Finance or Engineering at Uni - Help my son choose

[blueshoes]

Ds is in Y12 and doing Maths, Physics and Economics A level. He thinks he can get AAB (solid chance) or AAA* (aspirational, cough) if he finally knuckles down.

He finds Economics naturally easy. His fave subjects at GCSE are Physics and Maths but he is finding it hard work at A level and not getting the grades.

He is starting to think about his course and uni and veers between Finance and Engineering but does not know where to start. Not Oxbridge, he is not that material so probably more Russell Group. He definitely wants the university experience and not an apprenticeship.

Neither dh nor I are Science-y nor Finance-y, so not much use.

Any thoughts at all about Finance or Engineering as a career in terms of future prospects? Which uni or course is the best for either? Any other thing he could be doing that is all the rage?

There’s quite a difference between Finance and Economics as uni subjects. Why Finance?

What does 'finance' mean? If he wants to be an accountant then he merely needs a degree in any subject, at a suitable grade.
If he does engineering for his degree then he can carry on to do either engineering or accountancy as a career. It keeps the doors open that little longer, before he has to settle on a specialism.

If the B is in Physics, and as his favourite subject is Econ, then something in the ‘finance’ space.

Also, what does 'engineering' mean? There are lots of types: mechanical, chemical, aero, etc. Maybe look in more detail at each offering to see what appeals.

If he finds Economics naturally easy but is struggling more with physics and Maths then Economics seems the logical choice.

My son did Automotive Engineering at Loughborough and seemed to love it enough to go back the following year and complete his Masters there.

He needs to go to open days and talk to tutors about both subjects in detail.

Also read about the future careers.

Finance is much more desk bound.

My DS same age thought until about three weeks ago he was definitely going to do engineering.
Now he’s started to think about what he actually loves doing at A level which turns out not to be maths and physics. So we’ve been looking through all kinds of courses with him.
One that my DS won’t do but might appeal to someone interested in economics/finance might be this:
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/economics-finance-data-science/

I'm a history graduate but I loved economics and had I been able to do maths I would have done it at University. So I would choose economics. But really engineers are so useful in our world and there are so many areas including cool stuff in emerging green industries and applications. So it's a hard choice.
Tell him to close his eyes and ask him what he sees himself as at 23? That's what my first therapist told me to do to resolve conflicts when I was in my 20s. Always works for me.

I studied engineering at university and then went on to work in finance, so there is still time to change his mind even after making this decision!

Is he practical / good with his hands / enjoys applied maths? If so, then engineering might be a good choice as there's a much greater practical element to the course. On the other hand if he prefers statistics, working with data etc then he might like finance. Or he could study Maths or Physics or natural sciences which leaves both options open.

It’s worth finding out from him what it is he enjoys in Economics. If it’s the data and maths that’s one path. My DS liked the essay and macro side more which has taken him down a different path.

Wow, so grateful for all the replies despite the vague wide-ranging question

Thank you. Am reading everyone's replies.

I would look at careers and also degree courses in detail. Both finance and engineering are huge areas. Engineering has many different types. Finance has a massive range of roles - accountancy, press, economics, marketing, sales, risk, some are back office and desk based, others are out and about every day visiting businesses, hosting dinners and events, giving press interviews, meeting clients. Also look at entry requirements, offer rates and A level score of those who got in. The Imperial course below I think has 35 applicants per place. Finance is less competitive than economics which is incredibly competitive. You could work in some finance roles with an engineering degree. Financial companies generally prefer other degrees over finance like economics, maths / subjects with high maths content. Where I went to university engineering had a lot more teaching and economics a lot more independent learning but I don't know how typical that is. Finance jobs tend to be in big cities, engineering is more widespread.

If he wants to go into a career in Finance he doesn’t need a degree in Finance (it might even be a hindrance - ime Economics would be preferred or even any academic subject e.g. Maths, History). If he might want to go into a career in Engineering he will need a degree in Engineering.

It would be more flexible to do a degree in engineering, and then he can do a job in Finance in the future with this. The opposite way round would not be possible.

If he means finance as in financial accounting, tell him not to waste money on uni. Get an apprenticeship as an accountant and he’ll get his entire qualifications funded. It will take longer but he’ll be earning a decent salary at the same time.

How about Quantity Surveying? It'll share modules with Civil Engineering (many people do a civils degree first, then post grad/professional quals in QS) but it is about cost estimating and cost control of large construction schemes - big infrastructure stuff, rather than house extensions! And they are a lot better paid than civil engineers!

I can only speak from my experience in civils, I'm sure there will be similar roles in other engineering disciplines.

Finance because DS seems to find his A Level Economics subject easy and is getting A*s in class. Engineering because he used to be good at Physics at GCSE but is now struggling a bit at A level and getting Cs, though should be able to pull himself up to a B if he diligently creates notes and is more rigorous.

Personally, I think he is more of a blagger than a methodical precision person. It does not occur to me that he is a scientist but I am just his mum so know nothing.

I am actually wondering what is the difference between a Finance degree and an Economics degree at uni.

Ds suffers from not knowing what 'finance' means . He might actually mean economics. The only reason he is looking at 'finance' or 'economics' is that he is good at A Level Economics and reasonably good at maths.

He is a bit lazy and needs to be pushed.

Finance is things like looking at company accounts, economics is things like unemployment, inflation, growth, trade government expenditure, more theoretical / policy based and can be linked to current affairs like Brexit.

I don't think DS knows what engineering means or the different sorts of engineering. Nothing leaps out at him. He is not hands on or likes tinkering with things though he likes Physics practicals. He does not have a burning desire for anything.

What are the different Engineering specialities he can do? Does he have to choose now or just do an Engineering degree and decide later.

It might be worth him looking at exact course content with finance and economics and also engineering.

This is Bristol Finance. https://www.bris.ac.uk/unit-programme-catalogue/RouteStructureCohort.jsa?byCohort=24%2F25&byCohort=Y&selectedCatalogue=PROGRAMME&orgCode=ACFI&programmeCode=9EFIM013U&_gl=11dushs5_gaNjQwNDMzNjI5LjE3MDkwODkyMzQ._ga_6R8SPL3HLT*MTcxMDY4NzMxMi4zLjEuMTcxMDY4NzMzMC40Mi4wLjA.

I am actually wondering what is the difference between a Finance degree and an Economics degree at uni.

Truthfully? As someone who recruits in the finance area I would say that a Finance degree is for someone who isn’t clever enough to do an economics degree. Sorry - we will probably get a dozen people coming on now to explain why they turned down Economics at Cambridge to do Finance somewhere else - but I would always rate an economics degree over a Finance degree.

I would suggest he looks at Civil Engineering. Firstly, it offers a huge range of careers and a clear path after uni if he sticks to a career based on the degree. But equally you can go into any career where a maths based degree is valued.

Secondly, it’s not as competitive to get a place at a good uni, whereas Mechanical Engineering is very oversubscribed.