Hi there, I'm Luna.
I'm a bit like an AI, except instead of making pictures of people with 16 fingers, I can help you find the perfect course and uni.
Would you like some help in your search?
When it comes to choosing the right uni course for you, there are many things you need to consider.
The biggest thing is whether you'll actually enjoy learning about your chosen subject for a full three years. The other big consideration you have to take in to account is how employable your chosen degree could make you.
However, it can be difficult to know which degrees will take you down the most lucrative career paths. So, here is a guide to which courses to consider if you’re already looking ahead to your future job.
A-level limitations
Your degree will, to a certain extent, be dependent on which A-levels (or equivalent) you’ve taken. A science degree will likely require at least two sciences (probably including maths). Social science and more vocational degrees such as real estate or business management will be more flexible with regard to previous subjects.
If you’re looking to keep your options open, take a mixture of science and humanity qualifications. But remember to take subjects where you can achieve the highest grades possible in order to reach your full potential.
The funded choices
Whilst looking ahead to careers which pay off after graduation is one way of choosing a degree, university fees are mounting and the new generation of graduates are half-drowned in their own debt before they’ve even begun.
However, choosing a funded degree will not only place you an in area where appropriately trained professionals are actively required (and you will therefore walk into a job), it will also remove the weight of debt from around your neck.
Most funded degrees are in the healthcare or social work industry. Having satisfied their criteria, you can apply for one of the thousands of NHS funded places on specialist health care degrees. Those training as midwives, dentists and physiotherapists are among a host of health professions for which the government provides financial support.
The lucrative options
Degrees which are most likely to lead to highly paid careers have a vocational element from the start. For example, medicine, which takes at least five years to complete (with following years as a relatively low-paid junior), guarantees a job which can grow into a highly lucrative profession.
The current boom in technology (which is set only to grow) places millennials at a significant advantage, putting you heads and shoulders above others if you’re studying for a programming or computing degree. Those who can code are in particularly high demand, and will be paid well for their services.
Law is another option which, if successfully followed up by a place at a top law firm, can have you earning a six-figure salary within just a few years of graduation.
In more generalised terms, analytical, data-based degrees are more likely to have you walk straight into a high-paid career than what are more traditionally termed ‘soft’ subjects. Increasingly, creative roles are placing importance on analytical ability – so try to engineer some work experience (regardless of degree) which demonstrates both creativity and analysis.
But it’s not all about money...
Whilst financial considerations can be important when selecting which subject to study, do remember this could set your future for years to come, and it’s not all about money.
It’s easy to say once you can afford to pay rent, but happiness is far more important than your bank balance – why else would you want to earn lots in the first place, if not to be happy?
So, if you’re passionate about a certain subject – be this English, French or Chemistry, go for it and don’t worry too much about what happens the other end of uni. You’re likely to do better studying something you enjoy, which will (in the end) get you the best degree and the best chances of employment.
Degree doesn’t have to equal career
Another major thing to consider is that the degree you choose now – whether vocational or purely academic – does not by any means have to determine the career you’ll have in ten years’ time (unless of course your burning passion is medicine).
Options such as law conversion courses, master's degrees, and postgrad degrees, mean a wealth of varied experience not specifically focused on a particular career can actually be a hugely beneficial in the long run.
NEXT STEPS:
- If you already know what you want to study, then check out which universities are offering that course here.
- Read more about the factors to consider before you apply to uni.
Alexandra Jane is the writer and editor of graduate careers advice for Inspiring Interns, a graduate recruitment agency. Check out their website to see which internships and graduate jobs are currently available.
