The Student Room Group

Career confusion

I have just finished my AS levels (maths external and economics and history internal) and I am suppose to write a personal statement and fill in my UCAS application, but I don't understand or know how to get the knowledge to choose a career. I am leaning towards an economics degree because like maths it isn't as bad as everything else, but accountancy and banking looks like a better paying 9 to 5 office job.

How do I choose a degree?

Is choosing a degree important only in terms of the job it gains me? Because otherwise I couldn't care for doing 4 more years of painful studying like I have since year 7.

How do I know what degree leads to what job/career, and what job I will enjoy?

I don't understand how to write a personal statement or fill UCAS because I don't have any career in mind, and I don't know how to decide what career I want.
There's a really good website called 'fast tomato' that I use which helps me out a lot! I think you have to pay for it though- my school bought it for us:/
Original post by jaris1937478319
I am leaning towards an economics degree because like maths it isn't as bad as everything else,

:smile:

What 'A' levels are you doing and what are your predicted grades?

How do I choose a degree?

Is choosing a degree important only in terms of the job it gains me? Because otherwise I couldn't care for doing 4 more years of painful studying like I have since year 7.

You should chose a degree based on what you enjoy. Four years of your life and a significant student debt shouldn't be spent lightly. Many degrees won't get you a better career though - universities will gladly take your money, so you need to judge if they offer value for money and / or 3-4 years of your life.

If you enjoy several subjects, then you can consider secondary issues, like the career paths that would it could open.

How do I know what degree leads to what job/career, and what job I will enjoy?

Start with the subjects and activities that you enjoy.

I don't understand how to write a personal statement or fill UCAS because I don't have any career in mind, and I don't know how to decide what career I want.

Many people don't. What matters is showing passion for the subject(s) that you want to study.
(edited 6 years ago)
Ok.

You have a good interest in maths (I'm in the same year as you so I can relate lotsvas I do maths as wrll) and maths is probably one of the most employable and diverse degrees when it comes to applying for jobs.

How do you know what career you will enjoy? That's a very good question actually because you won't know until you have done the job. Have you actually researched into many jobs? I feel like you have only looked into finance and accounting. There's so so so much more you can do with maths.

Look at your hobbies, read articles which interest you and you will almost always find a job which relates to these.
Original post by RogerOxon
:smile:

What 'A' levels are you doing and what are your predicted grades?


You should chose a degree based on what you enjoy. Four years of your life and a significant student debt shouldn't be spent lightly. Many degrees won't get you a better career though - universities will gladly take your money, so you need to judge if they offer value for money and / or 3-4 years of your life.

If you enjoy several subjects, then you can consider secondary issues, like the career paths that would it could open.


Start with the subjects and activities that you enjoy.


Many people don't. What matters is showing passion for the subject(s) that you want to study.


I am doing maths history and economics. Got a B in economics internal exam and C in history and I probably got an A in C1 and C2 but a D in S1. I don't care if the degree is painful to do so long as the career is good, but preferably both are enjoyable, just wanted to say that nothing will put me off other than the career being boring.

I don't enjoy any subjects, they're all abstract and boring, why would I enjoy doing work on maths or economics when I don't do that in my spare time, because virtually nobody does.

How do I know if a degree is useful for the career I want?
Original post by BTAnonymous
Ok.

You have a good interest in maths (I'm in the same year as you so I can relate lotsvas I do maths as wrll) and maths is probably one of the most employable and diverse degrees when it comes to applying for jobs.

How do you know what career you will enjoy? That's a very good question actually because you won't know until you have done the job. Have you actually researched into many jobs? I feel like you have only looked into finance and accounting. There's so so so much more you can do with maths.

Look at your hobbies, read articles which interest you and you will almost always find a job which relates to these.


That is infuriating. If I don't know what career I want to go into, why was I forced to make a decision on what options I wanted at GCSE (at age 14/15) and how could I know what options to choose at A level? How do other 17/18 year olds decide their careers?
Original post by jaris1937478319
That is infuriating. If I don't know what career I want to go into, why was I forced to make a decision on what options I wanted at GCSE (at age 14/15) and how could I know what options to choose at A level? How do other 17/18 year olds decide their careers?


Well I don't know how GCSEs are related to this but they have almost zero impact on your career and degree (unless you failed maths and English or if you're applying to Oxbridge, Imperial etc cetra). Also, you study a wide range of GCSE subjects to get a feel of them.

