To think DD should pick to study what she is interested in and not what she'll get a job in?

[Dovinea]

Help!

DD is 18 and is applying for uni very soon. She is very good at science and her main interest is everything associated with zoology. She says she has looked into job prospects and other stuff and says it's quite hard to find a job that would be interesting to her, so she'd mainly prefer the studying part, so she is planning on doing biomedical science, where the uni she is liking does a fast-track into the NHS year, so she can take up a job within there.

AIBU to think she should do the degree she will enjoy the most?

For the record, I don't think less vocational degrees make you less employable.

But the route to employment is often less clear. You may have to be more imaginative, think outside the box, sell your skills harder, do more networking. It may take longer and it may require more training. Or indeed it may not and you could walk into a top grad scheme with your history degree.

In my experience, the people who turned out to be 'most employable' were those who knew what they wanted and focused hard on getting it.

I'm all for doing a non vocational degree for love, but the lack of clarity in terms of career path is not for everyone. Some don't navigate that path well and would be better off with a more straightforward vocational course. And if sounds like your daughter has her head screwed on.

Snowflake alert! It's a good thing that your DD is more reasonable than you.

She is right

I went off to Uni many years ago and had a fab time studying Japanese (including a year over there).
Graduated with a 2:1 - ended up training to be an accountant.
I was very very lucky to get the career I have had, I couldn't do it now!

Agree with DD 100% - if you're going to be so much in debt, then DD should be looking at long term employment. Why wouldn't you be???? Unless you plan on supporting her for life?

Very interesting point by previous poster saying boys are encouraged to do this and subsequently earn more money!
She'll no doubt find biomedical sciences interesting and if not, wouldn't find it difficult to change course. I changed from biology to biomedical sciences so supporting her all the way!

She's very young. It's very hard to be sure that she wants to do the same thing in 10 years. I think she should make sure that she enjoys what she studies, but also ensure that she can get work after graduating. The holy grail, in other words.

I once met someone who had an MA in egyptology - unless you teach it a university, there are no jobs. He worked as an archivist at GE. Alone. In the cellar. But I also have a friend who got her dream job at a very young age and 10 years later she had a bit of an existential crisis and changed career.

I think it 's wonderful that she not only wants to study, but is also thinking ahead.

Like the PP I really don’t understand this concept of “useless degrees” at all. I work in careers development in higher education and work with tons of employers - I can assure you that most of them couldn’t care less what your degree is in. In the UK the grad job market is amazingly flexible. It’s all about motivation, transferable skills and work experience (and in some cases passing psychometric tests, but you can swot up for those). I’d encourage my kid to study something her really interests them - and get lots of varied work experience along the way.

I have a degree in zoology and work in the field of zoology Kind of. Of the 30 people I did my degree probably about 8 of us are still working directly in zoology 15 years later. Others are teachers, stay at home mum's, accountants, photographers, water engineers etc. On day 1 of uni they highlighted the types of jobs people would end up in and it was clear that zoology was not the main employment but that the skills and experience we would have from a science degree were desirable.

So if your daughter is intent on being a zoologist I'd say go for it but do everything in her power to increase her employability through internships and volunteering. If she's not that set on zoology as a career it doesn't rule it out but that she could use it as a platform.

Your DD is right. I chose my degree without thinking about career prospects and have always regretted that.

She’s right, I wish I’d had her attitude when I did my degree.

No way.

That was the advice when I went to uni in 2001, and I now have a completely useless degree in American Studies.

Mind you, I almost did Classics and Egyptology which I doubt would have been any more helpful!

I have a friend who got a first in zoology at a top university. The only work she can find is minimum wage jobs in retail. This is a number of years after graduation. There is so much competition for jobs in this field that only a tiny proportion of graduates secure any meaningful work.

A few of my work colleagues have degrees in English literature. They have significant debt and the sinking realisation that the degree does not relate to any of their ideal careers (apart from they can spell really well and construct full sentences!)

Your daughter sounds like she has her head screwed on.

I'd steer her away from a vocational biomedical sciences degree - there might be a clear route to a job, but it closes down lots of other options. With a more general biomedical science degree, usually any research type paths will be closed without a lot of further study to specialise.

