If you have a degree and have only ever worked in low paid/ nmw jobs? if so, how do you feel about it?

[ugger]

Does it bother you? Does it make you feel a bit of a failure? Do you feel unsuccessful? Embarrassed even?

This is me. I feel like this. Only ever managed to get nmw jobs or just a few pence above! What makes it a million times worse is my degree is in a healthcare vocation. I could have earned decent money but couldn't/ didn't! I wish I never went to uni. Should have just messed about at school even. People with hardly any GCSEs are doing miles better than me.

I was talking to dh about this and he thinks im being ridiculous and says im doing just fine and it doesn't matter if you have a low paid job and a degree which I know makes sense. If I knew someone else like this it wouldn't even cross my mind but for me personally it does and I can't seem to let it go and accept it. As im getting older, it making me feel such a strong feeling of loss, I guess, of a life that could have been.

[malificent7]

My degree is in a vocational science / healthcare degree so i couldnt do my job in the future without it.

My first degree was English and practically useless.

In all honesty if i had my time again i would have gone for a career in Art and taught it if need be as Art is my first love.

I find people that have done well without degrees tend to be management types.. that aint me. The expected career progression in this country seems to be head for management. It is so contrary to my personality and interests although the pay packet would be good.

[SconesandTea]

Interview coaching. Worth every penny.

[honeylulu]

My issue is different because I did eventually end up with a good job/ career in the end but ...
I did an English degree. It had always been my best subject and I was strongly encouraged by school (old fashioned and very academic girls grammar). We were given the impression that if you got a degree, any degree, then after graduation employers would be falling over themselves to offer you stellar careers. That was all bollocks. Despite arranging lots of unpaid work experience in journalism and publishing, I ended up working in a bar for nearly a year. Eventually I got a job as an editorial assistant in a publishing company (very low paid) but realised it was something I could have left school age 16 and done. My degree was useless. I felt so angry. What a waste of time and waste of money for my parents (who'd supported me) too.

I was made redundant 15 months later and did some agency NMW admin jobs for a while. Did a law diploma (part time distance learning and at great expense while also working full time in admin as I had rent and bills to pay). That took another 4 years, life was hellish, then I became a trainee solicitor and eventually started my legal career.

I'm dismayed that these days a degree seems to be even more seen as a "must", creates huge amounts of debt and as so many people now get them, they have less value.

I will be steering my children away from anything other than vocational degrees. My eldest isn't very academic and I'm nudging him in the direction of apprenticeships/ trades.

[Rat1nthek1tchen24]

I have a degree. I got a graduate entry job, where everyone had different degrees. My job is not related to my degree & I don't earn NMW

[jaseyraex]

I've been a SAHM since I got my degree in Psychology. That was 5 years ago. I'm starting my postgraduate degree in October, but in all honesty I'm not sure where I'll be at the end of it. I'm not holding my hopes high getting a job in that field. But I'm going to try my damn hardest anyway, life is too short to sit around wishing I'd done better.
My DH has zero qualifications, he left school when he was 15, and works in retail as an area manager. When I met him 7 years ago he was a part time sales assistant. I envy him sometimes but management is definitely not something I'd like to do. DH loves it. I think some people are just lucky to get the right opportunity at the right time tbh.

[IJustLostTheGame]

I feel frustrated I worked very hard for my BA, and it essentially amounts to nothing at all.
I'm still in min wage jobs and will be for a few more years.
The only part time jobs where I live are all min wage. Plus I won't have the relevant experience to go for much higher when dc go to secondary school and I can work full time.
I don't regret uni though, it taught me so much more than just my subject.

[MeteorGarden92]

I went to uni at 24 after a few successful years working as a paralegal and earning around £25k a year.

I wanted to do incredibly well post graduation, move back to London, go work in New York...etc. Basically take over the world 😂 as you do.

In my first year I got a job working for a multinat near my uni earning about the same. Shortly after I met my soon to be husband. Now I’m weeks away from graduating and realise how drastically my plan has changed over the past 3 years.