Secondly, and I'm going to ask you a second time, have you researched into career options thoroughly? No one is going to come up to you and tell you that a certain career is for you which you will enjoy, that's up to you to research because you and only you know what doesn't and does interest you. That's why you research to eliminate careers which don't interest you and possibly discover a career which sounds really interesting TO YOU. You are lucky because you have taken A Level maths. You can go into almost any apprenticeship which interests you (I suggest looking at apprenticeship s as they are rapidly bring funded by the government where "Degree apprenticeships" offer a fully funded full bachelor's degree).

How do I choose my career? Again, that's based on the individual and their interests. I will tell you why I want to study mechatronics engineering at university and how this will support a possible career path for me.

My greatest role model and inspiration is Elon Musk. Why? Along with his extraordinary work ethic, he shares common goals which I believe in: making the human civilisation. How has he done this? Well firstly he has made a breakthrough with his Tesla car company which is rapidly expanding in their production of electric cars. He is also CEO and co founder of SpaceX, a space shuttle company which aims to colonise Mars in 15-20 years. Now to me, this is such an exciting proposal because making humans a multiplanetary species would be so cool! Not only are we making us sustainable and increasing our chances of survival as a species, we get to live on another f*cking planet!

Now how does mechatronics engineering link to this? Well mechatronics engineering is the marriage of electrical and electronics engineering with mechanical engineering. With these engineering disciplines I can start to begin building a foundation of generating electricity from renewable and sustainable sources, of which I can assist with planning electrical generators on Mars so our colonists can use this for whatever they need to (electricity has and will always play a vital role in society).

I could also help with assisting with designing rovers for exploring Mars, transportation on Mars, rocket design, communication, medical equipment everything.

This is what I'd like to do for a career in the future, this stuff excites and luckily, engineering grads are extremely well paid and are recruited into lots of sectors including finance.

Have I explained myself well or do I need to write a dissertation?
Original post by BTAnonymous
Well I don't know how GCSEs are related to this but they have almost zero impact on your career and degree (unless you failed maths and English or if you're applying to Oxbridge, Imperial etc cetra). Also, you study a wide range of GCSE subjects to get a feel of them.

Secondly, and I'm going to ask you a second time, have you researched into career options thoroughly? No one is going to come up to you and tell you that a certain career is for you which you will enjoy, that's up to you to research because you and only you know what doesn't and does interest you. That's why you research to eliminate careers which don't interest you and possibly discover a career which sounds really interesting TO YOU. You are lucky because you have taken A Level maths. You can go into almost any apprenticeship which interests you (I suggest looking at apprenticeship s as they are rapidly bring funded by the government where "Degree apprenticeships" offer a fully funded full bachelor's degree).

How do I choose my career? Again, that's based on the individual and their interests. I will tell you why I want to study mechatronics engineering at university and how this will support a possible career path for me.

My greatest role model and inspiration is Elon Musk. Why? Along with his extraordinary work ethic, he shares common goals which I believe in: making the human civilisation. How has he done this? Well firstly he has made a breakthrough with his Tesla car company which is rapidly expanding in their production of electric cars. He is also CEO and co founder of SpaceX, a space shuttle company which aims to colonise Mars in 15-20 years. Now to me, this is such an exciting proposal because making humans a multiplanetary species would be so cool! Not only are we making us sustainable and increasing our chances of survival as a species, we get to live on another f*cking planet!

Now how does mechatronics engineering link to this? Well mechatronics engineering is the marriage of electrical and electronics engineering with mechanical engineering. With these engineering disciplines I can start to begin building a foundation of generating electricity from renewable and sustainable sources, of which I can assist with planning electrical generators on Mars so our colonists can use this for whatever they need to (electricity has and will always play a vital role in society).

I could also help with assisting with designing rovers for exploring Mars, transportation on Mars, rocket design, communication, medical equipment everything.

This is what I'd like to do for a career in the future, this stuff excites and luckily, engineering grads are extremely well paid and are recruited into lots of sectors including finance.

Have I explained myself well or do I need to write a dissertation?


How do I "research" a career? How did you do it? Mechatronics is boring. I just want someone to show me how to do it, I really want to research and know what I want to do but I dont know how.
Original post by jaris1937478319
How do I "research" a career? How did you do it? Mechatronics is boring. I just want someone to show me how to do it, I really want to research and know what I want to do but I dont know how.


