To think ds is good at and loves the wrong stuff - i.e not STEM?

[coffeerevelsrock]

He's in Y10 and very focussed and ambitious, but without a clear idea of a specific career he would like to pursue. He's already thinking about A levels as applications would need to be in this time next year, and when asked, I've said take the subjects you like best/are good at. These would be English, history (his passion), drama and MFL. His targets are all 8s and in his assessments this term he's got mainly 8s with a couple of 7s and a 9. Obviously I'm not bragging as this is completely relevant to the thread.

Although he's doing well all round, and always has, English and humanities come to him naturally and are his passion. I teach English Lit A level and he will read a book or watch a play and just say things it can take me a lot of effort to get some pretty able students to understand. He thinks, and it seems likely, that he is far more likely to get better grades in these subjects if he takes them at A level. He's determined to take French assuming it keeps going well at GCSE as well.

My instinct is to say take the ones you like, which would be lit, history, French and drama as a fourth that he might not complete necessarily. But now he is telling me about the wealth of statistics he has found about the poor pay and limited opportunities history and English graduates can look forward to. He is thinking he needs to head towards STEM subjects but isn't particularly enthused at the prospect. He's been considering law as a career, but has done some research on that which has given him the impression that it is very difficult to get an interesting career in which has further pushed him towards STEM.

Any words of wisdom from the knowledgeable people on here would be much appreciated! I certainly don't want to believe that arts and humanities degrees are pointless.

O

He won't be motivated to do well at things he has no interest in. He should play to his obvious strengths in the humanities rather than try to artificially force himself to specialise in something he doesn't like as much.

Ability isn't the issue, you can make yourself study something you like.

Just because he studied history doesn’t mean that he will do a job that requires a history degree, and equally doesn’t mean he’s destined to teach if he doesn't the idea.

Plenty of people I work with have history degrees and earn a good salary. A good friend of mine has an English degree and is a management consultant.

To be honest he’s better doing something he is interesting in at a level and beyond rather than suffering through 5 years of maths to end up in a career he hates.

History graduate here - my cohort did the standard career choices (law, publishing, teaching, postgraduate stuff). It's a great way into law if he wants to head that way (or English would be too).

My sister has a degree in art history. She's worked in banking since a few years after graduation and has a very successful career/job in corporate banking. She's never worked in a role related to her degree but it hasn't limited opportunities.

My ds has a degree in history, he’s a journalist on national media.

History is the most employable degree of all isn’t it? History graduates have the best transferable skills.

The world doesn’t just spin on STEM subjects. I hate this obsession with them.

My experience. Did well at GCSE in most subjects - wanted to study Art, Biology and History for A level. Was told by college (no 6 form) that wasn't a good combo and was told to do 3 science and maths. I said no to maths and ended up dropping physics within weeks of starting and swapping to psychology as only course with space. I killed myself with chemistry for a year and failed that and dropped it. I became totally blah and scraped low passes. I think if id stuck with what I wanted to do things would have bee so different. Taught me valuable lesson about advocating for myself.

I ended up in a stem area ironically but I dont think it would have been my chosen path

It's all about STEAM now. Science, technology, engineering, ARTS and mathematics

I have a relative who did a history degree and is now a banker earning absolutely shed loads. Keep encouraging him to do what he loves.

He is only a few weeks into his GCSE course, I think its a bit early to know what he's going to be good at and what he likes.

I did history and was on a whopping salary by the age of 27, I work in marketing (London). It has hugely transferable skills and was a great degree for me.

DH also did history and is on an amazing salary at one of the top companies in the world.

Was great for us personally.

Most graduate jobs are open to any discipline, with the obvious exception of STEM. To be honest, stem isn't the goldmine people seem to see it as, it is skewed by tech and engineering paying well but most science jobs pay a relative pittance for the education required. History, literature and languages are respected, old, useful subjects that translate to multiple careers.