I’m 27 now and after we marry in summer we’re going to start a family (both very much want this) but honestly I do worry that my career will take a hit. HG runs in the family, so I’m not expecting an easy time of it- but we shall see.

I know I’m not on minimum wage but I do feel it’s a choice for me at the moment - fulfil my career potential, or have a family. I understand the ‘you can have it all’ ideal but I work with many ‘very successful’ women who follow this .... and their lives look miserable!! 😞

[Skittlesss]

I understand how you feel, OP. I lack self-confidence and think it’s holding me back also.

To me, it feels like I’m in a viscous cycle. I have a degree, I’m in a job that doesn’t need a degree, I want to better myself but don’t feel confident enough to do it. I feel like I have imposter syndrome at times, as I am intelligent but worried I’m not clever enough to get a job matched to this. I feel stuck in my current role because of this. My current role is actually deemed as “a good job” within the organisation I work for. I have excellent perks such as flexible hours and working from home, but it just doesn’t mentally stimulate me enough as it does everyone else.

On the other hand, I’m nearly half way through a master’s degree which I’m doing distance learning whilst working. I really want this to lead somewhere but worry my lack of belief in myself will hold me back.

I look at my husband and feel a bit envious. He left school at 16 with GCSEs. He’s now in a senior management role earning nearly 3 times as much as me. I’m super proud of him, but wish I had the same success.

I think having the degree makes us feel worse because it feels a bit wasted. Sorry to go on, but I honestly thought I was the only one feeling this way, but perhaps it’s “normal”?

[Skittlesss]

VISCIOUS not VISCOUS, though i guess both could apply

[MeteorGarden92]

Also... never thought that ‘body clock’ was a real thing. Wow was I wrong. I feel like I’ve been hit by a baby bus!! After my supermarket run last Saturday I cried in my car after being surrounded by babies ... I’m so looking forward to being a mum (everything crossed that it happens quickly) 🙈😞

[Skittlesss]

Oh meteor it defo is! I have two children and I’m in my mid-30s. My periods have started going a bit funny and I feel like the body clock is ticking away and I need to have another child or it will be too late. DH says no - he had the snip after our youngest was born 7 years ago. Lol.

[MaryMayhem]

@malificent7 I find people that have done well without degrees tend to be management types.. that aint me.

God, yes, totally this. The relief I felt when I realised that I don't have to try to be a manager anymore was huge. I always hit a wall in lower paid jobs with the management track thing that never suited me, so I could only ever get so far before being stuck in a rut.

[Holidaylover]

Me. I went to uni and studied criminology. I unfortunately have never used it, it is now 14 years later. I worked in a call centre and now I'm a housewife. I couldn't use it even if I wanted to because I can't remember any of it.
I see many people who I went to school with who were in lower classes and were seen as naughty at school who are really successful now. They own hair salons, are self employed tradesmen, that kind of thing. I'm really pleased for them and don't feel jealous because they've obviously worked hard since school. But it has shown me that education isn't the be all and end all. Neither of my kids are particularly clever, and I am not going to put stress on them for exams etc and I will actively discourage them to study something generic at uni

[Holidaylover]

By lower classes I mean lower set in school

[Rat1nthek1tchen24]

What type of job you do may depend on lots of things; commute, your personality, ambition, what hours you are willing to work, how flexible you are regarding change, cost of living. I work with people who have degrees and some that don't. Getting a degree is not a guarantee to automatically get a well paid job.

[thisisalliwant]

I graduated 20yrs ago. I used my degree to start with, but could only get volunteer jobs so had to work in retail to pay rent and bills. No paid job was forthcoming (charity sector) and I eventually met my OH so didn’t want to spend 7 days a week working. DC have meant I’m now part time in retail, not loving it, but it helps pay the bills. I’m too far removed from my degree to be able to step into a job that it relates to without further training or work experience, which currently I can neither afford or spare the time for. I don’t feel it was a wasted time, as I had a good experience, but it hasn’t helped me get a ‘good’ job. I haven’t earned more than £15k a year my whole life, certainly less the past 9 years with DC. That’s depressing.

