What to do after uni

I graduate next year and have no idea what to do, jobs and where to live etc. I'm doing statistics and even though I'm sure I don't want to go into finance it seems most relevant jobs are in London. However I've heard a lot about how the social life in London is so dead, the cost and distance and everything so it doesn't sound amazing. I could stay here in Bristol, I do like it here but most people I know will probably leave and it's so student oriented this place is almost a ghost town over the summer. Not sure if living here is at all like when I'm at uni. Where did you end going and how are you finding it?
Also not sure when I'm supposed to be looking into jobs and accommodation. I suspect once term starts I'll forget about all this and suddenly graduate with no job or place to live which would be a disaster. I'm determined to move out but I don't know how to sort everything out, it's very daunting.

I graduate next year and have no idea what to do, jobs and where to live etc. I'm doing statistics and even though I'm sure I don't want to go into finance it seems most relevant jobs are in London. However I've heard a lot about how the social life in London is so dead, the cost and distance and everything so it doesn't sound amazing. I could stay here in Bristol, I do like it here but most people I know will probably leave and it's so student oriented this place is almost a ghost town over the summer. Not sure if living here is at all like when I'm at uni. Where did you end going and how are you finding it?
Also not sure when I'm supposed to be looking into jobs and accommodation. I suspect once term starts I'll forget about all this and suddenly graduate with no job or place to live which would be a disaster. I'm determined to move out but I don't know how to sort everything out, it's very daunting.

I graduate next year and have no idea what to do, jobs and where to live etc. I'm doing statistics and even though I'm sure I don't want to go into finance it seems most relevant jobs are in London. However I've heard a lot about how the social life in London is so dead, the cost and distance and everything so it doesn't sound amazing. I could stay here in Bristol, I do like it here but most people I know will probably leave and it's so student oriented this place is almost a ghost town over the summer. Not sure if living here is at all like when I'm at uni. Where did you end going and how are you finding it?
Also not sure when I'm supposed to be looking into jobs and accommodation. I suspect once term starts I'll forget about all this and suddenly graduate with no job or place to live which would be a disaster. I'm determined to move out but I don't know how to sort everything out, it's very daunting.

Sorry to hear about this, I definitely understand the unease of the situation and graduating can bring about a lot of mixed emotions, here are some things you could try:
1) start applying for grad schemes and placements now
2) connect with alumni from your course on linkedin to see how they went about things
3) speak to the careers team/ postgraduate students to gain better insight on your options
4) you could try looking for accommodation based on the places you are applying for jobs
5) explore the cities you are interested in living in and see what it's like
6) compare the living costs of staying in different cities by using a variety of accommodation sites and comparing costs
I hope this helps

I'm doing statistics and even though I'm sure I don't want to go into finance it seems most relevant jobs are in London
Whilst I am not a fan of the public sector, have you considered civil service? See: https://www.faststream.gov.uk/all-schemes/index.html
Alternatively, the NHS are looking for people to go into bioinformatics. See: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/healthcare-science/roles-healthcare-science/clinical-bioinformatics
Other roles that come to mind include statistician, data scientist/analyst, economist, marketing analyst. Failing that, you can always go into teaching or proceed with academia (which is the thing your degree was designed for).
If you want the brochure like explanation (nowhere near exhaustive or accurate as the explanation below) on what you can do with your statistics degree, see:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/statistics
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/statistics-degree-jobs
https://www.lse.ac.uk/Statistics/Alumni/Where-will-a-degree-in-Statistics-take-you
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers-occupations/business/economics/
https://spires.co/online-statistics-tutors/undergraduate/what-jobs-can-i-get-with-a-degree-in-statistics
https://statsandr.com/blog/10-potential-career-options-with-a-degree-in-statistics/
The above is just from the first page of Google, so you can look for the others yourself.
With a degree in any subject, you can go into 600+ different jobs (mostly because they don't require a degree in the first place). I don't know what you specifically want or favour, so you would have to do a lot of digging yourself. See:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/sectors
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/sectors
Although it's a bit late at this point in time (the best time to do this was at GCSE, before you pick your A Levels), the generic advice on what sort of job you should get revolves around:
I don't have the perfect answer (don't think anyone does), so you would need to figure this out for yourself.
I've heard a lot about how the social life in London is so dead, the cost and distance and everything so it doesn't sound amazing
It depends on who you're with. Personally, I'm not that big of a fan of London. Mostly because of the cost of living.
For example, if I can rent out a room for £400 outside of London, I would probably need to pay at least £700 for the same room in London.
Also not sure when I'm supposed to be looking into jobs and accommodation
For jobs, it's the hard part. Whilst most people apply for any random job and hope for the best (not the best strategy), the most intelligent people network and speak to people who have the jobs that they're looking to do. This is ideal because not only you can gather information on what the job is like but also get feedback on whether you're suited for the role and you get recommendations and contacts in the industry - important if you want to secure the role quick instead of applying to hundreds of places and getting interviews for only a handful of them (no job guaranteed by the way). With the level of competition, there is inevitably some nepotism involved.
Your first accommodation outside of uni is likely to be a room by yourself (unless you have a partner to move in with). My go to resource for this is spareroom.com. It keeps things flexible for me. I would look into accommodation once you have found your job first.
For some people, they courchsurf in the city/town they look to get a job in whilst working a part time job to make ends meet. This works only if you can couchsurf at someone who you know enough to trust - not some random stranger e.g. relatives, family, very close friends. All the while they are applying for the actual job that they want.
If the job you want is scarce, you can often end up compromising where you can work i.e. where is more or less decided for you.
I suspect once term starts I'll forget about all this and suddenly graduate with no job or place to live which would be a disaster
It's a bit of a disaster. Whilst there is a flood of graduates in the same boat, it's not that much better.
Should I suspect you didn't do an internship during uni then?

