Computer science, history or medicine?

This might end up being incredibly long winded but i figured i might as well ask with as much context as possible. im in year 13 (taking a gap year so ill be applying next year) and im still incredibly torn on what to study at uni. i do comp sci, chem and bio for a levels (wouldve picked history instead of chem but circumstances prevented it). with the grades im predicted, im able to get into most unis for all three of those subjects mentioned in the title, but even after almost a year of contemplating i still cant decide. i figured id ask here for a fresh perspective, or maybe to clear up any misconceptions in my reasoning

In terms of passion i absolutely love history, as in ill spend hours upon hours reading through sources in my spare time, sometimes preferring to stay up to keep reading, and i have multiple books ive bought on random niche periods (ive been like this since long before gcses so im reasonably sure its not a phase). im sure studying history at uni would be a guaranteed top grade. Im only mildly interested in computer science, and i only really have a basic level of knowledge in python with not too much motivation to learn more, although its fairly easy to force myself to revise for it. if i start a coding project, i usually gain interest and work on it until its completed, then quickly return to mild interest again. i do chemistry and biology for A levels, and it is pretty uninteresting and tiresome to revise, which basically sums up how i feel about science and how id probably feel about medicine in extension (although my grades are around A's).

the answer seems clear based on that alone, but after looking into job prospects post uni im finding that its practically meaningless to have a history degree, with almost no way of doing anything that'll pay off my loans in a reasonable amount of time. sure history is fun, but it seems stupid to go into 40k+ debt for 4 years of essentially just doing what i am now, especially since theres nothing theyre going to enlighten me with at uni that i dont already have access to (i have no interest in law or business, or i suppose maybe i can be convinced but id need to strongly consider it). for computer science the job potential is looking pretty good with high paying salaries, and im fairly confident in my ability to do well in it, but looking at current trends it seems like basically everyone is going the same route which means competition for entry level jobs is probably going to be incredibly tough, and the job markets would be incredibly oversaturated. im also finding people talking about how learning doesnt end for computer science post uni, which is off putting as i just cant see myself reading about the latest coding language for hours in my 30's without dying inside. medicine seems incredibly stable, with high paying jobs across the country, meaning ill probably never have to worry about the stability of my job or anything to do with finances. sure its laboursome, but judging by my current abilities in chemistry and biology i reckon id come out the other end in one piece, although im aware this is a trap plenty of people fall into and deeply regret.

putting all this together, its basically either do something enjoyable but leaves you poor and fruitless, do something mildly interesting but competitive or do something strenuous but rewarding. im leaning towards computer science, and i think ive already subconsciously forsaken history as a lost cause. i guess i only really have medicine as a candidate here too because plenty of people who want to do it miss the entry requirements, and my teachers have recommended it as a viable route with my predicteds. it would be nice if someone who does either medicine or computer science at uni could write about how they find their course, or maybe someone whos done history at uni too talking about what careers theyre looking forward to. of course id also appreciate literally anyone else who wants to share their opinion. thanks in advance

This might end up being incredibly long winded but i figured i might as well ask with as much context as possible. im in year 13 (taking a gap year so ill be applying next year) and im still incredibly torn on what to study at uni. i do comp sci, chem and bio for a levels (wouldve picked history instead of chem but circumstances prevented it). with the grades im predicted, im able to get into most unis for all three of those subjects mentioned in the title, but even after almost a year of contemplating i still cant decide. i figured id ask here for a fresh perspective, or maybe to clear up any misconceptions in my reasoning

In terms of passion i absolutely love history, as in ill spend hours upon hours reading through sources in my spare time, sometimes preferring to stay up to keep reading, and i have multiple books ive bought on random niche periods (ive been like this since long before gcses so im reasonably sure its not a phase). im sure studying history at uni would be a guaranteed top grade. Im only mildly interested in computer science, and i only really have a basic level of knowledge in python with not too much motivation to learn more, although its fairly easy to force myself to revise for it. if i start a coding project, i usually gain interest and work on it until its completed, then quickly return to mild interest again. i do chemistry and biology for A levels, and it is pretty uninteresting and tiresome to revise, which basically sums up how i feel about science and how id probably feel about medicine in extension (although my grades are around A's).

the answer seems clear based on that alone, but after looking into job prospects post uni im finding that its practically meaningless to have a history degree, with almost no way of doing anything that'll pay off my loans in a reasonable amount of time. sure history is fun, but it seems stupid to go into 40k+ debt for 4 years of essentially just doing what i am now, especially since theres nothing theyre going to enlighten me with at uni that i dont already have access to (i have no interest in law or business, or i suppose maybe i can be convinced but id need to strongly consider it). for computer science the job potential is looking pretty good with high paying salaries, and im fairly confident in my ability to do well in it, but looking at current trends it seems like basically everyone is going the same route which means competition for entry level jobs is probably going to be incredibly tough, and the job markets would be incredibly oversaturated. im also finding people talking about how learning doesnt end for computer science post uni, which is off putting as i just cant see myself reading about the latest coding language for hours in my 30's without dying inside. medicine seems incredibly stable, with high paying jobs across the country, meaning ill probably never have to worry about the stability of my job or anything to do with finances. sure its laboursome, but judging by my current abilities in chemistry and biology i reckon id come out the other end in one piece, although im aware this is a trap plenty of people fall into and deeply regret.

