Science grad but no job
Hi guys,
I'm a graduate with a 2:2 in biomedical science from Royal holloway and a Masters in neuroscience from which i achieved a Merit.
Now since graduating last year i have applied to the 25% of graduate schemes that accept 2:2 and have not gotten a job yet, not just related to science but in any graduate scheme.
I did apply to do dentistry but got rejected from kings (only uni who i met the requirements for) my backup plan was to do teachfirst but just got rejected from that too.
I have a retail job at a luxury jewellery brand and have worked for tiffany and company in the past. I dont want to work in in retail as i feel my brain is wasting away, I also dont want to do a PHD because of the three years and the inevitable postdoc bottleneck. So many people are amazed when i tell them i have done a masters in neuroscience which make me feel even worse that i cant get a job. My masters included a 6 month placement in Sweden so i also have work experience. I just want a job with a good starting salary with potential to earn a max of 80k in the distant future so i can actually start my life.
In anyone in a similar situation to me? As it feels like all my friends have got grad schemes apart from me does anyone have any advice?
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I'm a graduate with a 2:2 in biomedical science from Royal holloway and a Masters in neuroscience from which i achieved a Merit.
Now since graduating last year i have applied to the 25% of graduate schemes that accept 2:2 and have not gotten a job yet, not just related to science but in any graduate scheme.
I did apply to do dentistry but got rejected from kings (only uni who i met the requirements for) my backup plan was to do teachfirst but just got rejected from that too.
I have a retail job at a luxury jewellery brand and have worked for tiffany and company in the past. I dont want to work in in retail as i feel my brain is wasting away, I also dont want to do a PHD because of the three years and the inevitable postdoc bottleneck. So many people are amazed when i tell them i have done a masters in neuroscience which make me feel even worse that i cant get a job. My masters included a 6 month placement in Sweden so i also have work experience. I just want a job with a good starting salary with potential to earn a max of 80k in the distant future so i can actually start my life.
In anyone in a similar situation to me? As it feels like all my friends have got grad schemes apart from me does anyone have any advice?
Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 10 years ago)
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Why not apply for a PGCE - you'd probably still be able to get a bursary because your MSc might push up the 2.2. Might be easy considering you already applied for TeachFirst - maybe become a teaching assistant in the mean time? Or work as a school science lab technician? Also where did you do your Masters degree? I'm applying for the same course!
80k?! so no high expectations then
There aren't enough graduate schemes for every graduate to get onto one. With a 2:2, although some schemes accept them, you'll probably struggle. Without wishing to be too negative, you're not really in a position to be expecting a good starting salary and prospects of £80k a year - especially in today's job market, that's a big outside bet for an outstanding achiever, and you're not an outstanding achiever. Your MSc does make your CV sound good, but it also sounds very specific, and won't mean much to a HR person unless they're hiring from your field.
It's a strange myth that science graduates have it easy in the job market. Huge numbers of them struggle, it isn't just you. My advice (without really knowing you, this is general advice) would be to get yourself into some kind of meaningful job (doesn't have to be a 'graduate' job - normal jobs may well offer faster progression and less of a tossy environment/hoop-jumping recruitment process) in a proper company vaguely related to the kind of thing you want to do. Once you have a 'career' of some kind, you'll tend to find it easier to progress. Spending too long in retail will make it more difficult to break into 'career' type work. Start low if you have to, but get into the right field.
It's a strange myth that science graduates have it easy in the job market. Huge numbers of them struggle, it isn't just you. My advice (without really knowing you, this is general advice) would be to get yourself into some kind of meaningful job (doesn't have to be a 'graduate' job - normal jobs may well offer faster progression and less of a tossy environment/hoop-jumping recruitment process) in a proper company vaguely related to the kind of thing you want to do. Once you have a 'career' of some kind, you'll tend to find it easier to progress. Spending too long in retail will make it more difficult to break into 'career' type work. Start low if you have to, but get into the right field.
(edited 10 years ago)
I appreciate your input, I know 80k is high but I'm talking in about 10 years time..in retail I would earn 60k as a manager which i would easily become in 10 years or less. So i don't think its that unrealistic. I don't really want to be a teacher just did that as a last resort kinda thing. Ive always been told that science graduates can pretty much go into any field as we have a broad range of desirable skills. I also read that only 10% of grads get onto grad schemes and thats for grads that have 2:1 and above so I understand thats its hard.
My current plan now is to just reapply next year to all of the grad schemes as well as dentistry and then if i fail again next year I'm just going to stick in retail which will be a waste of 4 years and 10k but hey those degrees will look nice on my wall.
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My current plan now is to just reapply next year to all of the grad schemes as well as dentistry and then if i fail again next year I'm just going to stick in retail which will be a waste of 4 years and 10k but hey those degrees will look nice on my wall.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Sorry, what kind of retail manager do you think is making £60k? I really think you're hugely unlikely to be making that kind of money even after 10 years. I mean, that's reaching regional manager's pay at most companies I've worked at before.
