Most profitable uni course to change career?

mrsbmartin

Thanks for the luck...I know what you mean about £££...I don't want to be minted...I just don't want to lose £££ on an education that doesn't pay off (I'm familiar with Maslow and I happen to agree but to accept a £16k salary would just be darn selfish!!)

InsideInsurance

mrsbmartin wrote: »

I basically wanted to know if anyone had any insight into highly desirable undergrad qualifications that translate to a broad spectrum of career opportunities. Sorry - I should have just said that at the beginning...

Lets ignore vocational subjects like Architecture or Doctor as things are obviously different there.

If you are entering as a graduate then a traditional subject from a red brick university will always be fine. Want a job based on numbers then a numerical degree will be slightly better. Want a job in creative areas then more written based subjects are slightly better.

At the end of the day however unless it is vocational then getting a 2.1 (or probably a 1st now) is more important than the subject. For example in my current team we have a guy with Physics MSc, one with IT BSc & an MBA, one with PPE BA, one with not even A-levels and myself with no degree

A degree, outside of vocational subjects, is relevant for at most 2-3 years in most jobs, after that your experience is what is looked at. When people apply to work for me I only look at education to get some idea of their age & nationality. Only because of this thread did I bother going back to see what the people I've hired over the last two years had

Hence, if you have a good reputation within a large employer it can be better to look for a secondment or other option to actually start learning the skills than spend 3 years at uni and then go on a grad scheme for 2 years to then 5 years later really have to start getting proper experience.

Person_one

http://www.milkround.com/times-top-100-graduate-employers/

You might be better off choosing a degree that you know you can excel in and get a 1st (at Liverpool or Manchester, sorry to be snobby but redbrick is probably better if earning power is your aim) then apply to a good graduate scheme. Someone I went to school with got a well paid graduate job at an airport after a history degree, for a lot it seems to be about how well you do rather than what subject you study.

It sounds like you are never going to be someone who is passionate about their job, more like someone who will work hard when they're there and do a solid job without devoting your whole self, which is fine, not everybody has a calling!

zildjian

As someone briefly touched on, a lot of degrees are just the starting block for the chosen "subject" or profession and as such not instantly higher earners despite having the degree.

For example, to become a qualified accountant, if you go to uni and do four years to get an Honours degree. That is half the battle. You then have to do further professional exams and have X (usually 3) years practical experience. In general not very well paid, until qualified, despite having a degree. Obviously, theres exceptions to this. I just thought i'd point that out as some of the suggestions of job roles on here need more than just a degree!

antrobus

Person_one wrote: »

.....
You might be better off choosing a degree that you know you can excel in and get a 1st (at Liverpool or Manchester, sorry to be snobby but redbrick is probably better if earning power is your aim) then apply to a good graduate scheme. ....

Here's the top ten universities for graduate starting salaries
http://university.which.co.uk/advice/top-universities-for-graduate-starting-salaries

Basically London or Oxbidge. Strangely no mention of either Liverpool or Manchester

Dunroamin

antrobus wrote: »

Here's the top ten universities for graduate starting salaries
http://university.which.co.uk/advice/top-universities-for-graduate-starting-salaries

Basically London or Oxbidge. Strangely no mention of either Liverpool or Manchester

If the OP doesn't want to relocate, suggesting London or Oxbridge is no help to her. However, choosing Liverpool or Manchester Universities over the ex polys in those cities is likely to be beneficial to her career progression.

p00hsticks

Whatever you choose, I'd say that you should be looking at something that will let you set up as self-employed afterwards, rather than relying on getting someone to employ you.

The fact that you don't want to relocate, will be wanting to start a family and will have a bit of a chequered CV are going to be a bit of a hindrance when it comes to looking for jobs - far better to be able to work on your own terms.

DebtDaemon

zildjian wrote: »

As someone briefly touched on, a lot of degrees are just the starting block for the chosen "subject" or profession and as such not instantly higher earners despite having the degree.

For example, to become a qualified accountant, if you go to uni and do four years to get an Honours degree. That is half the battle. You then have to do further professional exams and have X (usually 3) years practical experience. In general not very well paid, until qualified, despite having a degree. Obviously, theres exceptions to this. I just thought i'd point that out as some of the suggestions of job roles on here need more than just a degree!

Yes, but one does not need a degree to be an accountant, let alone a four year degree. OP could apply for a training contract now, and if successful, be chartered in the same length of time as it would take her to graduate.

paddyrg

Spending 27 grand on a degree, plus living costs, just to end up at the entry level of a different career path which you might also hate after 6 years seems like you may be cruising for disappointment to be honest.

Look at the full canvas and you went to uni to run away from a poor situation, you're looking at doing the exact same thing over again. With that as a motivation, you're running away from something, not towards something, and will end up in the same position if you're not careful.

How about instead invest that 30+ grand into yourself - have a month total holiday and then try doing some things that you've never tried before - maybe work the whole summer on the festivals circuit or as a production runner on film sets. Start a business of your own washing dogs or whatever. That will get the running away part done cheaply and effectively, then you can start moving towards - and you might find you live the festival circuit or circus work or whatever, then you have saved a mass of debt and got into something interesting instead. And don't think there isn't money for experienced organised people in those industries, your summer could pay for your whole year with time. Indeed I know a runner/driver in London who spends 3 months a year in goa, the rest driving for gigs and events in London, very happy Chap.

jamesmorgan

Rather than spending lots of money on a degree I think the first step should be to get some professional career's advice. There are also lots of good books in this area that you can read - you need to discover what motivates you. With the exception of the few vocational degrees, most degrees are generic and just show to future employers you have the ability to learn. You are already way beyond the typical graduate starting role (both in terms of responsibility and salary).

You need to really understand what it is about your current role that you dislike and which types of jobs would address these issues. Then create a plan on how to get one of these jobs (a degree may not be necessary). You also need to be cautious about average salary data - often they are distorted by graduates taking jobs in London (typical for students at London universities), or they can be distorted by mature students studying on certain courses.

Ultimately high salaries come with high responsibility. Individuals that achieve this do so because of their soft skills rather than their degree subject.