A good science degree opens lots of doors into graduate schemes where the main entry requirement is a numerate degree.

My degree is in a biological science, with that I got onto a graduate scheme and now have a decent career in IT.

Does she know what the role of s biomedical scientist in the NHS usually is? I did some work experience in a hospital lab and it wasn't the most exciting job, or very well paid.

Employability is important but the type of employment is also important.

Sounds like she's got her head screwed on right. Clever girl.

And go for the highest status hardest to get into university she can manage as that tends to help with later jobs in most sectors and keeps options open. Make sure she looks at pay in various jobs too.

@cazzyg that's exactly what she doesn't want. A graduate scheme.

Then fair enough......but if it was my DD I'd encourage her to get some experience of the role before deciding.

She does sound like she’s very sensible. But from a personal level I did the subject I enjoyed at university.
Most people told me it didn’t have good job aspects, but I was just happy doing what I loved and knew that it was best for me.

I’m now in my dream job as a Medial Photographer.
After uni I worked as an admin assistant, making enough money to live and travel to places to get work experience in so I could build up my portfolio and get into the field.

It’s different for everyone. If she’s happy doing the degree with most job aspects then yes go for it.
But if she will regret it and not be happy then it might not be the best choice?

She is being very sensible thinking about employment, far too many people end up leaving uni with huge debt and no job prospects!!!!

Both DH and I did degrees that interested us. Both completely useless and both ended up back at uni for masters to get actual good jobs!

She's being very sensible.

I'm going to go against the grain. I feel people see degrees as vocational and in most cases (exceptions like medicine) they are not. I did a history and politics degree due to interest. My peers have gone into a whole host of jobs from insurance to law to accountancy and journalism. Many success stories. DH did a business degree under pressure to be employable from his parents and hated it. He got a 2:2 which barred him from many grad schemes. He says if he had his time again he'd have done philosophy, enjoyed it and probably done well!

It's actually very practical and doesn't mean that she can't do research on the side in what she's interested in. It's not unheard of for it to happen, especially in science.

This coming from someone who chose to study what she liked rather than something 'useful' (creative writing) 😂 but honestly, at the moment at least I'd say it's good to think a bit logically in terms of employability

Employability is very important, but only if it's something she'll enjoy a bit anyway, as it's much harder to do well if you dislike the subject. If I had my time again I would have studied something far more practical.

Why doesn't she want a graduate scheme? It's a job with training that's all... For the record I agree with cazzy - a generic zoology degree will probably open more door than biomed unless she actively wants to be a BM Scientist. Maybe she does though!

It's a bit different to the humanities. There are tonnes of cross-overs there in the skills, and they're mainly suitable for any graduate. I could have got onto a course for English, History, Philosophy. English was my best subject, but it wouldn't have been any more relevant to my job than history. My OH is an accountant, hired with a Politics degree!

Zoology can be very narrowing, and have limited prospects, from everything I've read.

@Tilapia:
I have noticed (in the course of my work) that many parents seem to encourage girls to do something they’ll enjoy and boys to consider what will lead to a well paid career. IMO this is one reason for the gender pay gap!

The gender pay gap relates to men and women being paid differently for doing the same job. Not being paid differently because they have done different degrees and gone into different jobs. And the gender pay gap doesn't really get going until women are 30-40 i.e. when they start having children. The main reason for the disparity being that then there is often a need for reduced hours and/or an inability to stay on after hours once you've had children. Men (in very general terms) don't have the same restrictions because the bulk of childcare still falls to women. Therefore they continue to progress (in terms of income and promotions) where women stagnate. It's depressing, and something I really hope has been rectified by the time my DD grows up.

OP, I would agree that BioMed is very specialist so DD needs to be sure that's the field she wants to go into. I have friends who did specialist degrees and who then had to do a Masters to 'undo' their specialisms. But I think either option works. I did an English Literature degree and have never struggled to find work. I think a few years after you've finished your degree and started working, no-one gives a monkey's what your degree was in (unless of course you are a doctor!).