I have a friend who is a solicitor on just shy of a 6-figure salary. I was surprised when I learned that her degree was actually in history.

I think he should do what he loves and what he's good at.

Not sure about degrees but I have the same A levels (not drama though) and I’m a lawyer.

Do what you love, would be my advice to him.

Another history graduate here. I ended up in retail management. Not the most well paid or exciting but I don't regret doing history. What I do regret is doing German at A level, alongside English Lit & History. It really hasn't been of any use in later life. Unless you're going to take it further, want to become an interpreter or whatever, I feel as an A level a MFL really isn't very useful. I wish I'd done maths instead, I'd actually gotten a better grade in it than German GCSE, but thought German would be more fun and had no one to advise me how maths would be much more useful. I lost out on a job I really wanted to someone who did slightly better on the maths test in the interview than me - I was literally told that was the only thing between us when I was told I'd been unsuccessful. I can't be a hundred percent sure that was true, but it certainly felt true and I've kicked myself a bit over giving up maths because it's a bit dull even though I was good at it. This is the problem with forcing young people to specialise so early in this country. All students would benefit from a much broader curriculum up to 18 imo rather than be forced to make such limiting choices so early on.

Does he want to work somewhere like London or does he want to stay locally? What type of careers are available in your part of the world?

FWIW psychology is a good blend of maths and humanities. Would that be an option?

I work in STEM (biologist) and I’m on very shit pay. I think you’ll find biologists are the worst laid graduates. It’s all silly anyway, he needs to do what he enjoys.

Oh @coffeerevelsrock I could have written your post.

My DS took the STEM route at Uni despite loving (and being very very good) at English and History. We go to a lot of theatre and are big readers/discussers/arguers

He had it in his head that he did not want a BA but a BSc-which he now has.

He now has a good job with a "big company" but not directly to do with his degree.
He has now, on reflection, admitted he probably would have loved to do an english or history degree and would have loved the course.

Life is too short-do what you love.
Luckily DD saw this and is revelling in her History degree-Masters next because it is her passion!

DS has a history degree. Six years out of university his bonus last year was more than my annual salary. And I'"m not badly paid. He works in IT(not coding).

My A-levels were English, German, History and Theatre Studies. My degree was Media. I'm not on a huge salary but have a happy work-life balance doing something I love for £40-50k.

I did English, French and Drama, but ended up doing a BSc in Psychology at Uni because it sounded interesting. I have a good job in Media now.

I was determined to do STEM subjects at A-level as we as humanities so I started out doing 2 sciences, maths and 1 humanities, ended up dropping a science and maths in favour of a humanities (kept the extra science for AS but hated it) it was much better doing subjects I enjoyed. A-levels are hard, I found the jump between A-level and undergrad easier than GCSE to A-level. I also ended up doing my a-levels at a local college rather than my school's 6th form, they offered a wider range of a-levels and treated me more like an adult - would looking at what your local colleges have to offer also be an option?

I agree the graduate wages are often lower in the humanities, my first graduate wage in 2016/17 was £19000 but there's room for progress and I really loved the job for a while (there's other issues with my particular field that means I've left it for now). I think most people agree, loving your job is more important than the wage. With other societal issues (renting, rising house prices, stagnant wages, etc) I think loving your job is more important.

I did English literature and am a corporate lawyer.

What has put him off law? It’s an incredibly varied field.

@Jumbojem

My sister has a degree in art history. She's worked in banking since a few years after graduation and has a very successful career/job in corporate banking. She's never worked in a role related to her degree but it hasn't limited opportunities.

What's her social background? This is the bit a lot of people gloss over. Upper class? Upper middle class? You can do any degree you want and walk into most jobs, especially if parents can fund unpaid internships. Working class? Not impossible but much, much harder to do a humanities degree and make good money.

I did English lit, art, history and French at A level. Went on to do a Law degree. Straight onto a finance grad scheme on £32k, increased ever since. I don’t think it’s held me back at all.