Thank you, that's very detailed and insightful! I mean civil service may not be my first choice but if push comes to shove I suppose. The NHS sounds interesting as well, I’ll go give those a look.
Although it's a bit late at this point in time (the best time to do this was at GCSE, before you pick your A Levels), the generic advice on what sort of job you should get revolves around:
Yeah no I never thought of any of those points at A level, although I was going to do STEM anyway. I like Alan Turing but don’t think that’s exactly a career. ‘Making money for the rich’ is definitely a reason I’m staying away from finance, but not sure what other ‘value’ points there are.
With a degree in any subject, you can go into 600+ different jobs (mostly because they don't require a degree in the first place).
I think all this is overshadowed by the fact I’m an awkward nerd that doesn’t have many skills so I’m very inclined to stick to things directly related to my course. I’ve also finally slightly bought into the mathematical mindset that maths shouldn’t need an application in the real world, so more applied things like engineering and finance or whatever I have no interest in studying. So work that is less purely numerical would either put me in a disadvantage or uncomfortable spot, and my best bets I imagine for now are statistician/data analyst? Of course academia fits the bill entirely but I’m not articulate or smart enough!
For jobs, it's the hard part. Whilst most people apply for any random job and hope for the best (not the best strategy), the most intelligent people network and speak to people who have the jobs that they're looking to do.
I was aware of networking but never thought it would help with jobs. I thought nepotism requires a bit more than soulless small talk and if you had a position open with a bunch of applicants, you wouldn’t give it to this random person you wouldn’t have considered just because you had a chat. Perhaps I’m wrong. I was put off by how awkward or forced it would be, or perhaps that I don't deserve their time.
Should I suspect you didn't do an internship during uni then?
I did spectacularly fail to get any internships, so did most other coursemates I know. The networking could at least let me know how it is working at certain industries so I’ll definitely give it a look. In terms of work experience I did do some teaching assisting/ambassador type jobs and am on committee for a society so hopefully it's not game over.
If the job you want is scarce, you can often end up compromising where you can work i.e. where is more or less decided for you.
I’ll put off accommodation until the job is sorted then. Any tips on finding flatmates you get along with better and can have a social life with?

I like Alan Turing but don’t think that’s exactly a career.
Alan Turing as in the computer scientist? He taught computer science at Cambridge. If you meant as a WW2 historian, you can work in museums or teach in academia in history (being a historian or working in academia in history will require a history degree though, and you typically can't do that at postgrad so you would need to do a second undergrad).
I thought nepotism requires a bit more than soulless small talk and if you had a position open with a bunch of applicants, you wouldn’t give it to this random person you wouldn’t have considered just because you had a chat.
Unfortunately no a small chat alone wouldn't suffice. You typically need to build up your relationship with them; the sort of I will scratch your back if you scratch mine sort of thing. In the world of work, this is usually more superficial than anything and you don't actually develop any in-depth relationships. And yes, it would be awkward and force, but it gets results.
In terms of work experience I did do some teaching assisting/ambassador type jobs and am on committee for a society so hopefully it's not game over.
It's a nice talking point, but unless you want to go into teaching I doubt it would help that much. You ideally want something more directly relevant to the role that you want.
The advice in the following video seems helpful (even though it's more catered to an American audience): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_46_ZbMdeT4
Any tips on finding flatmates you get along with better and can have a social life with?
I don't. If you're just finding a room, you're kind of at a disadvantage since you won't know who you will end up with. If you rent out a flat together, then it would make sense to rent with people you know.
Most people who rent in London usually don't get to choose who they rent with and rely on being able to get along with the people they end up with.

