what should i study at uni

what should i study at university if i want to become an actuary and go into politics later on? i would really like to become a member of parliament later in life, but if i do a degree in maths/stats/actuarial science would this hurt my chances? is there any degree i could do to suit both?

Reply 1

CCCU Official

Official Rep

Unless you want to go directly into politics, you don't need a degree in it, you don't need any formal qualifications at all!

You'd be better off getting involved with political societies at uni and creating those connections, whilst study a degree which will lead you to a decent job. Having research skills, analytical skills and strong relationships is more important than your qualifications.

Reply 2

MindMax2000

Original post

by mehrs

i would really like to become a member of parliament later in life, but if i do a degree in maths/stats/actuarial science would this hurt my chances?
Nope. In fact, I would say it makes a very nice addition to government, since I have yet to see a politician with a maths degree. In fact, I welcome it due to the sort of events in the political arena as of late.

I concur with @CCCU Official, you don't need any qualifications to go into politics. Unless you want to become a political analyst, then you won't need a thing. A lot of the training is in-house, so you typically don't even need to go to uni/college for it.

Should you want to do a joint politics degree for whatever reason (not recommended), consider doing one in politics and data science/quantitative methods. I haven't seen a joint degree for both politics and either maths or actuarial science.
However, should you need to for whatever reason, you can sometimes do a politics master's degree with an undergrad in any subject at specific universities. This means you can do your undergrad in maths/stats/actuarial science and then do a postgrad in politics to cover both areas if you ever need to. However, you can't do an undergrad in politics and then something in maths/stats/actuarial science.

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

The elected office side of things it doesn't matter what subject you do your degree in (or even if you do a degree).

If you want to work as an actuary I would strongly suggest you pick a degree relevant to that career area as most actuarial grad schemes don't accept any degree - also some degrees offer exemptions from some of the professional exams which can save you time, money, and stress at the start of your career.

Something in maths/stats, actuarial science, MORSE, or a joint course in maths and economics would probably be typical I expect.

Reply 4

Jattwalla

Original post

by mehrs

Similar position but I have an interest in Geography but dk how I would get a job in it.

Reply 5

MindMax2000

Original post

by Jattwalla

Similar position but I have an interest in Geography but dk how I would get a job in it.

You can go into 600+ different careers that either ask for a degree in any subject or asks for no degree at all.

Unless you specifically want to work in academia studying geography or teaching geography in secondary schools, you are not likely going to find a situation where you would specifically need the degree.

I have seen people become police officers, accountants, business people, teachers, lieutenants, financial advisors with a degree in geography. I don't know enough about what you specifically want to do, so it's a little difficult to advise.

Reply 6

Jattwalla

Original post

by MindMax2000

You can go into 600+ different careers that either ask for a degree in any subject or asks for no degree at all.
Unless you specifically want to work in academia studying geography or teaching geography in secondary schools, you are not likely going to find a situation where you would specifically need the degree.
I have seen people become police officers, accountants, business people, teachers, lieutenants, financial advisors with a degree in geography. I don't know enough about what you specifically want to do, so it's a little difficult to advise.

Is there a reason why many people go into professions unrelated to their degree

Reply 7

MindMax2000

Original post

by Jattwalla

Is there a reason why many people go into professions unrelated to their degree

I don't have the official list of reasons and I can't say for sure.
However, those who I did spoke to often say that they found out the career opportunities in the field doesn't match up to their ideal.
You do get those who fail to find work related to what they studied, and then you get many who did it for financial reason. Yes, it would be ideal if you can get a proper salary as an X, but it's not enough to pay the bills. For example, I have come across an entrepreneur who failed to sell his art and went into business in order to pay his bills (he's a successful businessman, but you just wonder sometimes whether he would still want to go back into art).

See some of the following as examples:
https://www.zenger.news/2023/07/21/less-than-half-of-uk-graduates-working-in-degree-related-jobs-poll/
https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/30332-how-useful-undergraduate-degree
https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/half-of-uk-graduates-do-not-work-in-their-field-of-study-survey-reveals-9574042.html