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Physics 2.2 degree disaster?

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Original post by lubus
i dont think you could live on much less than 20k


I'm pretty sure you can.
Reply 21
It could be worse, you could have got a third, like me! :frown:
Reply 22
Original post by fisi88
It could be worse, you could have got a third, like me! :frown:

The same still applies. Difficult subject and you got through it may be with a lack of motivation. Shows you're not stupid. I'd do a post grad diploma in business or something like that to top it up.
Reply 23
There is a statistic that's something like 70% of graduate jobs are not subject specific. So apart from lab technician you can look at management, retail, finance, the civil service, broadcasting/ media (BBC love physics grads ... have you seen the buzz around Brian Cox!), journalism, teaching, graduate internships at places like M & S or John Lewis. A 2.2 is fine, the thing is Physics is about the toughest subject there is so don't draw attention to the grade you got!! Just think about what areas of life interest you - working with people or alone? Are you a creative thinker? Get an appointment with your career advisor at Uni and spread your net a bit wider. You'll do fine...you have a GOOD DEGREE!!!! Best of luck :-)
Original post by KitKatClub
There is a statistic that's something like 70% of graduate jobs are not subject specific. So apart from lab technician you can look at management, retail, finance, the civil service, broadcasting/ media (BBC love physics grads ... have you seen the buzz around Brian Cox!), journalism, teaching, graduate internships at places like M & S or John Lewis. A 2.2 is fine, the thing is Physics is about the toughest subject there is so don't draw attention to the grade you got!! Just think about what areas of life interest you - working with people or alone? Are you a creative thinker? Get an appointment with your career advisor at Uni and spread your net a bit wider. You'll do fine...you have a GOOD DEGREE!!!! Best of luck :-)

Grad schemes that have 2.1 requirements automatically filter 2.2s and below. It's done by a computer, there is no human reading the application and deciding that actually physics 2.2 is better than media studies 2.1 etc. etc.

It's a good point that the Civil Service only asks for a 2.2. The others are pretty much no-go.
Original post by Draya
Hi guys,
I'm wondering what you can actually do with a 2.2 in a physics degree aside from lab technician. Seems like the most useless thing ever. :frown: Any ideas?


You could try and get some sort of technical work in the oil & gas industry as it's currently crying out for technical people. A 2:2 in physics is still a good degree to many employers.
Reply 26
Original post by DynamicSyngery
Grad schemes that have 2.1 requirements automatically filter 2.2s and below. It's done by a computer, there is no human reading the application and deciding that actually physics 2.2 is better than media studies 2.1 etc. etc.


This isn't always true. I've got a 2.1 but have applied for schemes where they say they will consider 2.2s with good work experience or topped up with a Masters, on a case by case basis. Getting beyond the autofilter isn't any guarantee of your application going any further either - the 2.1 in Media is just as likely to be discarded manually by a recruiter once they cast their eye over it.

Not all companies perfunctorily autofilter everything, although many do.
Well if you consider teaching you get quite generous funding with a Physics degree - even a 2:2. You would get £12,000 as a standard bursary if you decided to be a secondary Physics teacher. Meanwhile I will get £5,000 with a 2:1 to be a general Primary teacher. See, it's not all bad for you :smile:

http://www.tda.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/funding/training-in-england/postgraduate-funding.aspx
Original post by ch0llima
This isn't always true. I've got a 2.1 but have applied for schemes where they say they will consider 2.2s with good work experience or topped up with a Masters, on a case by case basis. Getting beyond the autofilter isn't any guarantee of your application going any further either - the 2.1 in Media is just as likely to be discarded manually by a recruiter once they cast their eye over it.

Not all companies perfunctorily autofilter everything, although many do.


I did say grad schemes that have 2.1 requirements - obviously a grad scheme with a 2.2 requirement will only autofilter 3rds and below. And while getting past the autofilter isn't a guarantee of a job, it is necessary to have chance of getting a job.
Reply 29
Original post by DynamicSyngery
I did say grad schemes that have 2.1 requirements - obviously a grad scheme with a 2.2 requirement will only autofilter 3rds and below. And while getting past the autofilter isn't a guarantee of a job, it is necessary to have chance of getting a job.


I don't think you read my original post properly.
Reply 30
Original post by somethingbeautiful
Well if you consider teaching you get quite generous funding with a Physics degree - even a 2:2. You would get £12,000 as a standard bursary if you decided to be a secondary Physics teacher. Meanwhile I will get £5,000 with a 2:1 to be a general Primary teacher. See, it's not all bad for you :smile:

http://www.tda.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/funding/training-in-england/postgraduate-funding.aspx


Ah, teaching, also known as the "giving up" profession
Original post by gordoxo
Ah, teaching, also known as the "giving up" profession


Really? You genuinely think that? Some people want to be teachers though - actively pursue it. For those who do it without passion, you can hardly blame them can you? It pays the bills and there aren't many jobs around at the moment, even for graduates...

It's strange how the teaching profession used to be held in high regard but nowadays comments like yours are much more common.
Reply 32
Original post by somethingbeautiful
Really? You genuinely think that? Some people want to be teachers though - actively pursue it. For those who do it without passion, you can hardly blame them can you? It pays the bills and there aren't many jobs around at the moment, even for graduates...

It's strange how the teaching profession used to be held in high regard but nowadays comments like yours are much more common.

It harks back to the 70s & 80s when there was a shortage of teachers and just about anyone with a couple of A levels or a BTEC could get on to a BEd, or if already a graduate, a teachers training course, especially at a Poly or HE College. People often used teaching as a last resort to get into a profession.

