To ask what your degree was and what you do now?

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And how much you earn?

One thing that I have learned on MN is that hard work isn't enough and that you need to work smart too. This is something I am really trying to instil in my dc; they are coming up to uni age and I don't think the school are giving them great advice. There is a massive assumption that everyone will go to university, but no.push toward degrees that have better earning potential or are in demand. Our family circumstances have meant that I am a carer for disabled ds, and therefore I can't help the dc much financially in life. I really, really want them to have the best chance at succeeding in life rather than going to uni for 'the experience' and I'm nosy so like to hear what everyone does too.

Theology. And also have a pgce and MA. Teacher. I was going to do accountancy, and over twenty years later I’m still very irritated by my mother who said not to. I was also going to do accountancy when i was thirty, but that time it was my husband’s fault i couldnt. Now I’m forever stuck.

My first degree was mathematics. Loved it, found out a lot about myself, but didn't really lead to a job. Then I did an masters in philosophy. Again no job but don't regret it. Finally I did a nursing degree, now I'm a Specialist Nurse and a family therapist, and I work with young offenders.

Education doesn't have to be about getting a job. It can be about finding out about the world, or yourself. It can be just for the pleasure of learning.

Chemistry undergrad, followed by a PhD in biochemistry. I’m a patent attorney. I earn a little over £100k (plus bonus). I love what I do - it’s very interesting and mostly only involves working office hours.

My original degree was A major/minor in film studies, English language and literature and a minor in Theatre and performance arts.
I gained a QTS whilst working as a lecturer and recently gained a Chiropody qualification.
I now am a private chiropodist, earning about £400 per month, but I haven’t been open long and there’s still plenty of spaces in my diary!

Degree in English literature, now a data protection officer. Salary £50k

So yeah I’m on about £4K a year currently.
I’m lucky to earn that TBH.

Accountancy & finance degree, went into financial accounting in practice then moved to industry. My last role in business I was earning £70k + bonus. But 80+ hour week and a lot of global travel weren’t exactly family friendly.

Had children and moved into academia, working part time teaching accounting. FTE just under £50k. Far more flexible and family friendly and a hell of a lot less pressure

Applied biology (and for a 2.2-big mistake) ....had a few years break and did a MSc in molecular and cellular biology and got a distinction, I'm currently studying part time for a microbiology MSc and am a lab manager within a university. Earn £40k roughly

Public Health BSc and I can't get a job for love nor money! Most of my cohort were either already nurses or have ended up being teaching assistants or working as admin for the council. Not worth the money.

Languages at a red brick- which I don't regret at all as it impresses employers and I wanted to experience the year abroad. I also met my husband.

I was a fashion retail buyer for 12 years, but have just bailed out and moved into financial services admin part time around my toddler. I wouldn't recommend anything related to non-essential retail in buying, merchandising or marketing as companies are falling like dominos.

Economics
Database Administrator - worked for lots of different industries, now civil servant. £45k. Could earn lots more if I freelanced but I like the security.

Pharmacology with a v relevant job. On £45k but that's at the top of the band with no further progression options. I'm probably one of the only people from my course to work in a relevant job too.

Husband barely scraped his GCSEs and earns double what I do. Would be 3-4x my salary if he returned to contract work.

Absolutely would not push my children to go to uni, although it is a good experience if they're undecided on a career choice. When I was growing up I was the only one in my family to go to uni and it was really forced upon me that I need a degree to get anywhere in life.

Experience and effort are far FAR more valuable for your career than a degree. Most degrees are useless (this is excluding those which are essential to the career - eg. Medicine, Law etc)
I'll third this ^
I worked from 19 in very varied jobs from law to events and never failed to get a job I applied to. After having dd and being out of the workplace for 4 years I decided to brush up my learning skills and try for a higher pay bracket by finally "picking a career" as I thought it was. It nearly broke me as a single mum doing the degree but I loved it, got amazing marks and only missed out on a 1st by a couple of %. What broke me was how many others got a 2:1 who could barely string a sentence together, had strong views about people being the cause of their own sickness (really learning nothing we were taught) and used to fail modules and get to retake them until they passed so they could carry on. It has made me far more cynical about HE and now I also have debt. I won't be expecting dd to go to uni but it would have been nice for her to get it free in Germany