putting all this together, its basically either do something enjoyable but leaves you poor and fruitless, do something mildly interesting but competitive or do something strenuous but rewarding. im leaning towards computer science, and i think ive already subconsciously forsaken history as a lost cause. i guess i only really have medicine as a candidate here too because plenty of people who want to do it miss the entry requirements, and my teachers have recommended it as a viable route with my predicteds. it would be nice if someone who does either medicine or computer science at uni could write about how they find their course, or maybe someone whos done history at uni too talking about what careers theyre looking forward to. of course id also appreciate literally anyone else who wants to share their opinion. thanks in advance

I sadly don't study medicine/history.
What sort of unis are you looking to apply for? For CS, you ideally should have studied Maths at A'level, otherwise you are limiting yourself (some good unis like Lancaster don't require it at A'level though, or alternatively you could look at a foundation year).
There are plenty of jobs you can do with a history degree, as it has lots of transferrable skills (a few ideas here), so it's not something I would dismiss straight away.

Your assumptions about a history degree are incorrect. Research has found UK graduates have equivalent career prospects within 10 years of graduation whether they do a STEM or non-STEM subject: https://figshare.le.ac.uk/articles/report/The_employment_trajectories_of_Science_Technology_Engineering_and_Mathematics_graduates/10234421
Also CS had such bad graduate outcomes previously the government commissioned two inquiries into it. If you're choosing CS because you think it has "better" job prospects, choose something else.
Medicine is a very demanding field which requires you to be very strongly committed to it to make it through the emotionally and physically demanding training (i.e. beyond the degree). An esteemed former TSR poster who was himself a doctor used to advise "if you're choosing between medicine and something else, do the other thing".
If history is what you love to study, do that.
That said you can hedge your bets to give yourself the option of all three by doing chemistry, maths and history (further maths optionally as a fourth). Since only about 1/3 of medical schools require A-level Biology and chemistry plus maths will suffice for the others.

first of all thanks for replying to me, and sorry for the late reply. the article you sent goes over employment rates, and although it does somewhat worry me that computer science seems to be highly competitive for graduate openings, my concern is more about the night and day difference between history related jobs and computer science jobs in terms of salary. this link goes over jobs related to history, and this link goes over jobs related to computer science. the difference is staggering, with history hardly making a wage well enough to sustain a family whilst computer science promises a wage good enough to life comfortably regardless of the job you take within the field. and in terms of job availability, yes computer science does poorly, but im also finding history is not doing so well either. i think this post sums up the general trend ive been seeing online. this is a major problem for me, and although job openings are tight for both fields, what would be the point of beating the odds and landing a job in history when id make such a poor wage?

as for medicine, i think you're right with the idea that i should drop it. im definitely not going to be committed to learning medicine and already have to strain to manage at A level, so picking it seems like a guaranteed waste. that just leaves computer science or history, and im absolutely terrified of making the wrong choice and having to deal with the consequence for the rest of my life. despite having a year to decide, the pressure is really getting to me

alternatively, i have been looking at and growing more fond of the history -> lawyer route and although i cannot be sure if ill enjoy it, a lot of the skills lawyers commonly employ (problem solving, research, critical thinking etc) are why i would say i have an interest in history (research) or computer science (proving solving) at all. i noticed you seem to be active on this site so i was hoping maybe you'd be able to answer some of my questions from prior experience. would i be shooting myself in the foot doing history just to go into law? is it a bad idea to go into law without much experience in whether or not id enjoy it? is it even a good idea to go into law purely just to salvage and make use of a history degree? how common is it for people graduating from humanities subjects to go into law? again, thanks in advance, i really appreciate it

sorry for taking so long to reply, im still pretty new to this site, and thanks for responding. i live in the northern half of england so i am looking at universities such as lancaster or leicester that dont require a level maths, however im not opposed to entering a foundation year should i somehow fail to get into either. i have already previously taken a look at jobs such as the ones listed in the link you sent, and im finding practically all the jobs listed have very high competition due to the lack of demand with rising amounts of graduates, in addition to the poor pay (the average is always around 25-30k) with practically no possibilities to expand on that career and receive any higher pay. it seems like a really poor life to live on just that forever, especially since the average income in the uk hovers around 35k for other jobs. despite my love for history, that makes it very unattractive which is really unfortunate. i suppose you're right though, i shouldnt throw out the idea completely, and i have tons of time to contemplate it. in the meantime ill expand on my python skills
i also noticed you said that you didnt study medicine or history, so does that mean you studied computer science? or did you simply forget to mention it

The linked research also shows that salary outcomes are the same within 10 years of graduation. It even specifically says this, although it notes for the first grad job they may earn slightly less and have a "slower start", it evens out pretty quickly.
Also note those just list popular jobs for each course - this just represents things that graduates self select into. Graduates from either could also apply to roles in the civil service, in investment banking and finance, in the media, etc. All with the same salaries. However history graduates may simply for various reasons prefer to go into a lower paying job doing something they enjoy more.
Additionally the reddit thread you linked is about doing a history PhD which is an entirely different prospect and not one you need to consider until near the end of your undergraduate degree.
As a final note, 50% of solicitors polled by the SRA did a non-law degree first so it's pretty common (I think the numbers are similar for barristers).