I was just thinking of him in terms of a possible role model but no I'm not a computer person and it's not like I can aim towards cracking codes at the next world war.
In the world of work, this is usually more superficial than anything and you don't actually develop any in-depth relationships.
Yeah I wouldn't expect any more from 'networking'. Do I just make a linkedin and start messaging relevant people? Feels a bit creepy.
The advice in the following video seems helpful (even though it's more catered to an American audience):
It's very fair what she said, to gain as many connections as you can and ways to get a foot through the door. Should I even bother with job applications then? I was going to ask what the best place to apply for graduate schemes/jobs might be but maybe my chances are slim on that front.
What should I focus on would you say? It's my integrated masters and I did fairly decent in second and third year so I have a 2:1 in the bag already pretty much. Maybe it would be good to spend more time on job hunting? Alternatively I'm doing a project (basically a diss for maths) that may seem to exhibit more tangible results/skills than exams and I could put more time into that instead.

I was just thinking of him in terms of a possible role model but no I'm not a computer person and it's not like I can aim towards cracking codes at the next world war.
Then I don't get it. Role model how exactly? As someone who cracked codes? As someone who was a war hero, but was prosecuted because of his sexual orientation? As someone who led a team and made difficult decisions? As someone who was very isolated but became more social over the years?
Do I just make a linkedin and start messaging relevant people? Feels a bit creepy.
You can, but I would also recommend connecting with people offline as well. See the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bULSVSwkiTU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HjAWLmhwRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHQlcsuAl_c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYw53qeQsJ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdC5-q2Fc0U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5htraRRl7k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6JNczFugrU
If you use Meetup.com and Eventbrite and you're based in a city, you can often find a lot of events in your local area - for the rest of us, we have to travel further to local towns or head towards London. Facebook groups can also be good means of networking (suprisingly).
Should I even bother with job applications then?
Yes. If you're aiming for a job as quick as possible, you want to use as many avenues as you can. The other avenues that I would also look into include:
All of the above work better in cities unfortunately.
If you make job hunting your full time job, you would want to aim for 10 applications a day whilst doing all the other things. You should be able to make 100 applications within 2 weeks, and get at least one invite to an interview from that (and ideally one job offer). For more competitive roles, you might need to make 1000 applications before you get one job offer.
By all means, networking is probably more effective and a lot faster, but it can take time before you get anything.
I was going to ask what the best place to apply for graduate schemes/jobs might be but maybe my chances are slim on that front.
Depends on what you're going for. I don't have an exhaustive list of which companies offer grad schemes or have the best jobs. Often these aren't always advertised, not even on Milkround.com.
If they are advertised, then by the time you see it, it might be too late for you and they would be flooded with applications.
What should I focus on would you say?
In what context? For jobs, I would say networking + job applications. For long term development, your soft skills - apparently they mean a lot more than your technical knowledge in stats. Both assumes you have your CV down to a T.
Unfortunately, I am not the best person to answer such questions, so you're better off getting a second opinion.
If you're interested in going into data analysis, I would recommend Microsoft's PowerBI certificate: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/data-analyst-associate/?practice-assessment-type=certification
I would also consider brushing up your SQL skills, or even do a MySQL8 certification (which will be very difficult):
https://education.oracle.com/mysql-80-database-developer/pexam_1Z0-909
Alternatively I'm doing a project (basically a diss for maths) that may seem to exhibit more tangible results/skills than exams and I could put more time into that instead.
It depends on the specific job that you intend to apply for. Having something to showcase is great in a job interview, but if it's not relevant for the job it's not really something worth bringing up. It's kind of like the PowerBI and MySQL8 certifications; if you're applying for a role in data analysis, then bringing them up makes no sense.
I do agree that putting together a project to show off your skills can be helpful though. Some people who go into tech or marketing can do this sometimes, and it's commonplace for designers to put together portfolios to show to employers.

Role model how exactly?
Most ways really. I was really into codebreaking, did the cipher challenge at school and a uni project on it. From books and stuff I read a fair bit about how he freaked the enigma and it was some inspiration. His life issues as well to a good extent.
I still have a year until I graduate, and most of the jobs I can see online I presume are for an earlier start than that, so I'm not sure if I can do much on that front now. By speculative CVs do you mean looking up companies I want to work in and just sending them a CV hoping they'd want me at some point?
With London not being an amazing option I very much rather stay here for now, and I guess since I don't see many job openings locally for now, dropping them my CV would be my best bet. I have one done but it's on a CV builder since I think it's really ugly to just type it on word.
Tracking down people that work there and networking could also work, I'll do that as soon as I finish my linkedin and stop cringing over how awkward it might be.