@Didntwanttochangemyname

"The most misleading idea I picked up at school was that success is the result of intelligence. It’s not: it’s the result of doing things. This seems so obvious now, I can’t believe nobody drummed it into me at school. So I never did an internship or tried to get myself elected to a prestigious student body. I assumed my good grades would transform themselves into a job. I spent three years working in a bookshop. When we think we see intellect what we’re really looking at is energy. The really energetic write pushy emails demanding work. They apply for grants, they go to parties, they network. All this stuff is exhausting and a lot of people who do it are ghastly, but it should be more widely taught that life requires this sort of effort.” James Marriott in The Times

I love this, definitely keeping it for my own Children.

I don’t have one. Not A Levels
It’s something I am (probably wrongly) ashamed of at times.
I’m mid 30s if that makes a difference.
Job too outing but I earn well - over £40k.

Mathematics, I’m now an actuary.

I did A Physiology and Biochemistry degree and work in clinical research for a pharmaceutical company. (Over 20 years experience). I earn over 85k including bonus and car allowance.
If your kids are interested in biological/biomedical sciences but don’t want to be doctors/nurses, are unsure of careers, then they could explore the pharma industry. It’s not all about sales and marketing. Working in R&D you have chemists in the lab, then clinical trials - you train up doctors/nurses/pharmacists on the trial, check the data, there’s also careers looking at safety data, regulatory.... all with career paths and opportunities for proactive people.

Law. But didn't become a lawyer. Now own my own market research companies in UK and US . £150k.

Mathematics and now Director of Software Engineering, 130k. Really fun, every day.

I don't agree that experience and effort are far more valuable at the start, and we look for both A-Levels and a technical degree to the highest standard - typically AAA followed by a first. The exact technical degree is not that important.

The reason is we are looking for achievers who set out to succeed and then do that based on independent assessment.

Later on, experience definitely does account for much more - but we'd look for the ability to be an expert in a specific chosen field and have a wide breadth of interests as well - being able to adapt easily between different domains. Continual development and success throughout the years.

Effort is an interesting one - we'd prefer someone who can do things with ease - obviously desire that everyone applies themselves - but definitely not someone who needs to apply too much effort compared to others.

I think people who graduated more than a decade ago are in different position to graduates of today and the future. Mickey Mouse degrees now would be a really bad idea, as they do not hold any value vs what is needed in the economy and competition is greater. STEM is the safest way to go, and lost valuable.

English Lit, French and Italian. Did a degree that I loved, with no idea what I wanted to do as a career at that point. Later did a Law conversion and LPC, lawyer. 100k. It's in house so hours aren't as bad as private practice (but they're not good either, typically 11+ hrs per day average at moment but that's partly Covid related) but it's in a financial area so pay is good. I would say though I don't regret for a second doing a degree because I was interested in the subjects (and love that I now can speak French and Italian fluently) and then figuring out - by working in a couple of different sectors and trail and error what I actually wanted to do. If I had done law as a degree I may or may not have ended up a lawyer.

Really disagree with those saying that degrees are useless unless clearly essential to a career. They're not the be all and end all but a good degree result in a rigorous subject from a decent university is basically a certificate showing you can think and analyse well. Of course it is not necessary to have a degree to be able to do those things but done properly, getting a degree is really useful training in thinking and in conveying information.

Mine is in English Literature and French, I went on to do the law conversion course and have now been a lawyer for (gulp) 19 years, earn well into six figures.

If my kids were looking at uni now, I would make sure they were also aware of professional apprenticeships or degree schemes linked to a company with work placements apart of the course. I think work experience makes a huge difference.

Degree in modern languages. Decided age 12 I wanted to be a teacher and still am (age 48). Was working my way up after a few promotions, but met dh (also a teacher) and derailed my career by having dc while he climbed the ladder, so earning peanuts part time these days. I don't mind though - I'm quite happy and not ambitious.

Law and now a solicitor.