Help with career choice

[ivet83]

Hi there I am a full time student in my first year at the University of Westminster in London. I am studying BA English with Literature. I have no idea what to do in terms of career. It is important for me to have a 9 to 5 job that will allow me to pick up my child from school I have a 2 year old daughter. I was thinking about teaching but not sure if it is for me really. Any suggestions about career after an English degree?

I graduated with my degree in English over 12 years ago and have been involved in charity work/ welfare advice. Interesting, but not exacly well paid!!

Of my cohort, a lot went on to become English teachers. Some went into the media. My best mate works for a big publishing company having gone on to do a pg dip at the London School of Printing.

However, whilst I enjoyed my degree, I wished I had done something a bit more vocational and am now studying for an MBA/ DMS (depends upon daily energy levels as to which one I am aiming for at any given time!!)

Could you combine your degree with something more vocational? Or look at doing an MA?

Hi I am not exactly sure what do you mean by vocational? sorry english is not my mother tongue so can you clarify. and also you said some of your friends became english teachers.what do they say? are they happy with their choice? and the media I have heard that it is very hard to get into. and what is a MBA/DMS

Do you want to actually use your degree itself (ie to teach English)or just that level of education as a springboard for a career. How old are you as official graduate entry schemes are sometimes not aimed at more mature candidates.

I am not sure but something is telling me that I don't want to teach. I just don't have this creative side when it comes to kids. I watch teachers tv sometimes and I just think no no no I definitely don't see myself doing that. I am 24 , will be 25 in august. I just want something interesting that would fit around my family.

Sorry, I think I may have come across a bit cynical. I don't want to become an english teacher or to use my degree directly, therefore I would have studied something else with hindsight.

I think what i was saying echoes LIZS. i.e do you want to use the degree directly as some of my fellow students did or do you want to use it as a base to do something else?

By vocational- i mean something directly linked to a job. So for example, business, law, Information Technology. If you were to combine your English degree with another subject it could open out more options for you at a later point.

I have had mixed messages from friends who ae teachers. Some love it, other loathed it and left. Of those that left I know it was work that they had to put in outside of the classroom that was the deciding factor, not the children/ school environment.

MBA/ Dms- Master of Business Administration- Diploma in Managment Studies.

Have you thought about having a chat with a careers adviser at your uni? Its never to make plans for after graduation. I left without having a clue and spend a couple of years drifting...

Actually I have thought about about speech therapy but everyone around me seems to think that it is really hard to get into.

Teaching is HARD!! But there are loads of different types. I work in Fe with young people with emotional and behavioural problems, small classes of 5 or 6, alot of it is basic skills but most of it is pastoral. Loads of holiday and loads of mucking around on the beach and cooking and doing art with them, brilliant! Fits in around family well, finished by 4 every day. Would highly recommend! Lots of work like this in special units and FE colleges, though you need a tough skin (which comes with time) and a good sense of humour. Oh and a 'look' that could kill at 10 paces reserved for serious incidents!

Oh, and if you are in your first year and are thinking that it might not be the degree for you. Change. Quick smart! I am still so mad with myself for my degree which is completely irrelevant and wish I had got something which would help me progress in my chosen profession. Would def reccomend picking the profession first, then the degree. I wish I'd done it!
Good luck
ALlie

Well I find those career advisers really pushy and wanting to direct you as they see fit. I spoke with one of them and they said I should go for teaching because there is shortage and the pay is good.And all it is is because they need teachers more than ever in the country so they push you and those directions. what frustrates me is that everyone says you should get work experience because only with the degree you can't get a job. but how can I get work experience when I don't know what I will enjoy doing?

well kaballie I am studying english because this was the only thing I enjoyed at school. I enjoy my degree but seem to be lost in terms of career choice. most of my fellow students know exactly what they want to do? and me I just listen for ideas. Is it really bad that at 24 I still don't know what am I good at?

No! I was 27 when I started the job I was in! Why don't you try out a few things? Think of a couple of things you think mmmm, that might be okay and give them a ring and go and observe for a day. Paths in life are never straightforward. I went from a career in film to travelling to working for an NGO to a charity to youth work to teaching. I'm still always thinking of new things to do...English is a really good degree to have though as you can do so much with it. Also, you've still got 2 and a half years to decide what to do with it!

Also I never had any w/exp and have never had a prob getting a job.It's scary though with a baby to support.

You are right I think I will use this summer to go and do some voluntary work and just see what I like. Thanks kaballie

I have 3 children at university stage/age. One has chosen and the other two are not sure what to do. It's very hard indeed to decide how you'll spend your life. You need to think about how you want to spend your life, what you enjoy (people, children, thinking? time with others, socialising, being alone, sitting in an office solving technical problems or working with others) and then look at what realistically you can get into given the university you went to and earlier exam results and grades and then may be come up with 2 or 3 options and get some work experience. Most companies recruit from those who do work experience so you need to do it it in the first and second year university holidays.

My ds1 did English & History. He went into the civil service as a press officer, which was quite fun. He'd often be quoted in the media as "A spokesperson for the govt...".

He has now moved to the US, where he hopes to become a history academic.

ivet, I don't think an english degree will help you to become a speech therapist as such...am pretty sure that is a compeltely different course altogether, so, would mean further studying.

as in teaching...whilst you may not really fancy teaching Kids....maybe teaching adults would be an option, things like english as a second language.

Other then that, you say you are creative, so, journalism might be somehting for you, and am pretty sure an english degree would help you with that.

Careers Advisor at a College/School? That's a 9-5 job. A friend of mine done an English degree and this is what she does -loves it.

Hi ivet,

I believe speech therapy would require a degree - so unless you want to do two degrees it would be worth considering changing. I have read that speech therapists are always in demand (as are audiologists). If you contact your local NHS trust, I'm sure you would be able to arrange to shadow one of their speech therapists to see if it's something you fancy.

An english degree could be useful for things such as public relations, journalism, communications, general management/management trainee schemes. But the big one really is teaching. So if you don't fancy that (again you can check out the teacher training website as they do taster days I think) it would definitely be worth reconsidering.

I did an english degree because I was good at english in school and didn't know what else to do. 10 years down the track and I am stuck in a reasonably well paid but boring admin job which I hate. My advice would be to hunt out a decent careers advisor, and start really thinking through your options now.

Best of luck

Claire.

Hi ivet,

I believe speech therapy would require a degree - so unless you want to do two degrees it would be worth considering changing. I have read that speech therapists are always in demand (as are audiologists). If you contact your local NHS trust, I'm sure you would be able to arrange to shadow one of their speech therapists to see if it's something you fancy.

An english degree could be useful for things such as public relations, journalism, communications, general management/management trainee schemes. But the big one really is teaching. So if you don't fancy that (again you can check out the teacher training website as they do taster days I think) it would definitely be worth reconsidering.

I did an english degree because I was good at english in school and didn't know what else to do. 10 years down the track and I am stuck in a reasonably well paid but boring admin job which I hate. My advice would be to hunt out a decent careers advisor, and start really thinking through your options now.

Best of luck

Claire.