What can I do with my degree?

If you didn’t know what kind of career you wanted after university, you probably picked your degree based on what you enjoyed at school or college. Now you’re working towards a degree in biology, philosophy, music, history or business and unsure what’s next. It’s a familiar story.

The good news is, for a lot of employers, your degree subject isn’t important. They’re more interested in your enthusiasm, intellect and transferrable skills. Plenty of grad jobs are open to anyone with a degree. So, we’ll run through some popular sectors that welcome all graduates:

• Finance
• Management
• Consultancy
• Human resources
• Marketing & PR
• Sales

Even if you need to study something specific for your dream role, it’s still possible to get there. So, we’ll also cover:

• Further education
• Conversion courses

We’re here to help – whatever your degree is.

Think you need a maths or business degree to work in finance? Think again. Banking, accounting and tax grad schemes value diversity. Humanities, science and art students bring a lot to the table. You need to be interested in business and finance, but you don’t need to study it. For investment banking, you’ll ideally start building contacts and experience in your first year at uni but it’s never too late to start.

Want to explore the finance industry? Learn more about working in the sector with our financial services career path guide. Already know it’s the right route for you? Check out graduate opportunities in accounting, audit and tax and financial services.

If you’re a natural leader or organiser, a management training scheme will teach you everything you need to know on the job. There’s no need to have a particular degree. Your options span major companies, the civil service and other public sector organisations. Alternatively, lots of managers begin their careers in entry-level roles and work their way up.

Keen to dig deeper? Everything you need to know is in our management career path guide. When you’re feeling ready, browse graduate opportunities in management and operations.

Consultancy trainees perform simple tasks for expert teams. And in the process, they learn about their business sector in incredible depth. You don’t need specific knowledge if you’ve got first-class analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Sound like you? Learn more about the consulting sector and explore graduate opportunities in consultancy.

Human resources (HR) roles combine law (without a law degree), management (without a management degree), consultancy and people skills. You’ll find ways into the sector in all kinds of commercial grad schemes.

If you’re considering a career in HR, peep at our job listings for HR roles.

Many large commercial grad schemes let you specialise in marketing and PR. While employers sometimes prefer certain degrees for designers and writers, marketing firms also need ideas people and analysts. To succeed, you’ll need good business instincts and creativity.

If you’re interested, explore our marketing, media and PR career path guide and list of current marketing grad roles.

The key to sales is caring about what you’re selling. Were you fascinated by drug trials during your biochemistry degree? Congratulations, getting a job as a pharmaceutical rep sounds like a great fit. So long as you’re passionate, outgoing and commercially savvy, you don’t need a business degree to go into sales.

If you’re serious about the sector, check out our career path guide for sales and commercial roles. If you’re ready to apply for a job or just want to see what’s available, take a look at our graduate opportunities in sales and commercial.

While lots of roles are open to all graduates, some qualifications will give you the edge in certain sectors.

Visit our degree-specific guides to see what your options are if you’ve studied:

• Economics
• Law
• Maths
• History
• Psychology
• Engineering
• Geography
• Computer science
• Languages
• Science
• Humanities

Want to focus on learning more before you take on a job? You don’t have to go straight into work after uni.

One of the most effective ways to stand out to employers is with a postgraduate degree, such as a master’s. Further study develops your essential skills and connects you with leading employers and academics.

Alternatively, remember that it’s OK to take on a job and then come back to studying later. So, if you start work and realise you’d like to learn more about something to help you change direction, that’s perfectly fine.

If your dream career needs a degree you don’t have, don’t despair. Conversion courses let you build on the transferrable skills from your first degree and compress the subject knowledge of another degree into a shorter timescale.

Here are some that are especially popular:

The Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) is a one-year conversion course that puts anyone with a graduate degree in the same position as a law graduate. Once you complete it, take up a training contract or pass the SQE (Solicitors Qualifying Examination) to qualify as a solicitor or move into barrister training.

Lots of teachers – particularly in secondary education – get into the profession via the PGCE. The one-year course includes university training and real teaching experience. Usually, you’ll qualify to teach subjects related to your undergraduate degree. But, for in-demand subjects, there’s also the option of a two-year course that combines subject knowledge and teacher training.

Medicine is a fast-paced career that allows you to help people in a hands-on and rewarding way. As a graduate, you’ll qualify as a doctor a year earlier than if you were starting from scratch. Depending on the uni, you’ll sometimes need to have studied a science subject. However, some med schools accept graduates from any discipline.

There are so many careers out there and the subject you studied shouldn't limit you. Lots of degrees are an asset in sectors they're not traditionally associated with.

Remember:

Companies want a flexible and diverse workforce that will respond to a range of challenges. By employing people with different degrees, they know everyone will bring something unique to the table.

During a grad scheme (and beyond), employers provide full training and support. No one expects you to walk in the door having mastered the job – no matter your degree.

At uni, you’ll gain transferable skills, such as analysing information, research and project management. The competencies you pick up while completing your degree are applicable across a range of careers.

Employers are more interested in who you are than what, or even where, you studied. No degree is a guarantee that you’ll suit their team, values and ways of working. They’re looking for motivation, eagerness to learn and soft skills such as teamwork, leadership and initiative. So, show them what you’ve got.

The best way to find out whether a career is for you and to impress a potential employer is to get first-hand experience. Think about internships and industrial placements. That’s what will make your CV stand out.

Passion, transferable skills and industry experience are more valuable than subject knowledge. If you’ve got a clear idea of what you want, don’t worry that your degree isn’t relevant. Instead, look at the routes available to you. Perhaps that’s a grad scheme. Or maybe it’s a conversion course. Don’t count yourself out because of your undergraduate degree. Employers will recognise what you’ve got to offer.