I regret my degree

Original post by jasmin058

I am really miserable right now. I did my degree in psychology in a very average uni. I chose hard alevels and I got Bs and Cs in sciences and psychology was my strongest so I chose it at uni though I wanted to do a medical type career.

anyway now I wish i chose easy alevels and got into a good reputable university. I see people who have done business studies with higher positions than me at work.

I've been working 3 years now but I feel so insecure about what I studied and the use of it. even girls who have studied beauty or photography are earning more and enjoying their jobs, I feel like I chose all these hard subjects and studied my arse of for nothing. how can I stop feeling so down as I know I can't change the past

There is no point in comparing. What do you want to do and what will you enjoy? Is money the only driver?

Reply 2

squeakysquirrel

Original post by jasmin058

I am really miserable right now. I did my degree in psychology in a very average uni. I chose hard alevels and I got Bs and Cs in sciences and psychology was my strongest so I chose it at uni though I wanted to do a medical type career.

anyway now I wish i chose easy alevels and got into a good reputable university. I see people who have done business studies with higher positions than me at work.

I've been working 3 years now but I feel so insecure about what I studied and the use of it. even girls who have studied beauty or photography are earning more and enjoying their jobs, I feel like I chose all these hard subjects and studied my arse of for nothing. how can I stop feeling so down as I know I can't change the past

Well what are you going to do then. Look at what you have - a science degree, decent A levels and a job.

SO you need a change of direction maybe - look at either

a) doing a masters at a better university
b) doing a profession - teaching, nursing etc
c) getting another job/moving towns
d) get a job overseas for a year - repping or travelling to give you a lift.

The trouble with doing beauty/photography etc is that there are an awful lot of people doing it. Where do you want to be in ten years time if all things were to fall into place.

Reply 3

OP

Original post by alleycat393

There is no point in comparing. What do you want to do and what will you enjoy? Is money the only driver?

it's not the only driver but I have lost sight of what I want. I am on verge of quitting my job today :frown:

Reply 4

alleycat393

Original post by jasmin058

it's not the only driver but I have lost sight of what I want. I am on verge of quitting my job today :frown:

I wouldn't make any rash decisions which may have financial repercussions. Some good advice above. Good luck!

Reply 5

Analyst89

You could:

-Do a MSc in a different subject
-Study a second degree at the Open University which you can pay monthly

-If you're interested in computing, developer work, pick two languages to learn, learn javascript and it's frameworks such as node, angular, learn test driven development, databases, version control, do 5 quality projects and you can get a job in that through a github portfolio

Good luck

Reply 6

OP

Original post by squeakysquirrel

Well what are you going to do then. Look at what you have - a science degree, decent A levels and a job.

SO you need a change of direction maybe - look at either

a) doing a masters at a better university
b) doing a profession - teaching, nursing etc
c) getting another job/moving towns
d) get a job overseas for a year - repping or travelling to give you a lift.

The trouble with doing beauty/photography etc is that there are an awful lot of people doing it. Where do you want to be in ten years time if all things were to fall into place.

thanks, yea I have thought about all of those but takong a year or 2 out to go back to uni means I won't be earning much so I wish I could get a job which trains you into a profession while working. I know teaching does it, but again I feel bad as I wasted my years and I didn't even need all those hard subjects to go into those careers.

Reply 7

username853993

Original post by jasmin058

I am really miserable right now. I did my degree in psychology in a very average uni. I chose hard alevels and I got Bs and Cs in sciences and psychology was my strongest so I chose it at uni though I wanted to do a medical type career.

anyway now I wish i chose easy alevels and got into a good reputable university. I see people who have done business studies with higher positions than me at work.

I've been working 3 years now but I feel so insecure about what I studied and the use of it. even girls who have studied beauty or photography are earning more and enjoying their jobs, I feel like I chose all these hard subjects and studied my arse of for nothing. how can I stop feeling so down as I know I can't change the past

As for what you can do

1. Apply for grad jobs and work on the strength of your applications (if you get rejected then ask for feedback and improve on your applications using that feedback ie if you get to the interview stage your application was good but your interview technique let you down)
2. If you want to get into a profession that asks for a specific degree then go do that (I wouldnt do a masters if you dont have a exact idea of the profession though as just doing a masters in another general subject wont make you more employable)
3. Learn some new skills (ie programming) and get into that field

What do you mean medical type career? did the one you wanted to do accept entry into it with a psychology degree? if not then it wouldnt of mattered where you did your degree

The rep of the uni isnt the main factor for the reason you havent got a grad job, did you do any relevant internships? improve your soft skills? work on you interview technique? work on your ability to write a good job application? etc etc, there are far more important factors than the rep of the uni to consider (unless you are getting into IB)

I wouldnt compare myself to others job/money wise if I was you and studying 'hard' subjects doesnt mean you get higher pay, its about the career you go into.