[ugger]

I think it's not so much I have a degree so I expect to have a good job. It's more I have a good degree which could have lead to a decently paid profession but due to my lack of confidence and self esteem I've messed up. It's the fact I never got to reach my true potential because mental health issues held me back massively. That's what really cuts me up.

Ive applied for a trainee role in the NHS which I think I would love but I've heard it's really competitive to get into even if you've been working for the NHS so im not expecting even an interview.

[PinkGlitter123]

Yes, work for just over minimum wage.
Problem with my degree is that really, if you wanted to get anywhere you would have to do a pcge or master's on top of it. I wish I had realised that at the time.

[turncloak]

I have a 2.1 in English Lit and it's had no absolutely impact on my life whatsoever. It was a complete waste of three years of my life and I do regret going.

I went to a high achieving Grammar and it would have been incomprehensible to my teachers and parents if I had chosen any other path other than Uni, even though I wasn't remotely suited to it, and wasn't academically gifted in the slightest. I don't recall anyone from our year group not going on to higher education.

I was offered a graduate job upon leaving Uni, but took a call centre job instead as I had abaolutely zero confidence in my abilities. I have always (happily) worked in just-over minimum wage jobs and am now a (very happy!) SAHM. I imagine I'll take a small part time job in a shop or office once the children are at school.

In contrast, my husband left school at 16 struggles to spell and pronounce very basic words, and earns far much more than I ever will in a manual type job.

[Waveysnail]

You start small. I was the same. Couldn't get a trainee position to get professional qualification as tied to my fiancee. Then I got married. I drifted for a while but got experience in the profession at lower levels. Then accepted lower scale job in the NHS and worked my way up

[SurgeHopper]

Me too.

I'd have been better doing a vocational course

[SurgeHopper]

Looked into the police when I graduated but was put off by the fact you had to do 2 years on the beat before before you could specialise : stupidly this put me off. 2 years goes like that

[BringMeAGinandTonic]

You need to work on your self-confidence. :) I bet if you started outeven if super-small steps at firstyou'd surprise yourself and the confidence would build on its own.

If you don't get the opportunity this time around, it's okay. Make a list of how you can be more competitive in the future and do those things and then re-apply.


Someone else mentioned volunteering. Can you find something along those lines? Volunteering tends to not only build skills but looks good.

[CoraCoo]

Yes me. I have a degree and have only worked in retail or Reception positions since graduation, nothing any more advanced or better paid than jobs I was doing as a teenager before my degree.

It makes me feel sad and embarrassed and frustrated. I have low self esteem too and have never known what to apply for or how to get into any career. Weirdly I always do well in interviews but wouldn't actually get an interview for anything that pays above or has more responsibility than a nmw position.

I feel guilty that my partner works hard and is the only earner at home as I can't earn more than childcare would cost, so if I worked then over all as a household we would struggle more for money. We don't really struggle badly but I would love to contribute more so that we could have holidays, so my oh could have a nice car, so we could have savings. I feel a lot of guilt for that.

[camelfinger]

I have a degree, and have always earned well more than minimum wage, but I can see where you’re coming from. I graduated from a good uni with a Mickey Mouse subject (although I don’t think it is). The people who messed about at school are doing ok as far as I know, but they ended up feeling quite motivated after being let down by school so really worked hard once they’d left school rather than waiting for opportunities to fall into their lap (like I did).

When I was at uni in the early 2000s it seemed like there were loads of opportunities and no one cared what you did your degree in if you came across well. Basically if you’re a good salesperson you’re ok. And numerate degrees have always opened more doors in my experience. I think I’ve been quite lucky - I was pretty complacent assuming that because I went to a good university and had things to write on my CV it would be easy to find a job. In reality I had no self esteem so had to work really hard on building my confidence (still suffering here). I decided not to bother with gap years as I thought I’d make myself unemployable, which meant I started work quite young compared to other graduates (21) so had a lot of years’ experience by the time I had DC.

For what it’s worth, when I recruit people we tend to ask for a degree, with good numeracy skills. If a candidate wrote a decent application and had any old degree I would find that more intriguing than someone with a management degree who’d just copied and pasted impressive sounding bits from their prospectus.