a degree).

I would give serious thought to the exams though - not everyone who studies to become an accountant does become an accountant. If you work for one of the bigger firms, they will fire you immediately if you fail one of the easier exams and after a few retakes if you fail one of the harder (later stage) exams. Do you feel you could cope with that pressure?

WomanWithAltitude · 21/08/2017 11:30

If you work for one of the bigger firms, they will fire you immediately if you fail one of the easier exams and after a few retakes if you fail one of the harder (later stage) exams.

This may have been the case in the past but isn't any more. My big4 firm gives trainees a minimum of 2 attempts at every exam. I've had all first time passes to date, but I know of others in my intake who only passed some of the easier exams on the second or third sitting yet not been fired.

It costs them a lot of money to recruit, and many firms are struggling with retention - they simply don't fire people at the drop of a hat.

pollymere · 21/08/2017 11:43

Do an MSc. The OU and Birkbeck are some of the places who don't care about previous subjects, more about aptitude for your chosen topic. Medicine is eight years of hard slog before you even start seeing money. If you've an aptitude for science look for something that will get you a job in industry rather than academia. Working on clinical trials etc is well paid. An undergraduate degree isn't particularly valuable as if you already have work experience, it won't really make a difference in salary. Both I and my DH have studied part time for Masters in subjects different to our original ones and he now has a completely different career which he loves.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 21/08/2017 11:55

As you have a broadly based science degree have a look at patent attorneys.
www.cipa.org.uk/about-us/

trixymalixy · 21/08/2017 12:02

I'm a qualified actuary. I earn good money and it's fairly flexible, I work part time and can work from home if needs be.

The exams are really tough and you are up against other people who are most likely to have first class degrees in maths or maths related fields.A huge proportion of those that start the exams never finish them.

When you say you're pretty good at maths, how good do you mean? Did you get an A at A level? What's your BSc in?

It is a great career and one which i find quite interesting and would highly recommend, but you need to go in with your eyes open regarding the amount of commitment required to get through the exams.

stabbyjoe · 21/08/2017 12:42

I want to re-train but don't think I could face going back to university. Even though IT is a far cry from what I trained as I'm considering it as DH, who is a developer, tells me it's a good option. He's mostly self taught and reckons anyone can do it if they put their mind to it. He's done really well and pretty much picks his hours

stabbyjoe · 21/08/2017 12:42

Not coding though something else in IT

SherbrookeFosterer · 21/08/2017 13:57

May I suggest you go to the same University & study the same degree as Michelle Mone, Hilary Devey, Celia Sawyer and Steve Shirley?

.

LancelotLink · 21/08/2017 14:56

Another tick for accountancy. You will get paid while you train (£20k+) and once qualified you'd have to look hard to get a job paying below £50k. So much better than another 3+ years of study, and its an interesting job.

Even in a Big 4 firm you could fit the training contract into your lifestyle if you pick the right specialism. The audit departments work long hours, and corporate finance and consulting staff can be sent anywhere in the world at short notice, but the tax bods all seem to work 9 - 5.

Medicine and law would surely not fit into the lifestyle of a single parent. The amount of work required in early stages of these professions is ridiculous and there is no guarantee of financial success.