I could really use some advice. I've recently graduated from uni with a BSc in Applied Geography. For some crazy reason I decided to enroll in a PGCE (teaching degree) and was following it along comfortably but unhappily. This morning after a weekend of thinking I spontaneously quit. Now I'm stuck, I'm lumbered with a degree I just don't want, I've lost all interest in the subject and I wish that I could do back to my real interests: art, drama, programming and gaming. Now I don't know where to turn, I've scoured millions of graduate job sites and the jobs I can get I don't want and the ones I do want my degree just doesn't quite cover. I don't have the time or the money to pursue more education so can anyone suggest any good methods of getting into alternative industries off the back of an innappropriate degree without starting too low down at the bottom? I know I should consider myself lucky to have a degree and the ability to work for money but I feel I'm about to make a big step which will affect the rest of my life...
Ultimately in a lot of jobs the type of degree is not particularly important, unless it is highly technical. It's just a benchmark and a tick box that allows you to break that invisible glass ceiling. However, to start with you probably won't be working in your dream job. You can work your way up into something via jobs you'll probably dislike or even hate, but it's not instant. Many people in the UK have degrees now and I remember when I graduated - I thought the world was my oyster, but I had a rough surprise. Competition is fairly high. If you get into a management position and get experience there, that will open plenty of jobs in the future, at least potentially. Proven management skills will allow you to get into places where your degree is not relevant, especially if you gain project management experience. I am guessing your main aim is to start getting some money behind you. Once you have established a good work record you can sidestep into alternate fields/industries or bank enough money to take a different course to bolster your resume of skills in a field you are more interested - for example, a masters degree does not have to be in the same area of study your bachelors was (excluding sciences and some engineering). Finding the job you really want takes time, effort and a bit of luck. Don't give up though, you just have to be patient and driven. If anyone going into uni asked my advice, I would tell them to ALWAYS try for a sandwich course with a year of industry experience during the degree. Experience is key.
Some sound advice there, thanks. I made the mistake of not doing a sandwhich year, I also made the mistake of studying what I was good at and not what I enjoyed. I'm going back to uni tommorow to have a quick discussion with my tutor, see if anything can be salvaged from the PGCE.
Definitely a wise move there. Talking with the tutor at times of crisis can often immediately remedy any concerns you might have (even ones you didn't at first realise were bothering you) or might give you options you didn't realise were available. You're not alone in feeling a bit lost after graduating, almost all of my uni buddies (including myself) felt much the same way. It is incredibly daunting to move into the work place or continue studies that seem like huge deciders in your future life. However, much of what you learn at uni will be forgotten in the years to come and as I said, employers often see a degree as a benchmark of academic ability and potential rather than as a specific qualification for a job. Once you have a few years work experience the degree will not mean quite so much in specific terms. Is this crisis a case of feeling burned out? Or a lack of enthusiasm for teaching? Or is it the course you are attending (e.g. a bad group of people in class, lousy tutors/lecturers, or the city you're in)? Would you benefit from some time away and then going back into it? The teaching qualification might be useful for more than direct teaching. Consider this: many management roles require an element of training and mentoring. Teaching requires excellent time management skills and long term planning ability. Presenting to a class of students is much the same as presenting to a boardroom of managers or a department. Those are highly valued skills for the workplace and are not immediately obvious while you are learning. I don't know how far into your PGCE you are, but if you are close to graduating then I'd seriously reconsider leaving it, even if your heart is not in it. I'm sure your tutor will help you decide what you want to do next.
My firm advice is "don't quit now" I would finish the degree whether you like or not because at least you'll be employable somewhere and be able to work and make money to maybe finance further studies. I'm sure you worked hard to get where you are, so don't throw that in the bin... As Taucias says a degree is just a tick in the box for an employer, it doesn't define who you are and what you want to/can do, indeed it's easier to have a degree in line with your dream job. But it's true that a lot of people end up in jobs they didn't study for. If you are interested in programming then I would suggest you start learning in your own time popular languages such as Java and C# and then get a proper course or certification and apply for jobs at GIS software vendors, they might be interested in someone with a dual competency. In my case I was very lucky to find an internship while at university in the software industry and get a job straight after my internship in the same company which made the transition between the 2 very seamless. Some of my friend went through worse transitions involving unemployment. So in any case I would get a job straight after University using your degree and then prepare the future. Companies don't like periods of unemployment on a CV... Sabre
I agree with the comments made so far as regards to going back. There is always the very fortunate opportunity of doing something with your life that you are good at as a career in order to do something you enjoy as your life. There is no unwritten rule that says you cannot pursue happiness by taking up something else on the side. You don't have to BE your job ;-)
Well don't ask what you want to do for the rest of your life, ask what you want to do next. There's a big difference. You aren't the same person at 22 as you will be at 32 or 42. When I was 22 I had a degree from a private university in the US and I was just starting out in commercial real estate. After 4 years of 70 hours a week I decided that life was too short so I took a year off to teach English in Japan. I ended up doing that for 3 years, then started to sell stuff on the internet. Now I sell Japanese games/items on the net full time and hopefully I can move into bigger import/export items in the future. But if someone told me I'd be doing that when I was 22 I'd tell them they were crazy. So don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's not like you have to make one decision and that's it for the rest of your life. Maybe you go into a new career and find out you don't like it and go back to the old degree again. At least you gave it a shot and now you won't be wondering for the rest of your life.
Thanks for all of your advice its very useful. After taking alot of it in and chatting to a few friends outside the family I've decided to take things one day at a time and carry on with the teaching course. At the end of the day I get paid quite alot to do it, I get some free time and I'm meeting some good people and I think the skills I will learn will do me some good.