Very observant - good skills for law.
I am in the process of studying CS, but am too early in the degree to provide advice at this moment in time.

If you can't decide on a specific degree, don't forget that there are lots of courses that combine a wide range of subjects in one degree. This gives you experience of multi-subjects, and critically, the connections between those subjects ('applicability') something employers are realising is very valuable. Go to Open Days, listen to the subject presentations for these sort of degrees - and ask questions about the range of careers that their grads go into.
Examples :
Arts and Sciences - Undergraduate Degree - Y000 - University of Birmingham
University of Glasgow - Undergraduate study - Choosing your degree - Flexible degrees
Combined Honours BA | Undergraduate | Newcastle University (ncl.ac.uk)
Natural Sciences - Lancaster University

these all look pretty interesting, i had no clue degrees like that existed. i am somewhat worried about their employability though, i doubt that you would land any high paying jobs without heavy competition. a jack of all trades is a master of none

i read through the entire study, and i couldnt find any mention of salary or income (unless i just missed it). i used ctrl + f to search for "slower start" and the only reference is when it compares graduate outcomes between stem and non stem topics. i dont believe graduate outcomes refers to salary, but rather just employment within the graduates field, since all they talk about throughout the entire study is employability (that is literally what the study is called). furthermore, pretty much every online source lists history graduates as worse off than most stem graduates (links like this)

you're right on this point, the list for history related jobs are only picked by 5% of graduates, the rest go into fairly good jobs in banking/media/marketing. im not sure how i feel about this, since its a lot riskier than someone who does an apprenticeship in accounting or other directly relevant fields, and it does seem like a bit of a waste to go to uni to land one of those jobs. ill have to think it over

it is good to know that law is always a fallback, although the hours are long and i could do a law conversion course with comp sci anyways. it makes it feel a lot less risky to pick history and get screwed by the job market, since i can always use it to go another way

why did you pick computer science? did you know any code prior, and if so how often would you decide to code? on a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy it? are you particularly excited when waking up to attend lessons? if you did prior, do you still code in your free time?

It states specifically
"the vast majority of graduates are employed in graduate-level positions by the end of their twenties. STEM employers are competing for workers in a context where most graduates are able to find high status professional-level work. The salaries and working conditions they offer must reflect this.
Encouraging students to study STEM degrees on the basis of better labour market outcomes is ethically questionable. STEM graduates have little advantage over non-STEM graduates in terms of securing graduate-level employment and most STEM graduates never work in HS STEM jobs"
Also:
"The destinations of STEM and non-STEM graduates were similar in terms of the status of the occupations they worked in and the most common areas of work. By age 30, similar proportions had graduate jobs and, for the most part, the largest recruiting occupations for both groups were teaching and functional
management."
The obvious implication of this comparison of status of occupations with the labour market and salaries is this implies it's a professional grade salary and if the career outcomes are similar it does necessarily imply comparable competitive salaries.
In terms of the IFS data, I would note firstly it only provides actual data for the first 5 years after graduation whereas the research I linked is based on longer term data. Secondly the specific examples it uses to imply significant differences are from the most "elite" universities in the UK - and the study I linked did itself note that actually there is a notable gap between those attending post-1992 institutions and more research intensive institutions.
Secondly even the data you present shows that this gap narrows considerably when corrected for student grade outcomes from school. It also highlights that there is a considerably gap among those from richer and poorer outcomes. Likewise the persistent gender pay gap.Hence, subject is clearly not only or the most important factor.
It doesn't show the data in the long run and since the former study clearly outlines that the outcomes are similar between STEM and non-STEM areas, then if you stick to the argument that non-STEM jobs have poor pay in this context then that implies STEM roles have poor pay...?
In any event the information is available to you. I think choosing a degree based on ephemeral assumptions of graduate salaries which are based on data usually only representing the 5 years after graduation, a tiny fraction of peoples working lives, is a poor idea - especially since you have no idea if there's going to be a global financial meltdown after your graduate (2008-2010), 10+ years of austerity depressing wages and fostering inflation (2010-2020) or a global pandemic (2019-2020) which will throw all your carefully laid plans into the blender. And when that's all gone, what will you have left to speak of your time at university? A life lived for the promise of a job that no longer exists?

I picked it because I enjoy it and have been good at it from an early age. Yes, I've been coding. It's something I don't mind, but it's not something I would undertake for a career. I will just remind you that computer science isn't just about coding, there's many other parts to it. Too early to tell. I've been very busy in recent months, but hope to find time eventually.