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Degree/Career Choice

Hi, so I set my eyes on economics for a long time since like year 9 (I am in year 12 at the moment) . The subjects I picked are economics,maths and computer science. During this summer, I have been working on my personal statement which I think is pretty good - as I have lots of things to say about economics like I have very good economics work experience and this is very hard to get. I also got online work experience which to be fair is not as special but I also got an economist award at school etc. The problem is that during summer I also have been working on my computer science NEA which my project is "Chess 2" which is basically chess. But whilst coding , I realised I am more in a flow state and "in the zone" as I enjoy coding. So now I think, perhaps I could be a software engineer which is even more appealing as I know a LOT of people are doing economics and finance and "chasing the money" so it would be very competitive. But as you recall i feel like because I set my eyes on economics early I have made it so that my economics career journey would be smooth but if I want to do computer science/coding I have nothing to put. I of course could find some online work experiences but I would be missing out on unique selling points like IRL work experience . etc. Thank you for reading this essay lol Basically, Im looking for advice do you think I could get into top unis for computer science/coding in a small amount of time or not or do you think I should stick with economics where I can much more easily get into a top uni.

Also, by the looks of it an investment banker day in the life for example seems a lot more stressful than a software engineer from even a top employer which makes it even more appealing.
This whole thing is giving me a lot of stress lol just want to know what to do.

Thank you!

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 1

Scotland Yard

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

I think you should give it some thought as to which one you actually prefer. And then if you think that you prefer computer science (which seems likely), try to do as much work experience as you can find and mention your coding experiences in your personal statement. Apply to university this year, to places that you like, and see what comes of it! You have until January to shore up your application, which isn't as much as you'd probably like but probably enough to make a difference. And if you don't get the outcome you like, you can always take a gap year and reapply again, with more experience and a stronger application! Good luck :smile: