AIBU to think DH is giving DD the wrong advice about a future career?

[missionary]

DD is applying for uni and there are 3 different pathways she is struggling to pick between. 2 of them you could potentially do as volunteering.

The other you need a degree for, but could have an assistant role without a degree.

DH says go for the one that needs a degree, then do volunteering on the side for satisfaction if you have time.

My argument is what if she doesn’t have time? She’s stuck with the other job when she may prefer the others.

You can get careers in the others without a degree but you normally need some form of experience through volunteering and as she’d be older, she’d have a house to run, etc. so wouldn’t have time to stop the previous career to gain experience.

Thank you for any input.

Is the degree something that would give transferable skills or a narrow subject?

It’s biomedical science so quite narrow.

Need more detail really to give an opinion. Also not clear from your post -- it sounds as if she's already applying for uni so surely she's going to do a degree, no?

We might need a bit more info to advise, but plenty of people who work and “have houses to run” (isn’t that every adult?) also volunteer.

Going to uni is an amazing experience. If she can go and there's something she wants to study then I would promote it.

She might be able to get a ground level role without a degree but if she ever wants to move up the ladder it can get very difficult. (Which is why I am now in my 30s at Uni.)

I think I’ve confused people a bit. Yes, she’d be going to uni anyway, but would do a degree in the other type of jobs but have a higher more skilled job if that makes sense?

I don’t mean too busy to volunteer, I mean to busy to retrain if that makes sense?

I'm with your DH. Hard to advance beyond a certain point in biomedical science without a degree. The degree will probably boost her pay expectations. Also if she later wants to transfer to another career she will be able to do this more easily with a degree, even if an unrelated subject. Also biomedical science is a very male-dominated industry with few women in it and rife with sexism. You're likely not to be taken as seriously without a degree. She can do the volunteering later or as an extra curricular thing. Go for the degree.

That's really not specific enough. Most people will do a post grad after a biomedical degree anyway. There aren't many jobs require a biomedical degree that you can get with without postgraduate studies.

The other jobs are animal conservation and support jobs for vulnerable people.

If she's going to go down the route of volunteering, isn't she going to need a job as well to pay her bills?

What does your daughter want to do? She seems the forgotten party in this.

A biomedical degree will give her all sorts of options beyond the obvious career. And a lot of career require postgrads anyway. I suggest a lot more research with the unis into the various different degrees and options.

There was a very similar threads on hear a short while ago. The bio medical degree sounds like a really strong educational bassis that would be transferable into a number of areas in healthcare and stem. I'd say this is far better than relying on voulenterring experience which may not lead to a career and provides little option should she wish to change her plans latter.

Biomedical science the degree subject isn't narrow, you don't have to become a biomedical scientist afterwards. It's a good numerate degree with plenty of transferable skills.

On the flip side, if she does want to be a biomedical scientist, the most straightforward routes is to do one of the accredited degree courses (do check its an IBMS accredited one though).

Biomed degree but make sure it's one where she comes out qualified and doesn't have to get a trainee position after. It's a valuable asset once you have it and become hcp registered. Plus its a degree u can use for loads of things.

Biomed for sure. How do you know she’ll be too busy to volunteer in the future? I don’t understand the, “she’ll have a house to run” comment.

I helped someone with a similar dilemma last year.

Biomedical science is a good solid degree. If she wants to go into it professionally then she will probably need post-grad degree(s) too. However if she changes her mind she can use a biomedical science degree from a good university to access many different graduate training programmes, and a science degree is very often seen as more useful than an arts degree.

I have a busy high pressure career, hobbies, children, and still manage to volunteer for 2 different charities.

A Biomedical sciences degree isn't a narrow subject, I graduated with one and it opened up a lot of different jobs. Do ensure its IBMS accredited though.

What does your Dd want?

Fwiw I think your DH is right, biomedical science is a good solid degree with lots of transferable skills.

I work in the City and have met numerous people with that degree.

The jobs you mention are low paid. The science degree could give her the option of numerous “graduate” jobs in and beyond science. So the degree would be a better path IMO.

An even better one could be another science degree likely to open even more career doors.

If she is only at applying for uni stage then she must be late teens? If so she has potentially a 50 year career ahead of her and she could easily find herself retraining to do something different in 20 or 30 years time. She doesn't have to pick one field now that will last for the rest of her life, so take that into consideration before she is shoehorned into a 'career' she might not want.