Reply 8

SubhanAslam

10

Doesnt matter if they make more because they get taxed more on income. My plan is to do accountancy in college n then not go to uni and go to america to start my business at 20 hopefully. If everything pans out i’ll be making people’s salary in one month

Reply 9

OP

Original post by madmadmax321

As for what you can do

1. Apply for grad jobs and work on the strength of your applications (if you get rejected then ask for feedback and improve on your applications using that feedback ie if you get to the interview stage your application was good but your interview technique let you down)
2. If you want to get into a profession that asks for a specific degree then go do that (I wouldnt do a masters if you dont have a exact idea of the profession though as just doing a masters in another general subject wont make you more employable)
3. Learn some new skills (ie programming) and get into that field

What do you mean medical type career? did the one you wanted to do accept entry into it with a psychology degree? if not then it wouldnt of mattered where you did your degree

The rep of the uni isnt the main factor for the reason you havent got a grad job, did you do any relevant internships? improve your soft skills? work on you interview technique? work on your ability to write a good job application? etc etc, there are far more important factors than the rep of the uni to consider (unless you are getting into IB)

I wouldnt compare myself to others job/money wise if I was you and studying 'hard' subjects doesnt mean you get higher pay, its about the career you go into.

i wanted to be a doctor, dentist , pharamacist etc... so i chose scinece which wrre much harder at Alevels even though I achieved a*S in them at gcse and my college didnt teach properly. but I chose them as it was related to a profession but now not really any use to me.

I don't know hown to umprove my soft skills, my interview and applications skills are not great, neither am I good at public speaking...

Reply 10

username853993

Original post by jasmin058

i wanted to be a doctor, dentist , pharamacist etc... so i chose scinece which wrre much harder at Alevels even though I achieved a*S in them at gcse and my college didnt teach properly. but I chose them as it was related to a profession but now not really any use to me.

I don't know hown to umprove my soft skills, my interview and applications skills are not great, neither am I good at public speaking...

Do you still want to be a doctor? you could do graduate entry medicine depending on what grade you got in your degree, its very competitive and may take you several attempts to get in buts its an option (you will need to read into it though as there is prep work you need to do for it ie do volunteering, prep for any entrance exams etc etc)

(there is also a similar course for dentistry too)

Do you have any idea of what you want to do career wise now? if you dont then the first thing you need to do is find out what career you would like to do. Its difficult to give specific advice without the answer to that question

Interview skills come from just doing interviews, asking for feedback and then using that to improve

Soft skills are things like teamwork, leadership, communication, critical thinking, presenting etc etc some come with practice and dont require examples and some you need to give a situation where you used that particular skill and how it helped you solve the issue you had etc etc

Reply 11

National Careers Service

17

Original post by jasmin058

thanks, yea I have thought about all of those but takong a year or 2 out to go back to uni means I won't be earning much so I wish I could get a job which trains you into a profession while working. I know teaching does it, but again I feel bad as I wasted my years and I didn't even need all those hard subjects to go into those careers.

Hi there,

Have you considered doing a higher or degree level apprenticeship? As long as you do it in a different subject to what you already have (psychology) the support will be there for you as it will be to help you change career direction.

You will also carrying on earning, with a lot of degree apprenticeships offering competitive wages with large organisations.

Happy to help further should you like to get in touch and you can also check for vacancies in your local area here - https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Best of luck - Sophie.

Reply 12

cheesecakelove

What made you want to study psychology at uni? What is your current job? After you gain more experience in the role, your salary should increase. It might seem like the people who went into beauty are having a better time of it, but they have a genuine interest and are motivated enough to dedicate themselves to doing well.

Have you looked into the areas you are interested in? The other posters have some good ideas of where to go moving forward.

Reply 13

OP

Original post by cheesecakelove

What made you want to study psychology at uni? What is your current job? After you gain more experience in the role, your salary should increase. It might seem like the people who went into beauty are having a better time of it, but they have a genuine interest and are motivated enough to dedicate themselves to doing well.

Have you looked into the areas you are interested in? The other posters have some good ideas of where to go moving forward.

