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After Cambridge?

I know it may be too early to start thinking about it, considering I have not even confirmed my place @ Cambridge.

But I have been thinking where are most people loooking to end up after Cambridge? Careerwise? What are your job prospects? How much can you earn like in the immediate years after Uni etc?

Are Cambridge degree holders really that well saught after, do you have job offers already?

Random questions I know but I am thinking beyond uni atm!

Reply 1

nuodai

17

Cambridge has a 96% employment/further education/etc record, which should be a good demonstration of your prospects. Your job prospects will be very good with any Cambridge degree because it's so highly held in people's opinions... unless your degree is a 3rd (or a 2:2 to a lesser extent).

How much you earn depends on what you do after you graduate, and I suppose it also depends slightly on what your degree is.

Reply 2

epitome

11

ebam_uk

I know it may be too early to start thinking about it, considering I have not even confirmed my place @ Cambridge.

But I have been thinking where are most people loooking to end up after Cambridge? Careerwise? What are your job prospects? How much can you earn like in the immediate years after Uni etc?

Are Cambridge degree holders really that well saught after, do you have job offers already?

Random questions I know but I am thinking beyond uni atm!

Hey ebam_uk,

I'm afraid your question kind of demonstrates how little you know about degrees, or the job market. Don't worry, that's perfectly normal.

Basically, 'a degree' (non-specific) at a decent level will be a good thing for your employment prospects, in any sector. Only a small (but significant) proportion of jobs require you to have a specific degree (Medics must have studied medicine, and academics will often have a degree in the subject they go on to specialise in; whereas Lawyers do NOT need a Law degree, they just need the appropriate training after a first degree). What determines your evntual income is not the degree you take (or where you take it, really), but the job you end up doing.

However, a Cambridge degree does increase employability, and many companies specifically head-hunt at this university. It often provides an edge. Not so much the degree, per se, but the fact you were admitted to such a competitive institution and have successfully survived it. THAT'S what makes you employable. Most people also do lots of other stuff whilst at uni, and these develop the employable skills. Certainly, my CV will be very attractive to many employers, because of the amount of non-academic stuff I do. The degree's just one part of it.
Depending on what you do, you will increase your employability. One of the things I do, for example, means I get head-hunted, really quite specifically, fairly often. None of them are opportunities I'd want to take up (NO, I do not want to be an investment banker, thankyouverymuch!), but they're there for the taking if that's what you're after!

Earning's a funny one. I'm pretty confident I could leave uni and get a job paying around £50,000 in the first year. I'm just not interested, however, and realistically I wil be earning less than £25,000 for a good few years. Unfortunately, if you want do be employed doing something that directly helps people, you tend to get paid much less. That's my choice. If you want to go all-out for the money, the opportunity is very much there if you have the intelligence, energy, skills and luck to go for it!

I do have to say, though, that A Cambridge Degree Does Not A Good Employee Make. It's just that, most often, someone who gets into Cambridge both has the natural ability to do well at stuff (and is reasonably intelligent!), AND often takes the opportunity to improve, learn and achieve. They're useful qualities. Other things, like administrative roles, society organisation, music, sport, charity work, whatever (which, of course, you can do at any university) really help, too -- not on their own, but in the skills and experiences you get from them.

Really all I'm saying is that YOU make yourself employable far more than the institution does (though the name Cambridge does help, and the degrees are notoriously tough); and YOU choose, to a very great extent, how much money you want to chase. Getting a job that pays well isn't partiuclarly difficult for someone intelligent and multi-skilled; getting a job you actually enjoy is harder.

Reply 3

camstudent123

epitome is completely correct. About 70% of graduate jobs do not require a specific degree. Generally speaking from my circle of friends and based on newspaper reports in the student rags key career choices roughly in order are:
1) further study: this includes PhDs/masters, law conversion courses, PGCEs (teaching qualification) some people do a medical degree afterwards as well
2) corporate jobs: banking, law, finance
3) civil service fast stream is very popular
4) cuddly fluffy jobs; NGO work, voluntary work
5) media stuff: usually interning firstly and then trying to get jobs in the major papers

There are also a fair few who decide to take a gap year afterwards and go off learn languages, get experience or just mess around for a year.