What else have you done during your time at university? Do you have other notable things to put on your application? If not, you should definitely spend your time now getting involved in things that will help your prospects, whether that be work experience, volunteering, evening courses, sports, local clubs...
What else have you done during your time at university? Do you have other notable things to put on your application? If not, you should definitely spend your time now getting involved in things that will help your prospects, whether that be work experience, volunteering, evening courses, sports, local clubs...
Original post by alibee
Sorry, what kind of retail manager do you think is making £60k? I really think you're hugely unlikely to be making that kind of money even after 10 years. I mean, that's reaching regional manager's pay at most companies I've worked at before.
What else have you done during your time at university? Do you have other notable things to put on your application? If not, you should definitely spend your time now getting involved in things that will help your prospects, whether that be work experience, volunteering, evening courses, sports, local clubs...
What else have you done during your time at university? Do you have other notable things to put on your application? If not, you should definitely spend your time now getting involved in things that will help your prospects, whether that be work experience, volunteering, evening courses, sports, local clubs...
That is how much managers made in the last two retail places I worked at so I know its a fact.
Yeah, I've done the Duke of Edinbrough silver award, the Junior sports leader award, I was the head of the school council at my sixth-form college, I co-founded the bioscience society at my university. I was apart of the rock climbing, football and Thai boxing clubs at varying times at university. I just think I really screwed myself over with that 2:2 in the end.
Original post by Nyruz
I appreciate your input, I know 80k is high but I'm talking in about 10 years time..in retail I would earn 60k as a manager which i would easily become in 10 years or less.
If that's true then stay in retail. There are few jobs in science that pay comparably and you aren't competitive for them.
Original post by Nyruz
That is how much managers made in the last two retail places I worked at so I know its a fact.
Yeah, I've done the Duke of Edinbrough silver award, the Junior sports leader award, I was the head of the school council at my sixth-form college, I co-founded the bioscience society at my university. I was apart of the rock climbing, football and Thai boxing clubs at varying times at university. I just think I really screwed myself over with that 2:2 in the end.
Yeah, I've done the Duke of Edinbrough silver award, the Junior sports leader award, I was the head of the school council at my sixth-form college, I co-founded the bioscience society at my university. I was apart of the rock climbing, football and Thai boxing clubs at varying times at university. I just think I really screwed myself over with that 2:2 in the end.
I think in most sectors, it's odd to reach £60-80k so if you really think you can manage that, it's not really worth looking elsewhere. If you want to get onto a scheme, you're going to have to keep up your activities or find new ones. I would try and avoid examples from school as it makes it seem like you haven't done anything to demonstrate a particular competency since then (4 years ago now)
Have you had your applications reviewed by your uni careers department? Or someone else? As I'd be wondering why you hadn't found something before you graduated as they wouldn't have known about your 2:2 at that point.
If you think you will "easily" be on a salary of £60,000 within 10 years then why on earth are you despairing about not being able to get onto a graduate scheme?
I think you have your heart set on retail.
Forget Science you should of done business bro
Forget Science you should of done business bro
I think you guys are right. I just don't really want to stay in retail even though i have the potential to earn that much because...
1) It is not mentally stimulating.
2) I don't want to face the fact that I could have just left school at 16 and been in the same position as i am in now.
3) Its not really seen as a admirable career.
4) Constantly standing
Obviously there are negatives and positives to any career. I think i will apply for dentistry one last time next year as that is the only career which I have wanted to do and would also have high earning potential and if not i will just stick with retail.
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1) It is not mentally stimulating.
2) I don't want to face the fact that I could have just left school at 16 and been in the same position as i am in now.
3) Its not really seen as a admirable career.
4) Constantly standing
Obviously there are negatives and positives to any career. I think i will apply for dentistry one last time next year as that is the only career which I have wanted to do and would also have high earning potential and if not i will just stick with retail.
Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Nyruz
I think you guys are right. I just don't really want to stay in retail even though i have the potential to earn that much because...
1) It is not mentally stimulating.
1) It is not mentally stimulating.
Very few jobs are really mentally stimulating. Within a job you have a certain set of responsibilities; by definition that means you spend most days doing the same thing. Even somebody who is a west end star and would be considered to have a 'dream job' basically just sings the same songs over and over again every night. Yes there are some jobs which come with a lot of reward attached, whether that is salary, great colleagues, or feeling like you're doing some good in the world, and some jobs that are a bit more varied than others, but work itself is usually pretty dull. Don't be blinded by the 'prestige' of graduate schemes or dentistry: the day to day work will be just as mundane as in any other career.
http://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Retail_Store_Manager/Salary
I'm pretty dubious about that £60k figure but if it's true and you'd be getting that in 10 years time, that's excellent.
No offence, but I think you're unlikely to walk into a science grad scheme with a high starting salary and a clear path to an £80k position. These positions are very competitive and people with perfect uni grades are not guaranteed a position.