You look at what interests you. Surely you have interests?!!?!?!

Tell me what you like and I will "tell" you what to research and what careers to look into ok?
I can really relate! Last year, I had no idea if I wanted to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. Consequently, I had 0 clue which A-levels to take. However, I used a site called CareerFear that helps students find their ideal careers. I think you'll find it useful; they give you insights into real life jobs so you can see what it actually takes to do a particular career. They have some other resources for teens and students wondering about their future careers -- I think.

You could also get away with just looking up 'CareerFear' and it should come up in the top few results (the non-profit organization). Other sites like iCould are helpful, too (though I find that one dull). Your career should be at the intersection of your passion, what you're good at, and what the world needs!

Good luck! There's plenty of resources for confuzzled teens (as I found out last year) online! Go explore, start with the sites I gave you!
Original post by BTAnonymous
You look at what interests you. Surely you have interests?!!?!?!

Tell me what you like and I will "tell" you what to research and what careers to look into ok?


I think I would love teaching, but the school system here is terrible, rather tutoring I think would be better since I'm not restricted. Other than that, every career is boring. I would like to visit different countries (please don't say teaching abroad like english in Japan).
Original post by jaris1937478319
I think I would love teaching, but the school system here is terrible, rather tutoring I think would be better since I'm not restricted. Other than that, every career is boring. I would like to visit different countries (please don't say teaching abroad like english in Japan).


Teaching and travelling. Academic tutoring or industry?

How about becoming a trainer for an international company and teaching and training grad students, apprentices or new intakes?

Or more simply, becoming an assistant doctor/professor at a university abroad?

What subjects would you like to tutor?
What other hobbies and interests do you have which you think you could make a career into?

Pilots are extremely well paid (not initially but after experience) and they get to travel the world? Maybe this might get too boring for you but I don't know you.

This is a broad suggestion but have you considered the Armed Forces? Our troops are stationed everywhere, especially in Europe. RAF Pilots are well paid £30k plus and travel to Cyprus (RAF Akrotiri), Baltic states and the USA sometimes.

You do realise lots of international companies offer you to work abroad? And when I say a lot, the list is endless?

Engineering clearly isn't for you if you don't like mechatronics (if you know what it is?) So you can eliminate engineering now.
Original post by BTAnonymous
Teaching and travelling. Academic tutoring or industry?

How about becoming a trainer for an international company and teaching and training grad students, apprentices or new intakes?

Or more simply, becoming an assistant doctor/professor at a university abroad?

What subjects would you like to tutor?
What other hobbies and interests do you have which you think you could make a career into?

Pilots are extremely well paid (not initially but after experience) and they get to travel the world? Maybe this might get too boring for you but I don't know you.

This is a broad suggestion but have you considered the Armed Forces? Our troops are stationed everywhere, especially in Europe. RAF Pilots are well paid £30k plus and travel to Cyprus (RAF Akrotiri), Baltic states and the USA sometimes.

You do realise lots of international companies offer you to work abroad? And when I say a lot, the list is endless?

Engineering clearly isn't for you if you don't like mechatronics (if you know what it is?) So you can eliminate engineering now.


Are there any resources for me to discover careers?
Original post by jaris1937478319
Are there any resources for me to discover careers?


Lmao, I'll be dead when I've listed half of them.

There are tests online which determine your personality and then generate careers which people with your personality commonly do.
Original post by BTAnonymous
Lmao, I'll be dead when I've listed half of them.

There are tests online which determine your personality and then generate careers which people with your personality commonly do.


link half of half of them
Original post by jaris1937478319
link half of half of them


How about you use your single brain cell
Original post by BTAnonymous
How about you use your single brain cell


mechatronics
What do you enjoy? If it's maths, chose economics.

If it's a well paying job you're after, an economics degree is highly valued.

For your personal statement

1) Paragraph 1: why do you want to study economics? What inspired you?
2) Paragraph 2: What are you studying now?
2) Paragraph 3: What volunteer work or activities have you done? What skills have you gained from them?
4) Paragraph 4: What are your interests and hobbies?
5) Paragraph 5: What do you hope to get out of university (broaden your life experience etc).
Original post by jaris1937478319
mechatronics


K. Strange kid.

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