The amount you earn depends largely on what job and where you are located. For instance I'm doing a PhD so will be on <£15,000 until I finish. Some of my friends in the city are on 30 to 40k. Generally speaking a 2i or first from Oxbridge is a good degree to have in almost any career. Although its changed in recent years the make up of the top echelons of politics, the civil service, banking, the media and law have largely been oxbridge educated to the extent that someone wrote a book called the oxbridge conspiracy detailing how this all happens.

Reply 4

epitome

11

camstudent123

Although its changed in recent years the make up of the top echelons of politics, the civil service, banking, the media and law have largely been oxbridge educated to the extent that someone wrote a book called the oxbridge conspiracy detailing how this all happens.

...yet few people seem able or willing to recognise the fact that there's no conspiracy. It's just the very simple likelihood that bright people are very welcome at Oxbridge, and bright people are very welcome in the top jobs. Those two very frequently coincide. It's mostly not Oxbridge --> employment cause & effect; rather, being bright --> employment, sometimes via Oxbridge.

I've always said that Oxbridge doesn't give an inert person anything. But it will give an active, opportunistic person many, many things (with a bit of luck thrown in to help them on their way). Thing is, you can take "Oxbridge" out of that, an replace it with "life". :smile:

Reply 5

gooseymcgoose

11

To be honest, going to Cambridge occasionally ruins people's careers, because they're a bit trigger happy when dishing out 2.iis, and a 2.ii can close a bunch of doors. I maintain those people deserve a look in because a 2.ii from Cam requires a crap load of work but the employers don't have the information required to make the right decision. (I say this as somebody who graduated with a healthy, box ticking 2.i so I'm not some bitter 2.ii-ee by the way)

Reply 6

Jigglypuff

16

epitome

I've always said that Oxbridge doesn't give an inert person anything. But it will give an active, opportunistic person many, many things (with a bit of luck thrown in to help them on their way). Thing is, you can take "Oxbridge" out of that, an replace it with "life". :smile:

Uh-oh. I'm in trouble.

Reply 7

epitome

11

Jigglypuff

Uh-oh. I'm in trouble.

You're probably not as inert as you suspect. :p:

Reply 8

Lord Lawz

epitome

...yet few people seem able or willing to recognise the fact that there's no conspiracy. It's just the very simple likelihood that bright people are very welcome at Oxbridge, and bright people are very welcome in the top jobs. Those two very frequently coincide. It's mostly not Oxbridge --> employment cause & effect; rather, being bright --> employment, sometimes via Oxbridge.

Well, that's debatable. Of course you would expect there to be a large number of Oxbridge graduates comparatively in highly competitive jobs. But some professions are sometimes unfairly blinded (often because they have gone there themselves) by the name e.g. the Bar.

Reply 9

camstudent123

Lord Lawz

Well, that's debatable. Of course you would expect there to be a large number of Oxbridge graduates comparatively in highly competitive jobs. But some professions are sometimes unfairly blinded (often because they have gone there themselves) by the name e.g. the Bar.

Evidence?

Reply 10

Lord Lawz

camstudent123

Evidence?

Look on any chambers' website. Talk to any barrister. Talk to any prospective pupil or tenant. I think the majority would agree. Some solicitor firms (I don't want to name names) are outrightly biased towards Oxbridge (in the opinions of those who work there). This isn't the case for all firms though - and it's certainly more an issue for the Bar. There's been talk that it helps judges too:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/legal/article580472.ece

Not exactly substantive but, as I said: debatable.