That was a generation ago but getting into teaching, like all professions these days, is fiercely competitive and you require very good grades/ decent degree to get on a course. But those attitudes have survived.
Original post by Nitebot
It harks back to the 70s & 80s when there was a shortage of teachers and just about anyone with a couple of A levels or a BTEC could get on to a BEd, or if already a graduate, a teachers training course, especially at a Poly or HE College. People often used teaching as a last resort to get into a profession.

That was a generation ago but getting into teaching, like all professions these days, is fiercely competitive and you require very good grades/ decent degree to get on a course. But those attitudes have survived.


Wasn't aware of that. It's such a shame because I do think it's a noble profession and there are genuinely passionate teachers who care about education who will get lumped into the 'last resort' category. It's bloody difficult to get onto a PGCE these days - even with good GCSEs/A-levels and a 2:1. There are other routes - 'Teach First' for instance, I've no idea how difficult/competitive those other routes are.
Reply 34
Original post by somethingbeautiful
Wasn't aware of that. It's such a shame because I do think it's a noble profession and there are genuinely passionate teachers who care about education who will get lumped into the 'last resort' category. It's bloody difficult to get onto a PGCE these days - even with good GCSEs/A-levels and a 2:1. There are other routes - 'Teach First' for instance, I've no idea how difficult/competitive those other routes are.

Trying not to show my age but yes teaching was not a popular profession back then! :biggrin: I don't recall anyone in my 6th form wanting to be a school teacher and I'm not aware that anyone has become one since. But yes its status is on the rise again. The Open University offers routes into teaching for mature students and is the biggest trainer of wannabe teachers in the country. Many doing the BSc Maths and Natural Sciences degrees are retraining to become maths and science teachers. I wonder how they'll get on considering all the younger qualified teachers looking for work.
Reply 35
Original post by somethingbeautiful
Really? You genuinely think that? Some people want to be teachers though - actively pursue it. For those who do it without passion, you can hardly blame them can you? It pays the bills and there aren't many jobs around at the moment, even for graduates...

It's strange how the teaching profession used to be held in high regard but nowadays comments like yours are much more common.


...and some people do it because they got a 2.ii or below in a bland degree with awful job prospects. I'd be curious to see what the proportion of the profession is made up by people you give in your example compared to mine, but I've seen waaaaay more of the latter "giving up" into teaching.
Original post by Mbob
Depends on your skills/ interests. Maybe:

- Teaching
- R&D : A Master's Degree followed by a PhD and your 1st degree would not longer matter.
Going down the masters route could be fantastically paired with working as a lab tech, too.

3 year p/t masters, 3 years of lab tech, earn a decent wage whilst getting it and have 3 years of proper experience before applying for a phd.

As for teaching? They are crying out for physics at PGCE level but a large proportion of people who undertake PGCEs aren't going into immediate employment as a teacher afterwards.

You could do what I did. BSc, MSc, PGCE, research assistant and next year phd... you will become utterly fed up of universities though. Research assistant roles typically want to see a 2:i+ but lab tech roles just obsess over organisation skills. Note: I work in molecular biology so there could be huge differences between this and physics.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by gordoxo
...and some people do it because they got a 2.ii or below in a bland degree with awful job prospects. I'd be curious to see what the proportion of the profession is made up by people you give in your example compared to mine, but I've seen waaaaay more of the latter "giving up" into teaching.
I did PGCE secondary science and as far as I know I was the only person with a first in a class of 60. Many could barely count or spell, turning up late was common (among lecturers too), half the class had 3rd class degrees, a chunk had been unemployed or grossly underemployed for 1-2 years prior and one merely had an ungraded degree.

I think about 20% got full-time posts and you could TELL which 20% were getting them. It was the ones who wanted to be there, wanted to teach, had the best communication skills and so on. I was bored out my mind doing it though I don't regret it as a I learned a lot about interaction and teaching. From my experience some people join PGCE programmes when they give up, but with so much competition for jobs they are mostly filtered out.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 38
Original post by Llamageddon
I did PGCE secondary science and as far as I know I was the only person with a first in a class of 60. Many could barely count or spell, turning up late was common (among lecturers too), half the class had 3rd class degrees, a chunk had been unemployed or grossly underemployed for 1-2 years prior and one merely had an ungraded degree.

I think about 20% got full-time posts and you could TELL which 20% were getting them. It was the ones who wanted to be there, wanted to teach, had the best communication skills and so on. I was bored out my mind doing it though I don't regret it as a I learned a lot about interaction and teaching. From my experience some people join PGCE programmes when they give up, but with so much competition for jobs they are mostly filtered out.

How long ago did you do your PGCE? I thought competition was supposed to be fierce to get on the programmes these days. The OU PGCE is one their few courses where you have to be interviewed.
Original post by Llamageddon
I did PGCE secondary science and as far as I know I was the only person with a first in a class of 60. Many could barely count or spell, turning up late was common (among lecturers too), half the class had 3rd class degrees, a chunk had been unemployed or grossly underemployed for 1-2 years prior and one merely had an ungraded degree.

I think about 20% got full-time posts and you could TELL which 20% were getting them. It was the ones who wanted to be there, wanted to teach, had the best communication skills and so on. I was bored out my mind doing it though I don't regret it as a I learned a lot about interaction and teaching. From my experience some people join PGCE programmes when they give up, but with so much competition for jobs they are mostly filtered out.


That sounds about right. I'm on a PGCE now and so many science 'PGCErs' have quit so far as they applied for the course not having a clue what teaching was about and most of them had no idea about the work that needed to be done outside of the 9-3 teaching hours.
Competition is fierce in some PGCE subjects, but not so in others, meaning that people without real school experience get on to the course because they can't think of anything else to do.

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