How/do you guys know what uni course to do?

20

Personally I had always had a deep interest in automotive industry, formula 1 and space technology. I always enjoyed understanding how different technologies worked. So I had planned to do engineering really before I fully understood university degrees. But I knew i wanted to work on technical development of these systems.

If you genuinely don’t know what to do, you don’t have to get a degree. You can start a degree at any age, so another option is go work 2-3 years, save up a lot of money - then go to university once you decide what interests you.

Of course there are alternatives to degrees such as apprenticeships (including “degree apprenticeships”).

If you really want to pursue academic qualifications then id focus on what are your interests, what do you enjoy (in your free time do you watch any documentaries/read news articles/follow stories relating to something…). This may indicate your passions and you can look at potential careers in that area then the degrees that best suit entry level roles in that industry.

If you are really stuck and have skills in an analytical area, then degrees like STEM/accounting/economics etc. are very employable but I think its best to have an interest in the degree (otherwise you risk going to uni, hating the academics .. which is a wasted experience).

Reply 2

artful_lounger

21

Had no idea when I first went. Years later after withdrawing for various reasons, I ended up doing a random module with the OU because I was bored in my job. Really loved that subject which was an area I'd never really studied, so decided to continue pursuing that.

I think having a few years out from education and working helped a lot as well, I wish I'd done this when I left school though; it's easy to just approach uni as "school 2" if you go straight from one to the other and just go through the motions. Having time away from a formal education environment can help you reset your approaches to learning and help you realise what it is you want to do, and make you much more dedicated and focused in that.

So go with what you enjoy, ultimately graduate prospects are dependent on you and not your degree subject. Research has found STEM and non-STEM graduates have equivalent career outcomes as well (see here: https://figshare.le.ac.uk/articles/report/The_employment_trajectories_of_Science_Technology_Engineering_and_Mathematics_graduates/10234421) , so really you should just find the course you find most interesting and will enjoy the most at the uni you feel is best for it and for you :smile:

Reply 3

OP

Thanks for the advice @artful_lounger & @mnot

.I'll think more carefully about this and not stress too much,and Id hate just going to uni just cus it seems to be the 'next step'.

Hey @DGG78!

I think I ended up in my degree (Fine Art) because it was just something I've always enjoyed doing, and wanted to do it for a bit longer. I think I knew from about GCSEs onwards that I was going to 'an art degree' - but I went through a few different variations (fashion, graphic design, game design) before I finally settled on my current field.

At this stage, I wouldn't worry too much about not knowing what career path you want to take in the future, especially if you haven't started your A-Levels yet. I knew lots of people who went into A-Levels wanting to go into a specific field who then completely changed their minds by the time UCAS forms were being submitted.

If something isn't calling out to yet, don't feel the need to rush into anything because 'everyone else is' - it's really not uncommon these days for students to start their degrees when they're 21-22, so you certainly won't be the only one if you choose to hold off for a while and get a job in the meantime.

What subjects have you chosen for A-Level?

Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 5

OP

Original post by Kingston Reps

Hey @DGG78!

I think I ended up in my degree (Fine Art) because it was just something I've always enjoyed doing, and wanted to do it for a bit longer. I think I knew from about GCSEs onwards that I was going to 'an art degree' - but I went through a few different variations (fashion, graphic design, game design) before I finally settled on my current field.

At this stage, I wouldn't worry too much about not knowing what career path you want to take in the future, especially if you haven't started your A-Levels yet. I knew lots of people who went into A-Levels wanting to go into a specific field who then completely changed their minds by the time UCAS forms were being submitted.

If something isn't calling out to yet, don't feel the need to rush into anything because 'everyone else is' - it's really not uncommon these days for students to start their degrees when they're 21-22, so you certainly won't be the only one if you choose to hold off for a while and get a job in the meantime.

What subjects have you chosen for A-Level?

Eve (Kingston Rep).

Thanks for advice!Ive chosen to do maths,french,bio and psychology!

Reply 6

artful_lounger

21

Original post by DGG78

Thanks for advice!Ive chosen to do maths,french,bio and psychology!

Also bear in mind there are lots of degree subjects which don't have any specific A-level requirements, and lots in general not available to study at A-level.

So it's always worth thinking about what it is that you find interesting and make a point of engaging with and exploring in your spare time. If you always wanted to learn Egyptian hieroglyphs and spent your free time reading about the old kingdom pyramids and so on, you might want to consider egyptology. Or if you just enjoy reading about the cultural practices of sub-saharan African nomadic pastoralists, or gender constructions in Indonesia, you might want to explore anthropology ad a subject. If you love learning about marine life, especially the small scale invertebrates and plankton and corals, and how these fit into a larger ocean system, you might be interested in marine biology or oceanography.

There's more to academic study (and life!) than A-level subjects, finance, law, medicine and engineering! :h:

Reply 7

OP

Original post by artful_lounger

Also bear in mind there are lots of degree subjects which don't have any specific A-level requirements, and lots in general not available to study at A-level.

So it's always worth thinking about what it is that you find interesting and make a point of engaging with and exploring in your spare time. If you always wanted to learn Egyptian hieroglyphs and spent your free time reading about the old kingdom pyramids and so on, you might want to consider egyptology. Or if you just enjoy reading about the cultural practices of sub-saharan African nomadic pastoralists, or gender constructions in Indonesia, you might want to explore anthropology ad a subject. If you love learning about marine life, especially the small scale invertebrates and plankton and corals, and how these fit into a larger ocean system, you might be interested in marine biology or oceanography.

There's more to academic study (and life!) than A-level subjects, finance, law, medicine and engineering! :h:

Thanks again!Those specific examples triggers some thought in my brain lol!

Also I've always wondered,how are you able to add those emojis?Ive always seen them on this website lol.

Reply 8

artful_lounger

21

Original post by DGG78

Thanks again!Those specific examples triggers some thought in my brain lol!

Also I've always wondered,how are you able to add those emojis?Ive always seen them on this website lol.

If you know the "codes" for them you can type them directly (many are just the usual things e.g. colon followed by parenthesis). They removed the easy access pane for them in the new design but apparently it's coming back...sometime...

Spoiler

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 9

OP