I thoughtnill become science teacher and it was my best a level , thought I can apply grad schemes maybe... then I joined government and currently a secretary but instruggle to move up and apply for high level

Reply 14

username853993

Original post by jasmin058

I thoughtnill become science teacher and it was my best a level , thought I can apply grad schemes maybe... then I joined government and currently a secretary but instruggle to move up and apply for high level

What is it you want to go for now though? No one can offer relevant, specific advice until you know that as the paths to getting into various careers/jobs are very different

Reply 15

OP

Original post by madmadmax321

What is it you want to go for now though? No one can offer relevant, specific advice until you know that as the paths to getting into various careers/jobs are very different

I guess for now I'll stay in government and move away from the economic sect I am I as it makes no sense to me. But I haven't applied for many toled and I am not good at writing the application

Reply 16

trou_noir

11

What grade did you get in your degree? There is nothing stopping you in principle from joining a healthcare profession. You might have to go back to uni and get another degree, but you can get student loans for a lot of healthcare degrees even if you already have a first degree, and for many of them a B is a sufficient grade.

You sound like it would help you to improve your confidence before you do anything else. Ending up doing a course that wasn't ideal for you and ending up in a job role that you don't enjoy and can't move up in doesn't mean you should give up or that you've failed. What areas do you feel you are weak in in terms of personal development? Have you thought about finding a voluntary position or joining a club or a course that would put you in a different environment and develop your confidence and skills?

As for science A levels - actually, they are more useful to have as A levels than a lot of other A levels. They're certainly the only type of A levels I've ever seen listed in a person spec for a job.

Reply 17

OP

Original post by trou_noir

What grade did you get in your degree? There is nothing stopping you in principle from joining a healthcare profession. You might have to go back to uni and get another degree, but you can get student loans for a lot of healthcare degrees even if you already have a first degree, and for many of them a B is a sufficient grade.

You sound like it would help you to improve your confidence before you do anything else. Ending up doing a course that wasn't ideal for you and ending up in a job role that you don't enjoy and can't move up in doesn't mean you should give up or that you've failed. What areas do you feel you are weak in in terms of personal development? Have you thought about finding a voluntary position or joining a club or a course that would put you in a different environment and develop your confidence and skills?

As for science A levels - actually, they are more useful to have as A levels than a lot of other A levels. They're certainly the only type of A levels I've ever seen listed in a person spec for a job.

2:2 I have been wanting to join clubs outside work as I don't really have a social life at work and really isolated which makes my life harder there. I don't want to do a new degree. I was thinking maybe hard tax job which employs grads or joining private sector. My bro works in the big 4 but I just don't understand those companies but I do know I want to work my way up. i know that's really vague. But I had my heart set on doing a science career, my grades aren't good enough and I didn't get work experince in time for uni applications at the time. I don't want to take a student loan , I've never taken one luckily.i k ow there are some health course that have no fee but I dread going back to low level and working way up

Reply 18

trou_noir

11

Original post by jasmin058

2:2 I have been wanting to join clubs outside work as I don't really have a social life at work and really isolated which makes my life harder there. I don't want to do a new degree. I was thinking maybe hard tax job which employs grads or joining private sector. My bro works in the big 4 but I just don't understand those companies but I do know I want to work my way up. i know that's really vague. But I had my heart set on doing a science career, my grades aren't good enough and I didn't get work experince in time for uni applications at the time. I don't want to take a student loan , I've never taken one luckily.i k ow there are some health course that have no fee but I dread going back to low level and working way up

Getting B's and C's at A level really isn't that bad. Just because you didn't get As, doesn't mean your grades aren't good enough.

If you don't want to get another degree, you could see if you could transfer some of your credits from the degree you have to the OU, and then you don't have to retake the whole thing?

Just an idea.

Otherwise, maybe it would make you happier to try to find a job in a company you like that offers opportunities for progression, even if it wasn't what you set your heart on. You don't have to commit to a sector just because you have a job in it now, or even just because you get your next job in it. But if you like it, then you can stay. Get someone else to look over your applications and offer feedback before you send them. Apply for jobs just for practice - get used to selling yourself. Don't be deterred by rejection - you only improve by being determined.

If you really had your heart set on a career in science, though, I don't see anything particularly stopping you but confidence. Unfortunately, drastic career changes often entail a period of starting again from the bottom of the pyramid, but they can also be great learning experiences.

Reply 19

ajj2000