Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Choosing between 2 very different subjects?

I really want to study 2 very different subjects, so different that I have not been able to find a joint honours for the two of them :frown:

I've been wanting to study an animal related subject since early secondary school, and have been really excited about the idea of studying animal behaviour or zoology as I really want to go into an animal related career.

But when I got into college I took Creative writing on a whim, and have really fallen in love with it. For a long time I have wanted to be a writer as a side career, but I found that I love to study it.

I don't know what to do, I desperately want to study both subjects and don't know how to decide on just a single one :frown:

Reply 1

username2966342

Maybe study zoology and blog/get involved in the student newspaper on the side? Or even take a year out, get experience in both and then decide.

Reply 2

username3434964

Original post by SilverSierra

I really want to study 2 very different subjects, so different that I have not been able to find a joint honours for the two of them :frown:

Which one would you rather a career in?

Reply 3

y.u.mad.bro?

do zoology and do your research and publish articles. Mix of both aspects and something you would probably find fun doing

Reply 4

SilverSierra

Original post by Bill Nye

Which one would you rather a career in?

Thats another main issue for me, I want an animal based career, but want to become an author one day :s-smilie:

Reply 5

username3434964

Original post by SilverSierra

Thats another main issue for me, I want an animal based career, but want to become an author one day :s-smilie:

Well it's more important to have a degree for an animal career than a writing career.

I would say go for an animal based career, and write a book in your spare time etc.

Reply 6

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

You can certainly conceivably study Zoology, then pursue a career in science communication which uses creative writing techniques. I mean, if it's ok for David Attenborough*...

As for completely unrelated writing, such as fiction writing, you don't need a degree to do so - in fact most who do so either don't have degrees, or have degrees in other areas (commonly literary subjects, rather than writing, as contextual awareness of other stories, how they have evolved and how they are told, provides better background than a somewhat tokenistic degree in the subject. Writing is more useful to pursue as a masters or similar, if you decide you want to specialise in an area where you do need some formal training, like in media/screenwriting/editing/etc).

Spoiler

Reply 7

username2539199

Zoology would be your best bet I would reckon because you may be able to write books and articles and relate them to your work. It is also possible for zoology to lead you into a job with writing as a part of it. However, creative writing cannot lead you in a zoology direction. I feel your pain though as my interests are also very spread out.

Reply 8

returnmigrant

Realistically you cant write a convincing PS that covers both subjects - so you do have to choose.

Do you want to be creative (and do a degree that is unlikely to lead directly to a related job) - or do you want to do a science degree that will have lots of career possibilities?

As others have said - you can always do 'creative writing' at Uni in other ways (your own writing, blogs, student newspapers etc), but you cant do Zoology outside a degree.

Reply 9

username853993

Original post by SilverSierra

Thats another main issue for me, I want an animal based career, but want to become an author one day :s-smilie:

Assuming you know how to write books well, a creative writing degree wont help you one bit. The only person I know (in person) that has success as a author (over 14 million reads I think across her books) + works as a freelance editor learnt all her skills in her own time, she actually went to do a creative writing degree and dropped out as she decided it wasnt useful for her as a writer

You will need a degree to work in a good amount of animal based careers that arent voluntary roles (vet, vet nurse, zoologist etc )