What job can high achieving DS go for?

[ural]

He's just finished his first year studying Classics at Cambridge, so is pretty high achieving I suppose. He's really passionate about history, the world, etc he really likes "material culture" aka stuff.. He loves architecture and design, buildings.

He's considered law, which seems to be a viable option, but is scared he might get bored. On the plus side it earns a lot of money.

KFC?

To be honest there is nothing more soul destroying than doing a job just because it makes a lot of money. What does he actually find fulfilling?

From your description it seems he might have been better of studying to be an architect or an engineer! Honestly, there are so many jobs out there, it is impossible for strangers who don’t know him to advise him. If he thinks law might bore him, then I imagine finance is out. I imagine his university careers service might better advise him in conjunction with his input.

Oh dear. It’s not really as simple as that. Law is not what it used to be for a start. Yes some lawyers earn a lot but it’s just different now with legal aid cuts and potentially changing structure of the courts (solicitor advocates etc). So he’d need to know exactly what way he wants to go with the law and if he’s after the big money, he better have a steely character and be ready to fight tooth and nail. Doesn’t sound like he’s that pushed which is not a good starting point! I think he should speak to his tutors, supervisors, peers for the best advice. He’s clearly intelligent but it’s critical for his future that he is pragmatic and street smart about his next step. Things don’t work like they used to with a Cambridge Classics degree.

He could specialise in arts and cultural heritage law. (This exists as a niche area of law.) Has to pay better than the arts themselves

He could join Christies or similar auction house to specialise in sales of ancient art and artefacts. There is money in this. And so interesting.

I would probably speak to careers maybe get some personality profiling done? See what he is drawn to - law depends on what you do. It’s cutthroat and actually the academic people generally are not the ones that do the best. It’s often the more commercial/business orientated people who do best - those who know the law but apply it commercially . It’s almost like if he’s too bright and doesn’t have the bigger personality he could be a good technical lawyer but not the ‘rainmaker’ who makes the best money. However .... all firms need the geeky tech lawyers! Not sure how he could get bored depending on what he picked areas like Banking and Tax is very technical.

I think have a look at what his personality dictates and then look at what might be a good vocation. Good luck!

I’m sure someone who has managed to get to Cambridge and complete their first year there is in no need of suggestions from MN on what job he can do.

He could bombast around for a few years, get a spot on telly and then try to be Prime Minister.

Ah the perennial problem! He could become a historian. Highest earners have doctorates so that’s quite a lot more academics for the next few years.

MirrorMirror you absolutely need to be academically able if you're at the London Bar.

OP how did he do in his first exams? There are an awful lot of Oxbridge applicants for top jobs out there but good marks - top marks - help. Plus personality, as others have said.

If he wanted to do law or architecture he’d have been better off studying those subjects. In my experience employers are biased against anyone with a non specific degree, they much prefer to hire people who’ve studied their subject. My neighbour studied classics and linguistics and is now a bar tender.

Is he looking to to switch degree or do a second one to become a lawyer, architect, whatever?

Classics is so vague it doesn't directly point to anything.

If he loves architecture why didn't he apply for that? He could always do a PG Dip in something like surveying and he would then be working in the built environment.

A lot of grads that come to my firm do random things like archaeology / history of art / classics and then convert.

You may be generalising from the particular there DugHug.

My youngest is about to apply for Classics and hasn't a clue what she wants to do but her older sisters who are lawyers (one at the London Bar, one a human rights solicitor having shifted from commercial) say that both sides of the law at the top are heaving with classicists.

What jobs do others usually take after finishing the degree. Could he be interested in one of those? All unis my DD looked at, gave them suggested routes.

Just my experience as a physics student with excellent maths skills who wanted to be an accountant. Employers said why didn’t you study accountancy, you’re obviously not committed to being an accountant and we prefer to hire someone who has a head start with knowledge from their degree.

I think that may well be a reflection on the typical accountant state of mind DugHug!

I’m sure someone who has managed to get to Cambridge and complete their first year there is in no need of suggestions from MN on what job he can do.

That seems a bit mean-spirited! Firstly because there are countless Cambridge grads on MN who’ll remember not knowing exactly where they were headed after one year of study. Or others with children going through this now. Secondly, it’s not the son who’s asking but his proud mother, who, unless she’s a crazy control freak, will probably have little influence over her son’s eventual choice of career.

If he wants money avoid the heritage sector. Given that it's already summer and he's done his first year he needs to get out and do some volunteering and internships, Cambridge or not Classics isn't giving him a set skill so he's going to need to build on his experience and will help him narrow down career choices.

He can try things, if they don't work out, he will move on. When you're young, you don't have to settle down to a long term career path straight away.

Law can be very interesting depending on his specialty. Publishing might be an option. However he has only just finished his first year, plenty of time to think about jobs. I hope he enjoys the holidays.

avalanching to be fair he probably doesn't need to do any volunteering or internships this summer. He probably just needs a summer doing not very much so he can go back to uni refreshed.

I'd suggest he makes an appointment with the university careers service.
They will know that previous classics students have gone on to do and will help him analyse his own interests in more detail.

@goodbyestranger I disagree. When you do a humanities based topic you need to be getting in extra experience because you're not qualified in anything useful (I say that as a humanities graduate!) and there are so many of them. You get 3 months off, doing a few weeks work experience will hardly run him into the ground. The whole point of university is to prepare you for your career so I don't know why anyone would say plenty of time yet.

He doesn’t need to be restricted by his degree. I know a few people who did classics at Oxbridge and they do all sorts - one is a writer for the local paper, one works in city finance and one is a teacher. So essentially, anything he wants! All depends on his interests and motivation and what he wants from a career.