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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you could start again what would you study??

183 replies

Londoner90 · 31/12/2020 09:35

Or would you study at all? Would you go to uni ? Would you consider money as in what salaries might be in the industry or would you follow your passion ?

OP posts:
Christmasfairy2020 · 01/01/2021 16:51

Social work I am currently a registered adult nurse and I have specialised in a certain are. But I would be a social worker or mental health nurse

BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 01/01/2021 16:52

@MrsMiaWallis

No idea then Grin
Grin
Umbongoumbongo999 · 01/01/2021 16:55

Medicine. I should have done a conversion after my biology degree but I graduated into a recession and was terrified of being out of the workplace for longer with two small kids.

NoDontDoIt · 01/01/2021 17:01

I would have gone into work instead of uni, got earning and prioritised getting on the property ladder, clocking up experience and a pension.

Wheresmykimchi · 01/01/2021 17:02

Musical theatre or languages.

DecemberDiana · 01/01/2021 17:03

Oh I've thought about this in an "if I were a millionaire.." type way. So it's independent of earning money.

Firstly a general arts degree if there is such a thing, like Liberal Arts in the USA.

Then I'd do a second degree in biosciences heading towards neuroscience.

If I were a millionaire though I'd probably be on holiday too much to do all the studying!

Doublefaced · 01/01/2021 17:05

Anything but nursing.

OublietteBravo · 01/01/2021 17:08

I’d still study chemistry. No regrets - it’s a useful first degree, and I still use it in my current job. If I were able to do another degree now I’d probably choose law.

Notnownotneverever · 01/01/2021 17:09

Yes I would go to uni. I didn’t and regret it and my job prospects have been harmed.
I would study anything science related. Possibly engineering but almost anything in the science field.

CarrotPuff · 01/01/2021 23:19

Engineering. Or anything to do with higher maths/statistics. Or an accounting qualification. I have a very mathematical brain, but did a business studies, which is too generic and not what I need imo.

ShopoholicIn · 02/01/2021 01:52

Definitely definitely medicine

Persephonee · 02/01/2021 02:08

Speech and Language Therapy

moanyhole · 02/01/2021 03:48

Forensics. I'm so sorry I didn't do this initially. I'm a nurse and love my job but I'd have loved forensics more.

Elle200 · 02/01/2021 07:40

Veterinary medicine.

If only Miss Allen the careers teacher hadn't told me that science was just for the boys.

Jessitup · 02/01/2021 07:43

PPE, Comparative Literature, Classic...Basically anything without advanced maths!

ememem84 · 02/01/2021 07:46

I’d either go straight into work doing what I do now (private client trust) or would go into midwifery.

I’ve had two kids and see the amazing job the midwives do. And if I could have my time again I’d seriously consider this as an option. With two small kids (oldest is 3) itd be too difficult to retrain now.

blueberryporridge · 02/01/2021 08:16

Interested to see that some people would go for language degrees. Career wise I am not convinced that this is a great option. I have a good specialised honours degree in two languages which would have enabled me to be a translator but my experience was that opting for a degree in a specific area teamed with a good knowledge of a language would have been a better bet job and earnings wise. I don’t regret my degree as it gave me very useful skills but I have since gained two other degree level qualifications in very different fields (accounting and archaeology). Accounting is a very useful qualification not just for accountancy but in all types of management/project management jobs. Archaeology widened out the option of a freelance career for me for 20 plus years. I am currently in my 50s and studying part time again at HNC level in a STEM area which I am really enjoying and which I am hoping will let me widen my freelance options further. Voluntary projects have also opened up new opportunities. It is never too late to pursue something new or widen your options in my experience. I have obtained two degree level qualifications part time while also working and bringing up a family. It was hard work at times but manageable and worth it.

Wishing14 · 02/01/2021 08:21

If I won the lottery I would go back to uni and study neuroscience!

flattyres · 02/01/2021 08:22

proper science (biology, chemistry, bio chemistry...) that leads to a proper job/career. Not the social science/literature shit I wasted years on.

BumbleBeegu · 02/01/2021 08:49

Definitely NOT teaching!! It's killing me 😱

Probably engineering or maybe accountancy if I was to go back 35 years to 'start over'. Right now though, I'm 56...I've been doing a celebrant course online which is interesting, and might be something that can support me in the future to take early retirement.

HollyGenneroMcClane · 02/01/2021 11:03

@BumbleBeegu

Definitely NOT teaching!! It's killing me 😱

Probably engineering or maybe accountancy if I was to go back 35 years to 'start over'. Right now though, I'm 56...I've been doing a celebrant course online which is interesting, and might be something that can support me in the future to take early retirement.

Exactly the same as me re teaching. I initially wanted accountancy but my bloody mother interfered. Then i wanted to retrain as an accountant at 30, but DH wanted to do another degree to swap careers from HR to marketing. mil was a teacher and lecturer then saw an opportunity come up more admin based and switched to training staff and built on this. She is still doing bits of work for people here and there at 76 when the fancy takes her, as she moved into work she could do from her home office. You most likely couldn't do that as a teacher or nurse. If i was able to start over, id definitely want to make a career path that allowed for home working.
MercedesDeMonteChristo · 02/01/2021 11:35

History is useful for law because the entire point of history is weighing up the evidence and forming argument. Most degrees will do this to a higher or lesser degree but it’s basically the raisin d’etre of history.

I have a history degree and postgrad. Acquired fairly recently though. I just fell into admin work after college - I moved up and earned well for what I did, but the ceiling is low unless I moved into other areas which didn’t interest me.

I would have actually passed my French and Spanish A levels and been an MFL teacher and taught English abroad if I had followed my plans which I had laid down since the age of 11.

Ultimately I went for history because I was a mature student and wouldn’t have been able to bring my languages up to scratch to pursue that.

Once I finish my research degree my plan is secondary teaching so my overall goal hasn’t really changed, just really delayed.

MooseBreath · 02/01/2021 12:19

Either I wouldn't have gone to University at all and pursued my dance teaching career with a mind to open my own studio, or I would have studied Fine Arts to pursue interior design. Turns out going the practical route without passion didn't pay off for me!

ThatIsNotMyUsername · 02/01/2021 12:21

I wish I’d studied away from home. Yes it was cushy at the time...

Itstartedinbarcelona · 02/01/2021 12:28

Politics and German. I did history at uni which was interesting in parts but I did it for the wrong reasons - my boyfriend moved to my uni and was doing it and I was also a bit lazy and thought I could do the same courses as my a level and cruise by. If I could go back I would work harder and take opportunities to work in the European Union and travel. German would have helped with that.