21, starting a History & Sociology degree

The way I see it I'm already 3 years behind everyone else having dropped out at 20 (doing Estate Management, something I found just too dull), and starting again this September, doing History and Sociology at Sheffield University.

It seems STEM subjects lead to much greater job opportunities than a BA degree. However my a levels are History, Geog and Eng. Lit. so I can't really apply for degrees that lead to jobs in these more vocational technical sectors.

I'm in need of some guidance here as I'm at a sort of crossroads.

Should I do the degree and look for summer intern and/or part time work to bolster my qualifications? In an ideal world where I got a nice portfolio of work experience and a 2.1/1st am I looking at a decent job with good prospects for the future?

Or should I perhaps give up on getting a degree and look to get qualified in more 'blue collar' type work which seems to be highly in demand? E.g. plumbing or electrician

Or is it possible for me to complete my degree then do a masters in something more related to STEM stuff. For example, is it possible for me to do a Msc in computer science/petrochemicals etc etc. And if this is possible, would my previous History BA and unrelated a levels be a significant hinderence?

I just want a reasonable career path I can work towards. I'm generally pretty intelligent and can understand information in any field I've cared to invest time in. I'm just somewhat regretting having taken the a levels I did.

Also any context from those significantly older than me is appreciated. I've often found myself looking back at events in the past that seemed so important and real but in hindsight were not. Perhaps I'm only 21 and shouldn't be worrying quite so much about all this? I simply don't know!

Thanks for your time.

Reply 1

apotoftea

19

Honestly? As a bitter grumpy History grad who's doing a PhD (and knows first hand what the job market is like) - I wouldn't bother doing a History degree. If your interests lie in STEM related jobs, try and get a job in that area and work your way up. Obviously easier said than done but £9K a year is a lot for a degree that probably won't help you in the long run...

Reply 2

Pariah

15

It's difficult to give advice unless you can narrow down what you are aiming for. If you are aiming for a STEM career you probably need to start again at foundation level.

But by way of contrast with the previous poster a history degree did me (and others) no harm in getting into law. And if you can show some quantitative skills as well it won't stop you looking for general grad roles especially of you have done something with your summers to get some experience.

Reply 3

redferry

19

Why aren't you taking a stem degree if that is what you want a career in?

Reply 4

apotoftea

19

Original post by Pariah

It's difficult to give advice unless you can narrow down what you are aiming for. If you are aiming for a STEM career you probably need to start again at foundation level.

But by way of contrast with the previous poster a history degree did me (and others) no harm in getting into law. And if you can show some quantitative skills as well it won't stop you looking for general grad roles especially of you have done something with your summers to get some experience.

Whilst I agree History doesn't stop people converting to Law (money and cost do however!), having a History degree these days really doesn't make people stand out. All that transferable skills crap that's fed into students about doing Arts degrees means nothing without actual experience when it comes to job interviews. You may well be able to write a 5000 word essay on the causes of the First World War but if you can't deal with a client in the correct manner or know how to handle yourself in the work environment, you're stuffed.

I have a couple of friends in the recruitment world and they're not looking for Arts graduates at the moment...

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 5

Pariah

15

Original post by apotoftea

Whilst I agree History doesn't stop people converting to Law (money and cost do however!), having a History degree these days really doesn't make people stand out. All that transferable skills crap that's fed into students about doing Arts degrees means nothing without actual experience when it comes to job interviews. You may well be able to write a 5000 word essay on the causes of the First World War but if you can't deal with a client in the correct manner or know how to handle yourself in the work environment, you're stuffed.

I have a couple of friends in the recruitment world and they're not looking for Arts graduates at the moment...

I agree with this, which is why I referred to the need to get experience and to quantitative skills (wouldn't sociology include at least options on statistics and data management?).

And in my (limited) experience STEM grads are no more likely, and are probably less likely, to have workplace soft skills. When I did supervise young lawyers the reliable predictors of whether they would be good with clients (and, more generally, function well in an office environment) were a public school education or a significant period of customer facing work experience).

Reply 6

bownessie

19

You could get onto something like an environmental studies/geography bsc with those subjects probably. Or do a foundation year, that is another option.

Reply 7

donutaud15

22

I think you can do a computing degree with foundation year with those a levels. It's harder to apply for a MSc in say computing or engineering if your degree is unrelated and you don't have maths or science a levels. However if you have some industry experience it might help you.

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21, starting a History & Sociology degree

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