confusion about future careers

I'm currently in year 12 and I am doing Chemistry, Biology and Art A level however, I am unsure about what I want to do in the future. My mind is telling me to do medicine and although I would like to do medicine, I believe that I don't have the mental strength to be a doctor. I want to do a scientific degree however, I want it to be a degree where I can find job opportunities in the future and not just become a teacher (not in any bad way I just don't think I'd be cut out to be a teacher). And so far, medicine seems to be the only degree where you can properly find a job in. Does anyone have any other career suggestions?

Reply 1

lalexm

16

Original post by Alesha_sk

I'm currently in year 12 and I am doing Chemistry, Biology and Art A level however, I am unsure about what I want to do in the future. My mind is telling me to do medicine and although I would like to do medicine, I believe that I don't have the mental strength to be a doctor. I want to do a scientific degree however, I want it to be a degree where I can find job opportunities in the future and not just become a teacher (not in any bad way I just don't think I'd be cut out to be a teacher). And so far, medicine seems to be the only degree where you can properly find a job in. Does anyone have any other career suggestions?

It is almost comical that so many people, normally parents, think that being a doctor is the be all and end all. Almost every graduate job advert will say 2:1 in any degree subject, or for a few really techie roles they will say a 2:1 in any numerical/scientific subject. The large majority of people end up in careers that are not related to their degrees. As an example, a partner at a large accountancy firm recently told me that some of the best graduates they’ve had had English degrees. Do the subjects you think you will enjoy the most.

Reply 2

Alonepast

13

Original post by Alesha_sk

I'm currently in year 12 and I am doing Chemistry, Biology and Art A level however, I am unsure about what I want to do in the future. My mind is telling me to do medicine and although I would like to do medicine, I believe that I don't have the mental strength to be a doctor. I want to do a scientific degree however, I want it to be a degree where I can find job opportunities in the future and not just become a teacher (not in any bad way I just don't think I'd be cut out to be a teacher). And so far, medicine seems to be the only degree where you can properly find a job in. Does anyone have any other career suggestions?

There are other careers which are associated with medicine where Biology and Chemistry A-level would be useful such as Veterinary medicine and dentistry. There will be job opportunities with these types of careers and doing a degree in either one of those areas.
hope this helps.

Reply 3

Alesha_sk

OP

5

Original post by Alonepast

There are other careers which are associated with medicine where Biology and Chemistry A-level would be useful such as Veterinary medicine and dentistry. There will be job opportunities with these types of careers and doing a degree in either one of those areas.
hope this helps.

thank you! I've been considering doing dentistry for a while now otherwise my second option would be Biochemistry :smile:

Reply 4

flamingolover

22

Original post by Alesha_sk

I'm currently in year 12 and I am doing Chemistry, Biology and Art A level however, I am unsure about what I want to do in the future. My mind is telling me to do medicine and although I would like to do medicine, I believe that I don't have the mental strength to be a doctor. I want to do a scientific degree however, I want it to be a degree where I can find job opportunities in the future and not just become a teacher (not in any bad way I just don't think I'd be cut out to be a teacher). And so far, medicine seems to be the only degree where you can properly find a job in. Does anyone have any other career suggestions?

There are many science degrees with careers at the end. This is especially true if you are into research. If not there are things like forensic science (maybe need to do a masters), palaeontology (generally zoology degree, masters, phd), pharmacy etc

Reply 5

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by Alesha_sk

I'm currently in year 12 and I am doing Chemistry, Biology and Art A level however, I am unsure about what I want to do in the future. My mind is telling me to do medicine and although I would like to do medicine, I believe that I don't have the mental strength to be a doctor. I want to do a scientific degree however, I want it to be a degree where I can find job opportunities in the future and not just become a teacher (not in any bad way I just don't think I'd be cut out to be a teacher). And so far, medicine seems to be the only degree where you can properly find a job in. Does anyone have any other career suggestions?

Hey @Alesha_sk

It's a really difficult thing to say honestly. I study biochemistry and while there are plenty of jobs I can do with that degree (stay in academia, huge range of science related roles in pharma and biotech, law, finance, and so many more) everyone is, to a certain extent, at the mercy of the job market.

I'm doing everything I can to improve my odds of getting a job. I'm currently on placement in a biotech company to get some relevant experience and connections, I work a part time job to help me improve my confidence in new setting and improve things like my communication and presenting skills, I'm looking into different job roles and PhDs online to see what I think I'll be aiming for when it comes time to apply, and whenever I apply to anything I talk to my university's careers team about my CV and in preparation from interviews.

However, I can't confirm I will get a job straight out of university and I couldn't tell you with absolute confidence what that exact job would be yet - however that's normal and the case for pretty much everyone!

I saw you mention you were considering biochemistry, so feel free to ask me any questions if you want!
Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 6

Democracy

20

Original post by Alesha_sk

I'm currently in year 12 and I am doing Chemistry, Biology and Art A level however, I am unsure about what I want to do in the future. My mind is telling me to do medicine and although I would like to do medicine, I believe that I don't have the mental strength to be a doctor. I want to do a scientific degree however, I want it to be a degree where I can find job opportunities in the future and not just become a teacher (not in any bad way I just don't think I'd be cut out to be a teacher). And so far, medicine seems to be the only degree where you can properly find a job in. Does anyone have any other career suggestions?

What do you mean by mental strength?

Reply 7

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Hello!
I am a current Earth and Environmental Science Student at Lancaster. The A Levels you are undertaking sound perfect for this degree. Any geography related degree will give you pathways into almost any job as it shows a good understanding of the natural world as well as the computational and analytic skills for many projects. I personally am interested in pursuing a career in the Renewable Energy and sustainability sector but there are many jobs this degree could go into. Here is the link to the degree page where you can find entry requirements, an overview of the degree as well as potential jobs. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/earth-and-environmental-science-bsc-hons-ff68/2024/#overview

I'm always happy to help and answer anymore questions you may have,
Lucy (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Original post by Alesha_sk

I'm currently in year 12 and I am doing Chemistry, Biology and Art A level however, I am unsure about what I want to do in the future. My mind is telling me to do medicine and although I would like to do medicine, I believe that I don't have the mental strength to be a doctor. I want to do a scientific degree however, I want it to be a degree where I can find job opportunities in the future and not just become a teacher (not in any bad way I just don't think I'd be cut out to be a teacher). And so far, medicine seems to be the only degree where you can properly find a job in. Does anyone have any other career suggestions?

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