Doubt about following through with my deferred offer.

Around this time last year I finished my A Levels and got an offer to study BSc Biochemistry at Imperial College London. I deferred my offer almost instantly as I didn't feel ready to go to Uni just yet, meaning I'll be starting this October 2023 instead . I've spent the last year in and out of various jobs, more recently working for the NHS as a lab assistant, but now it's near enough to October now that I have to start thinking about Uni again.

My motivation for going to university is definitely a heavy mix of wanting to make a decent living, and out of a genuine passion for the subject. But I'm starting to question if I'm really passionate enough to follow through with it all. I'm hearing too many mixed reviews (if you will) about the career prospects of doing Biochemistry at Imperial. I've heard its a great subject that can open a variety of doors into pharmaceuticals, consulting, finance etc... but also that a masters or PhD is pretty much necessary if you want to make any money from it, and I don't see myself being able to fund any of these options.

I have an itch in the back of my mind telling me that I should be doing something with much better career opportunities like computer science or law, both of which I also find interesting. But the fact is I'm here now, with an offer from a supposed top 10 university with realistically only 3 months to make a choice, which either way will be critical in determining my future and it's quite a lot of weight to bear (which is most likely why I am, or attempting to, unload it here).

The idea of declining the offer, taking another year out and working, while trying to figure out what I actually want to do just doesn't seem realistic. Having to go through the devil-made headache of a university application all over again is not a pleasing thought but neither is the possibility of being a miserable undergrad student in a degree that I cannot be certain I will enjoy or that leads to prospects I cannot be certain will be worthwhile. I know uncertainty is an unavoidable part of life, but I feel like it is the consequences of choices that should be uncertain, not my own confidence in my choices.

If anyone has had a similar experience or can offer a fresh perspective of what it is I am thinking/going through, I would really appreciate it.

Around this time last year I finished my A Levels and got an offer to study BSc Biochemistry at Imperial College London. I deferred my offer almost instantly as I didn't feel ready to go to Uni just yet, meaning I'll be starting this October 2023 instead . I've spent the last year in and out of various jobs, more recently working for the NHS as a lab assistant, but now it's near enough to October now that I have to start thinking about Uni again.

My motivation for going to university is definitely a heavy mix of wanting to make a decent living, and out of a genuine passion for the subject. But I'm starting to question if I'm really passionate enough to follow through with it all. I'm hearing too many mixed reviews (if you will) about the career prospects of doing Biochemistry at Imperial. I've heard its a great subject that can open a variety of doors into pharmaceuticals, consulting, finance etc... but also that a masters or PhD is pretty much necessary if you want to make any money from it, and I don't see myself being able to fund any of these options.

I have an itch in the back of my mind telling me that I should be doing something with much better career opportunities like computer science or law, both of which I also find interesting. But the fact is I'm here now, with an offer from a supposed top 10 university with realistically only 3 months to make a choice, which either way will be critical in determining my future and it's quite a lot of weight to bear (which is most likely why I am, or attempting to, unload it here).

The idea of declining the offer, taking another year out and working, while trying to figure out what I actually want to do just doesn't seem realistic. Having to go through the devil-made headache of a university application all over again is not a pleasing thought but neither is the possibility of being a miserable undergrad student in a degree that I cannot be certain I will enjoy or that leads to prospects I cannot be certain will be worthwhile. I know uncertainty is an unavoidable part of life, but I feel like it is the consequences of choices that should be uncertain, not my own confidence in my choices.

If anyone has had a similar experience or can offer a fresh perspective of what it is I am thinking/going through, I would really appreciate it.