Graduates - post here if your work and jobs so far are not as you expected or hoped

I reckon you'd have a pretty good chance of getting a job with that degree, most likely in hairdressing

which uni is that??

Fair point. I wouldn't commit three years of my life to a degree to become a hairdresser, but each to their own.

I'm not sure it is a degree to be honest! I think hairdressers do an apprenticeship with one of the companies, who train them and offer them a job once they finish.
Unless you plan on working for yourself, in which case I think you just go learn how to cut hair at a college or something.

Cool, I started at Imperial as well but transferred to York because London is disgusting, haha.

Obviously I'm not the one to give advice about what to do to get a job. What do you actually want to work as, what kind of jobs do you think there are available? I think you have to realise that there are no jobs "in biochemistry" for someone at a graduate level. You either become an academic, or do further study and then try very hard to get into some kind of pharma or food-based industry. There will be plenty of jobs a biochem grad could do, sure, but they won't be in the field itself.

And all bioscience work is very low pay compared with, say, physical technology and engineering.

http://www.ucb.ac.uk/courses/higher-education/sports-therapy-and-salon-management/salon-business-management-hairdressing-ba-fda.aspx

but I reckon it would be a lot better/cheaper to do an apprenticeship!

(I hope none of this sounds too trite or patronising - sorry if so.)

Ah not at all. Glad to hear some reassuring words.

May I ask what your job actually is?

Good, I saw that quite a few people said this thread had panicked them a bit so I thought I should redress the balance a bit!

I am training to be an actuarial consultant. The worst thing about it is having to explain to everyone what it is

Haha I'm going to have to admit I had to google it!

I'm surprised you enjoy it. It sounds like the kind of job I imagine I wouldn't like (no offence that's just my personal preference). But then I don't know much about it. Well done on getting it, especially as you said your degree was unrelated, and I imagine it was a coveted position.

Just to inject a tiny bit of positivity into this thread ...

I am genuinely really happy with my job. I like the people, the pay and hours are good and I find it interesting and satisfying. Granted, I am pretty stressed out right now due to exams coming up, but that will pass soon, and it doesn't make me doubt that I chose the right career.

I'm not trying to boast. It wasn't always like this! Took me years and years to finalise what I wanted to do, and you can never be totally sure if you'll like it. I applied for jobs in my final year of uni and then during my Master's and then in my gap year after that. There were times when I thought no one would employ me! It was a long slog.

A few points (with the caveat that I am not an expert!):


I don't really know how to conclude this. I think half the battle is keeping your morale/spirits/motivation up so that you take positive actions to help yourself. Sure, it's true that a) the job market sucks, b) unemployment is high, c) some people walk into jobs because of who they know, and d) you could have done more in the past to make yourself more employable now (mine was "maybe I should have taken a different degree"). But ultimately, none of these things are preventing you from getting a job you will enjoy - they just make it a bit harder. Rise to the challenge!

(I hope none of this sounds too trite or patronising - sorry if so.)

I tried to rep you but I've got no more rep left!

This thread worries me a bit, since I'm coming back from Canada in two weeks and looking for a graduate/lab tech job in chemistry. What if a chemistry job's as difficult to get as a biology job seems to be?!

I tried to rep you but I've got no more rep left!

This thread worries me a bit, since I'm coming back from Canada in two weeks and looking for a graduate/lab tech job in chemistry. What if a chemistry job's as difficult to get as a biology job seems to be?!

No I think a chem lab job is much easier. My best friend is a chemist and he hasn't had any problem getting a job. Plus whenever I look for job ads online I see tons of chem lab jobs. I think you might have to be flexible about location though.

Don't be put off by this thread.

So long as you are going to a decent university and aren't doing something woeful like BSc Hair Dressing it will be worth your while. Choose somewhere with a placement year if you are worried about gaining experience.

This seems quite judging. I'm in my final year and I know for definite, as a number of people will probably agree, that when we started our degrees nobody said a word about doing work experience. It was always a perception within universities, especially if you went to a Russell Group uni that if you had 2:1 or above from this university in a good academic subject you would have no problem finding a job at all. It only seems to be since I started third year in September that universities have finally cottoned onto this not being enough, and by then it is of course too late as you are no longer eligible for all the internships that specify "you will be a penultimate year undergrad".

You are in a very lucky position as you can see how the economy is and know what to do differently- when I picked my A Levels, the recession hadn't even happened and if it had, I definitely would not have picked four arts/social science subjects. We have to deal with all the aftermath of this and hope for the best!