I'm pretty dubious about that £60k figure but if it's true and you'd be getting that in 10 years time, that's excellent.
No offence, but I think you're unlikely to walk into a science grad scheme with a high starting salary and a clear path to an £80k position. These positions are very competitive and people with perfect uni grades are not guaranteed a position.
Original post by Nyruz
I appreciate your input, I know 80k is high but I'm talking in about 10 years time..in retail I would earn 60k as a manager which i would easily become in 10 years or less. So i don't think its that unrealistic. I don't really want to be a teacher just did that as a last resort kinda thing. Ive always been told that science graduates can pretty much go into any field as we have a broad range of desirable skills. I also read that only 10% of grads get onto grad schemes and thats for grads that have 2:1 and above so I understand thats its hard.
My current plan now is to just reapply next year to all of the grad schemes as well as dentistry and then if i fail again next year I'm just going to stick in retail which will be a waste of 4 years and 10k but hey those degrees will look nice on my wall.
Posted from TSR Mobile
My current plan now is to just reapply next year to all of the grad schemes as well as dentistry and then if i fail again next year I'm just going to stick in retail which will be a waste of 4 years and 10k but hey those degrees will look nice on my wall.
Posted from TSR Mobile
In retail you might make £50k-£60k as an area manager, not as a store manager though...
£60k-£80k in science is pretty tough, unless you do something magical (or are in oil/gas) you'd top out at about £50k. Thats one reason I moved out of science after my degree. So far thats working alright, I got onto a grad scheme (meeting the 2.i requirement) and after five years I got a promotion to just shy of £50k. £60k seems achieveable but £80k would be a bucketload of work for only incremental reward.
To be honest, teaching seems to be your best bet at getting to those figures. Unless you actually enjoy retail, but getting to that level is somewhat tough if you won't be on a development scheme.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Quady
In retail you might make £50k-£60k as an area manager, not as a store manager though...
£60k-£80k in science is pretty tough, unless you do something magical (or are in oil/gas) you'd top out at about £50k. Thats one reason I moved out of science after my degree. So far thats working alright, I got onto a grad scheme (meeting the 2.i requirement) and after five years I got a promotion to just shy of £50k. £60k seems achieveable but £80k would be a bucketload of work for only incremental reward.
To be honest, teaching seems to be your best bet at getting to those figures. Unless you actually enjoy retail, but getting to that level is somewhat tough if you won't be on a development scheme.
£60k-£80k in science is pretty tough, unless you do something magical (or are in oil/gas) you'd top out at about £50k. Thats one reason I moved out of science after my degree. So far thats working alright, I got onto a grad scheme (meeting the 2.i requirement) and after five years I got a promotion to just shy of £50k. £60k seems achieveable but £80k would be a bucketload of work for only incremental reward.
To be honest, teaching seems to be your best bet at getting to those figures. Unless you actually enjoy retail, but getting to that level is somewhat tough if you won't be on a development scheme.
What field did you move into to make that sort of money if you don't mind me asking?
Original post by Bill_Gates
80k?! so no high expectations then
Original post by russellsteapot
Without wishing to be too negative, you're not really in a position to be expecting a good starting salary and prospects of £80k a year - especially in today's job market, that's a big outside bet for an outstanding achiever, and you're not an outstanding achiever.
Lads, WTF? Why are you both pulling the guy up on hoping to enter a career with some halfway decent earning prospects? He's open to graduate schemes outside of science and is hoping to earn 80k max at some point in his career. That's quiet a realistic and achievable prospect, and certainly far from shocking.
"not just related to science but in any graduate scheme"
"potential to earn a max of 80k in the distant future"
Original post by Bill_Gates
I think you have your heart set on retail.
Forget Science you should of done business bro
Forget Science you should of done business bro
What has a business degree got to do with retail?
Original post by Quady
In retail you might make £50k-£60k as an area manager, not as a store manager though...
Exactly... I guess a supermarket manager is probably on about that amount but obviously there's only one of those in the shop. I think a lot of supermarkets recruit most of their manager's through grad schemes rather than internally.
Average wages in retail, even just counting full time workers are very poor. Your chances of getting a job paying anywhere near that just by working up from the shop floor are not high.
Original post by M1011
Lads, WTF? Why are you both pulling the guy up on hoping to enter a career with some halfway decent earning prospects? He's open to graduate schemes outside of science and is hoping to earn 80k max at some point in his career. That's quiet a realistic and achievable prospect, and certainly far from shocking.
"not just related to science but in any graduate scheme"
"potential to earn a max of 80k in the distant future"
What has a business degree got to do with retail?
"not just related to science but in any graduate scheme"
"potential to earn a max of 80k in the distant future"
What has a business degree got to do with retail?
*face palm*
Original post by Bill_Gates
*face palm*
That's really not a response worth posting.
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