Completing a STEM degree but not sure you want to work in STEM?
Whether you’re still studying or recently graduated, it’s natural to be thinking about what comes next. For you, this may mean looking outside of the traditional STEM career path to explore other non-STEM options available to you. The great news is that your degree has given you a huge range of hard and soft skills that you can easily transfer to a range of jobs. In this article, we’ll explore the alternative career options outside STEM available to you as a STEM student.
What you could do with a science degree
A degree in any science discipline gives you access to many career possibilities outside of the sphere of science. Your ability to conduct research, analyse data and think critically can be applied across various industries. A career in journalism would require you to utilise these skills as you would need to dive into a topic, learn as much as you can, critically assess the situation and relay the information in a relevant way.
Alternatively, if you’re keen to integrate an element of STEM into your career, science journalists, museum curators and teachers all play vital roles in bridging the gap between complex scientific concepts and the general audience.
Alternative careers
What you could do with a technology degree
Technology degrees are a treasure trove of skills that extend far beyond coding. If you're looking to explore alternative career paths, consider roles in project management. Your ability to understand technology processes and oversee projects makes you an ideal candidate for project management roles in various industries. From healthcare to finance, project managers play a pivotal role in ensuring the successful execution of initiatives.
If your organisation and communication skills match your keen attention to detail and problem-solving skills, you could be ideally suited to supply chain management. This career path involves making sure goods successfully move from one place to another and involves a lot of coordination and planning.
Alternative careers:
What you could do with an engineering degree
Engineers are problem solvers by nature, and their skills are applicable across a spectrum of professions. If you're considering a departure from a traditional engineering career, explore opportunities in consultancy. Management consultants, for example, benefit from the analytical and problem-solving skills inherent in engineering graduates. Your ability to identify and address challenges can be an asset in helping businesses optimize their operations.
Alternatively, consider an operations analyst role. This would allow you to utilise both hard and soft skills learned from your engineering degree including maths, analytics and problem solving. Being an operations analyst means looking into the performance of a business and seeing how it can improve, then reporting this back to management, making it an excellent fit for engineers with strong communication skills.
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What you could do with a maths degree
A maths degree provides a foundation for logical thinking and quantitative analysis, making you a versatile candidate in various fields. One potential path is data analysis. In industries such as marketing or finance, data analysts play a crucial role in extracting insights from vast datasets to inform strategic decision-making.
Moreover, consider roles in risk management. Actuaries, for instance, use mathematical models to assess financial risks and uncertainties. Your ability to navigate complex mathematical concepts can be applied to support organisations in making informed decisions related to risk mitigation.
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Bright Network STEM graduates working in non-STEM roles
To show you the fantastic range of jobs available to you, we reached out to Bright Network members who completed a STEM degree but have chosen to move away from STEM in their professional lives. Learn about these non-STEM careers to find out how you can succeed too:
Marjana - Sales graduate role
Marjana took her biochemistry degree and transitioned into a sales graduate role with P&G, leveraging her knowledge to excel in her job.
“Having a technical background and experience in retail management, I knew that Sales at P&G would perfectly blend my desire to keep a connection with retailers (since I knew what happened on the shop floor!) but also have that data analytics and consumer behaviour element.”
Leslie - Safety and reliability graduate
Having studied physics, Leslie decided a career in safety and reliability consulting was a perfect transitional move giving her the chance to use her insight from her degree in a non-STEM career path.
“My passion and interests in the safety and sustainability aspects of the energy sector directly aligns with Atkins' goals... Where you lack the technical knowledge, showing eagerness to learn and a passion for the industry will do you a huge favour.”
Shantelle - Product manager
Shantelle’s degree is in engineering, yet she decided to move into product management rather than continuing down the path of an engineer.
“I didn't expect all of the meetings! In my last role as a mechanical engineer, I didn't have many meetings! It makes sense when you think about is as product managers have to know their products inside and out.”
It’s okay not to be certain about your career path
Feeling uncertain about your career path is a normal experience for lots of students and graduates. It’s important to remember that your first job doesn’t have to be your forever job, and there’s lots of opportunities for you to learn and develop. If you’re not sure what to do, take every chance to find out about the working world through career fairs, internships, work experience or even asking questions on LinkedIn. Allow yourself the flexibility to explore, knowing that your STEM degree has given you valuable skills that can help you thrive in many career paths.
Want to find out which career suits you? Take our Career Path Test to find out!