I’m stuck

Rank these from best to worst jobs/careers for less stress,good amazing pay,enjoyable,good work life balance ok so the options are cyber securitst,accountant,investment banker,software engineer and pharmacist and I’m stuck on what third subject a level should I pick btw hate maths and physics and I have picked chemistry and biology so far and idk what to pick as third from my info what do you think and rank the careers from what I said about the info???

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by aryc_30

I like you are asking for unicorns and not said anything about whether you like the animal or not.

Pay is often correlated with stress when it comes to jobs. Good life balance isn't really a thing if you're asking for high pay. Enjoyability is an individual thing, and I think it comes down to whether you have interest in the subject. Working solely because of money is not a good way to go about it; it's not worth it (stress, office politics, regulations, hating the job, etc. in exchange for money), and it can show in your performance. Also you're not out there 'shopping' for jobs; it's the wrong attittude to have. You're out there applying for jobs to offer what you have i.e. no one is going to pay just for having a degree, instead they are asking what are you putting on the table.

If you're asking which A Level subjects to take in order to keep the above doors open, then you're likely looking at chemistry, biology, and maths (physics is not necessary).
If you don't like maths, then you can still get into software engineering or cyber security through apprenticeships (and ideally professional qualifications). Some might argue that you should have a CS degree to get into the field, but as I don't work in the sector I cannot comment on this.
To be an accountant or investment banker, you can get A Levels in any subject. However, you're more likely to require the appropriate professional qualification. If you want to go to uni for this (for whatever reason), you're going for the targeted unis as opposed to just any uni.
To be a pharmacist, you would need to do an aproved MPharm degree, which can significantly limit your options.

Should you not like maths you can pick any other random subject, but you would also significantly reduce your chance of doing a computer science or software engineering degree (both of which have quite a bit of maths in them). You should be fine with everything else though.

Reply 2

Muttly

Stress - Stress can be good for you (fear adrenaline based stress, or excitement) but it can also be bad for you. Continued overload of too much work and not enough time is bad for you, a bombardment of demands on your emotional and physical self without breaks is bad for your health long term. Boredom of repetitive mind numbing work can be stressful. A good definition is if you feel stressed, then generally you are stressed. Are you an adrenaline junkie or do you hide behind the door if someone says 'boo?'

Good pay - Can be wonderful to have money to spend, money to save. The same issues affect you whether you have lots of money or a little, but if you have more money the outgoings usually the same but on a bigger scale. What are the material goods in life that matter to you? Are you easy come, easy go attitude with money? The big trap is you can earn lots of money but have no time to spend it. Or you just get to be an old git having grafted all your life to the bone only to find when you do have lots of money you are too old to enjoy it.

Enjoyable - What do you enjoy? Working alone, working in a social group? Working to solve problems or codes? Working inside in the same environment, working outside in all weathers or a mix of both? Are you a good communicator or an enabler? Do you enjoy manual work, creating things or are you cerebral and static? How do you like to spend your spare time? Are you a townie, a country addict, a mountaineer, a sporty soul? How would your work allow you to mix both activities, are there are long periods of work, and then similar periods of time relaxing? Would you love the challenge of living abroad away from the UK? What qualifications allow you to become an ex pat? So the answer to this is know yourself and imagine yourself in the role you envisage. The romantic view of a job can be very attractive but when you have done that job for a few months the reality sets in. It might be absolutely awful. Talk to those people who already work in the field you are interested in. Could you ask to call in at a works or company and spend a few hours chatting to any staff to see what are the pro's and con's of your intended choices. Reality can be a big wake up call. The 'best' to the 'worst' job is difficult to say for you on anything. Horses for courses as they say. You may love a job, and the person next to you, same qualifications absolutely hate it. You can earn shed loads of money but be so unhappy in the twelve hours you earn it it defeats the object of earning it. If it is short term that may be different. If you 'put up with some bad aspects' of work but still have time away to enjoy you may have a good balance. Life is far too short to waste time grinding along in a job you hate. Never be afraid to know you have made the wrong choice and do something about it.

I don't know enough about the jobs you are interested in to make any worthwhile comment. Your outlook can change at Uni and the more you study, the more you discover is out there. Doors open, contacts are made and before you know it you have gone down a rabbit hole. Don't be afraid to talk to any of your intended Uni careers departments if you are planning on going there. You can never get enough information.

Cyber Security - Always in demand and you have a transferrable skill set home or abroad. A mix or travel and or static working? Unless you are working as an independent self employed worker you would have to conform to company policies. Would you ok with those restrictions?

Accountant - A head for numbers, spotting patterns and an analytical mind. Always in demand but maybe a repetitive job role, varies according to the size of the numbers. Ditto investment banker (how is your attitude to risk?)

Software Engineer - Another analytical minded job role either static within a site or tasked to travel many miles. Travelling brings its own strange life of hotels, motels, muscling in with all the other single travellers in cheap motels setting off at 5am

Pharmacist - Go along to your chemist and ask if there is a 'good time' to have five minutes work with your pharmacist (understand if they are too crazy busy to do that though, but if you don't ask you don't get) They may allow you to shadow for a day, but I am unsure if there are any risk and insurance restrictions that might stop you doing this. There are also commercial pharmacists. Again research, ask and see what you think. Your school or college should also be able to help advise you here.

Hope you can get where you want to be