Most profitable uni course to change career?

mrsbmartin

Thanks Voyager, I had suspicions that architecture would be a difficult field to enter.

I qualify for 3 years of student loans (I only found out recently that because I only studied for a year and didn't complete, I can effectively start again - it is an opportunity I don't want to waste).

I really don't know where I want to end up...I just want a financially secure (as secure as possible anyway), professional position where there is scope to progress and perhaps branch out on my own (ie start my own business one day). I don't have a calling...I am happy in most environments. I just don't want to take myself out of a well paid position (ok a position I hate but it is possible to continue with it) to do a course that will cost thousands and then end up in a position that I could have *a - got to in the same amount of time if I had just started at the bottom of the ladder; or *b - end up going back to retail because the field is too hard to break in to.

Ah well, darn my lack of passion...thanks anyway for the replies

mrsbmartin

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Given you dont want to move sideways into HO then you dont want to do anything to do with business or IT at all.

This isn't the case at all - I don't want to move laterally because the company is a poor company to work for and working at HO would mean a big move geographically. I'm not particularly fussed about IT but I am rather business minded (I guess that is why I am looking at this rather dispassionately and more like a business transaction - which course will have the greatest benefit/cost ratio?).

shop-to-drop

What about Public Relations?

InsideInsurance

If I were in your position (as I was to some degree) then I would look at alternative options within the company first.

Ok you say Maths isnt your thing but as an example I have known people working out in an operational area moving into a HO environment and the company ultimately paying for them to do their Accountancy qualifications when they started working in Finance.

Personally I went the Strategy and Change Management route so hard qualifications are a lesser part but still went from Ops to that and worked my way up in that space rather than quiting, going back to uni and running up #30k of debt and starting at the bottom competing with people 5-10 years younger than me for entry level graduate roles

Moving internally is easy, you wont get good money for doing it though. Once you are either qualified or experienced in your new specialty you can then move to a new employer, potentially a new industtry, and capitalise your skills

Wobblydeb

Marketing seems a good fit with your a-levels and personality traits.

mrsbmartin

I work in fashion retail....our Head Office is in London, I live just outside Manchester. I've spent 5 years moving around the country with work and I just want to settle here now. Call it stubborn but I'm really not willing to move to London. If it was a different company and sector it may well be worth it (I don't mind taking a pay cut so long as there is scope to work my way back up again) but it isn't an option currently.

I do know that companies are willing to fund courses etc (I have attended many company funded courses already in my career) and it is something I have been considering...I just don't want to jump around companies - I like to try to be loyal once I am in a job and I think it looks bad on a CV when there is lots of movement between employers.

I guess I'll just keep looking until I have a lightbulb moment!

Thanks to all,

InsideInsurance

mrsbmartin wrote: »

I've spent 5 years moving around the country with work and I just want to settle here now.

Does this apply to which university you go to too?

mrsbmartin

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Does this apply to which university you go to too?

Yes it does...There are the Manchester Uni's, Uni's in Lancs, Liverpool etc...I have toyed with the idea of OU but I can't see them being particularly well regarded...

Communting isn't a problem...I currently spend up to 6 hours a day commuting so it's not an issue to go to Liverpool etc from where I am.

tyllwyd

I studied Architecture (years ago) for a couple of years before dropping out, but I needed to show an art portfolio to get in, and technical drawing was very important. The course I did was also combined with building science, so there was quite a strong science/maths bias. In the end I failed because I didn't have the artistic vision/passion for architecture that you needed for the course (although having done work experience for 5 months, I'm not sure how much of that would have been needed after qualifying). And of course the building industry has been through some torrid times. So unless you really want to be an architect, spend time studying architecture magazines and always insist on visiting the interesting buildings wherever you visit, I would say it's not even worth thinking about.

But I'd say much the same about anything you've mentioned - what subject have you got a passion for? Egyptology is a very niche subject - how on earth did you end up studying that if you weren't very interested?

[Deleted User]

So, some sort of careers that might suit you would be marketing, or maybe something more like management consultancy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2005/feb/26/careers.graduation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/mar/16/how-get-into-management-consulting

Essentially, find a subject that is reputable, you enjoy, at a good uni then go get a 1st in it. Find a job after that...

Or.. find a graduate recruitment fair, go talk to some companies there and ask what sort of person they try to recruit. That should give you a decent insight into a degree choice