Reply 11

*Joanna*

12

gooseymcgoose

To be honest, going to Cambridge occasionally ruins people's careers, because they're a bit trigger happy when dishing out 2.iis, and a 2.ii can close a bunch of doors. I maintain those people deserve a look in because a 2.ii from Cam requires a crap load of work but the employers don't have the information required to make the right decision. (I say this as somebody who graduated with a healthy, box ticking 2.i so I'm not some bitter 2.ii-ee by the way)

Ohhhhh GREAT. :mad:

I hope my 2ii won't hinder me too much, although there are several reasons beyond my control that contributed to getting that instead of a potentially better class. If I had to explain, I would, as long as I could manage to sound non-whiney about it.

Reply 12

camstudent123

*Joanna*

Ohhhhh GREAT. :mad:

I hope my 2ii won't hinder me too much, although there are several reasons beyond my control that contributed to getting that instead of a potentially better class. If I had to explain, I would, as long as I could manage to sound non-whiney about it.

Its not going to make you unemployable for the rest of your life. It does admitteldy rule out certain options (phds, high competition investment banks, fast track) inititally but I've consistently heard people say that your degree doesn't matter so much after your first job..

Reply 13

*Joanna*

12

camstudent123

Its not going to make you unemployable for the rest of your life. It does admitteldy rule out certain options (phds, high competition investment banks, fast track) inititally but I've consistently heard people say that your degree doesn't matter so much after your first job..

Here's hoping. But then I don't want to do a Phd/high competition investment banking/fast track course so that's alright!

Reply 14

Lord Lawz

*Joanna*

Here's hoping. But then I don't want to do a Phd/high competition investment banking/fast track course so that's alright!

Even so, tripos? So overall doesn't matter that much. No one gets great results in all three years. Even if it's been a 2:2 or less for the 3 years, your 2:2 will trump all other 2:2s. You've studied a decent subject too. Extra curricular and interview will be the deciding factors. I think you'll be fine. Good luck!

Reply 15

Demoskratos7

8

I know this sounds patronising, but please don't go to Cambridge and spend all your time worrying about career prospects afterwards. ENJOY your time there. REVEL in the fact that you can spend three years studying something you love, and not having to work at all for some boring company or firm. Cambridge is worth more than that - - it's not a place that's designed to be an job-training camp or employment-creation centre.

Reply 16

epitome

11

Spot on, Demoskratos7! :biggrin:

Reply 17

gooseymcgoose

11

Demoskratos7

I know this sounds patronising, but please don't go to Cambridge and spend all your time worrying about career prospects afterwards. ENJOY your time there. REVEL in the fact that you can spend three years studying something you love, and not having to work at all for some boring company or firm. Cambridge is worth more than that - - it's not a place that's designed to be an job-training camp or employment-creation centre.

I'm not denying there's value in what you're saying here and not even I have a desire to be an investment banker, but the vast majority of people I see graduate without lining up a job enter a period of a year or two where they have no idea what they're doing, have to move home, and end up getting really quite depressed by the whole thing. And you can imagine it can't you - the most amazing three years around people you love in Cambridge, then your hometown, with nobody you know, and your parents driving you utterly mental. Those people who have something to move straight on to after summer usually manage to keep their spirits up.

Reply 18

EscapeTheFate

8

camstudent123

3) civil service fast stream is very popular

so what exactly would you do in the civil service? and what is fast stream?

I always imagined it to just be getting statistics for the government departments... can't see why it is so popular?

Reply 19

epitome

11

The civil service is massive. Actually, in reality it's what controls things to a great extent (not the government). The real work gets done by the civil service, while the buffooning rhetoricians sling mud at one another in the Commons. Fast Track is a way of getting up the promotion ladder faster, as a result of a good degree and good aptitude.
It doesn't get much better than the top civil service jobs, really, for many very intelligent, very energetic, and very driven people. (And, because it actually performs a useful function, of course there's significantly less pay than a banking job... :rolleyes:

)

After Cambridge?

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