I graduated with a 2.1 in a pointless humanities course but got lucky and have slowly worked my way up to my current position in a £25k government job but will find it very difficult to move any higher due to competition. Added to this I worry that I might be made redundant and have no real in-demand skills.
I am now 32 and studying a Maths A Level at college.
I want a better paying job and am wondering what I can do from here. It there any benefit to returning to uni to gain an undergraduate maths degree? I would graduate around my mid-30s and was thinking this would greatly improve my career prospects as I could maybe move into banking/finance.
Or are there any better directions I can take career wise at this point?
Teaching wouldn't pay any better than I am on now. There are some graduate-level government jobs in my area but they require a maths-related degree (e.g. pure maths or statistics, economics etc.).
A second undergraduate degree would be a time-consuming and expensive way of making what is essentially a sideways move. If you return to full-time study then you're putting your career on hold; if you study part-time while working, it'll take you at least six years and the workload might drive you mad.
You might want to consider a Masters, particularly an MBA. A CIMA qualification might also be useful.
>>6192 >but will find it very difficult to move any higher due to competition
So you don't think you're good enough to advance, but want to earn more money anyway?
Less facetiously, with your degree and that maths A-level in the bag, along with some actual work experience, you might stand a decent chance applying for grad schemes in banking, though be aware that the only thing that's got going for it is the money. Plus you'll get to travel the world when they inevitably relocate your job overseas.
Just some suggestions from a fellow humanities graduate lad:
-Most big firms like KPMG/PWC hire tax people and similar roles from any degree background as long as you can pass the maths tests
-Same with the Treasury jobs and schemes
-Same with most banks - JP Morgan hire analysts with literally any degree as do most, including the Bank of England
You also might be better off doing a masters. Have you tried using your skills to get into communications? Money isn't amazing, but it's better than that once you get going and all you do is write press releases all day, which after the first few, are just copy and paste jobs.
>>6192 A maths degree should open your options up a lot more. I recently graduated with a degree in maths and I'm now working in risk management for a major airline. However, I would not recommend starting a three year degree now just to improve your career prospects a bit unless you have a very specific goal in mind.
If you are considering teaching then do NOT start a three year degree right now. There are a few ways you could go about this but getting into teaching does not require you to have a degree specific to your subject. The degree that you have will suffice to get onto a PGCE course, all you will then have to do is demonstrate subject knowledge, which the maths A-level should go a long way towards, although many institutions may require something more, this could involve tests on interview day or a more extensive subject knowledge enhancement course. Either way, none of these options will be anywhere near as intensive as a three year degree and will result in you becoming a qualified teacher within a year or two. Teacher starting salaries are around £23k but they rise pretty quickly, and with career progression you could be looking at £30k within a few years and £40k+ within 7 or 8 years. You will also be in heavy demand as a maths teacher. Also your PGCE training year will grant you a huge bursary that only seems to be rising each year, it's something to look into.
Just for the record I don't think you should go into teaching unless you're sure it's what you want to do, I've seen too many people ruin themselves with a career that isn't right for them and teaching is one of the prime suspects. But at the same time, for many people it is incredibly rewarding.
What's your CV since uni? How useless was the degree?
I'm not sure doing a maths degree would necessarily change a huge amount, I would instead advise doing it part time with the Open University if it's something you're set on.
>Teacher starting salaries are around £23k but they rise pretty quickly, and with career progression you could be looking at £30k within a few years and £40k+ within 7 or 8 years.
I am currently on £25k (which I know is pretty good especially up north). I like the idea of teaching but doesn't seem worth it for the hours. I currently earn £25k for 9-5 Monday - Friday. As a teacher £35k for 8-6 Monday - Friday (if i'm lucky) with additional work on the weekends doesn't seem great.
