Best Degrees for getting a Job

Struggling to see if your degree is worth the time and stress, and need the motivation to carry on towards the goal of getting employed then this article is for you. This article is also for those who are yet to pick a career or want to see the level of employability their degree gives them.

Below are 8 of the most employable degrees in the UK

Law

According to the Law Society in 2019-20 about 29,565 UK students applied to study law as an undergraduate degree. Out of this figure, about 20,905 of these students were accepted onto the course. The UK’s law degrees are not only sought for domestically but are also reputed beyond the national borders with thousands of international students coming to the UK each year to study law. Subsequently, if you end up studying law no matter where end up after your degree your chances of finding an attractive job are high.

In the UK, law graduates are blessed with a variety of options to choose from a barrister, solicitor, paralegal, a CILEX legal executive, and so on. Furthermore, a law degree also opens doors to a host of other professions which are not even remotely related to law. The employability rate for law graduates is 74%.

Law degrees are not just employable but highly rewarding. Depending on the law firm you work for and location within a year of qualifying as a solicitor you can be earning around £164,000 a year excluding bonuses.

Economics

Since a degree in economics is the study of the production, consumption and transfer of wealth, it makes sense that this degree will be highly rewarding. Since graduates in economics are equipped to understand the factors that bring or can bring about material prosperity for organizations, they are highly sought-for by employers. Which organization does not need the services of an astute economist who cannot only maintain the financial stability of the organization but also map out a financial growth plan? 

Consequently, if you’re a graduate of any of the several economics courses, your employability is well assured. Not only this, you stand to get a good level of pay. According to an Institute for Fiscal Studies Report published in 2018 by the government, economics graduates were paid about 20% more than the average. This may be because their contribution is invaluable to a company. You can expect to earn around £42,607 per year with an Economics degree.

Dentistry and Medicine

According to The Academy, a UK-based global training company, dentistry and medicine were voted by students as the degrees they considered to be the best value for money. The Academy’s analysis was based on the survey carried out by the Higher Education Policy Institute, which surveyed 14,046 full-time undergraduate students to discover which university subjects/courses had the best ‘value for money. Though your medical and dentistry studies will take quite a few years and is expensive, you’ll enjoy a challenging learning environment where most of the time you’ll be working in a real hospital environment dealing with common patient needs.

Does this ‘value for money translate to employability? Yes, it does. As a final result of the outstanding education and strong links with the National Health Service, graduates in medicine and dentistry courses enjoy high employability in the market. On average, a dentist earns £74900 per year and if you’re a specialist grade doctor you can earn a basic salary of £80,693 to £91,584. 

Computer Science

Where would we be in this technological age without graduates of computer science? Graduates of computer science are probably the biggest advancers of the technological age we currently enjoy. As a graduate computer scientist, you’ll use technology to solve problems and prepare for the future. You’ll also write and program software to create applications with your primary focus being the validation and development of models for interaction between people and computers or software and devices.

Consequently, a computer science degree in the UK will offer you unlimited job opportunities in different sectors. 80% of computer graduates go on to find employment within 6 months of graduation.  Apart from this, your earnings will also be satisfactory. In the Institute for Fiscal Studies Report mentioned earlier, computing graduates earn 10% higher than the average graduate earnings. 

Mathematics

The application of a mathematics degree is not just a theoretical concept as math graduates are often good at helping to solve real-world, physical problems with the knowledge gained during their time at the university. Math graduates can pursue roles as a statistician, operations research analysts, actuaries, and math teachers if they so choose to. You can even choose to pursue a career as a lawyer if you so choose to. 

Consequently, this leads us to the truth that mathematicians are in high demand across a range of sectors in the UK, within 6 months, 79% of graduates find themselves in employment. The pay is quite good too. Based on the recent statistics in July 2022, a mathematician averages a yearly salary of £72,053, or £35 per hour, and a bonus of £2,738. 

Engineering

Regardless of the branch of engineering degrees that students graduate from, they will always find employment. The statistic is that within 6 months of graduation, 85% of engineering graduates find employment. Engineering is broad and covers areas such as mechanical, chemical, civil, computer, biological, electrical, software; and so on. As an engineering graduate, your ability to construct, design and manufacture a machine or mechanism related to a particular field can be exciting. 

Though your salary will depend on the kind of engineering you are into, the average salary for an engineer is £48,000 gross per year (£3,000 net per month), which is £18,400 higher than the national average salary.

Architecture, Building and Planning

Architecture is the art and science of designing and engineering structures and buildings. Some architects say that they derive their fulfilment from being able to imagine a structure, put the idea on paper or into a computer and then convert the vision into a reality. Other architects derive joy from the fact their work has a long legacy because most buildings they will build will not be temporary but will last for tens if not hundreds of years. 

Graduates do not only enjoy fulfilment but they also enjoy a high employment rate, 90% of graduates go on to full-time employment or further education within 6 months of graduation. In addition, the average architect salary in the United Kingdom is £64,792 per year or £33.23 per hour with entry-level positions starting at £43,644 per year.

Education

Considering that we are talking about employable degrees it wouldn’t make sense if we didn’t talk about a degree that helps you get those degrees. A degree in the education sector involves the study of the process of receiving and giving systematic instruction. Thus educational degrees are degrees which prepare students for work as a teacher in schools (which includes universities where the other degrees are given).

Regardless of whether you have to deliver the classes online or in person, the demand for teachers will not only be available but will also be high. That said the employability rate is relatively high and you’ll have plenty of options outside the university. This is also helped by the fact that there is an acute shortage of qualified teachers in the UK. To combat this shortage, the government 2021 announced that it would offer over £300 million to attract and develop world-class teachers. 

One of the reasons there is a shortage is the poor pay teachers get. Compared to the above, the education graduates earn less. Depending on where you teach, your starting salary may be between £25,714 and £32,157. 

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Charles is a writer, practising lawyer and personal trainer who loves learning and developing himself. He graduated from Middlesex University, London with eight first-class grades in the second and third years of his law degree, and received a postgraduate offer from Cambridge University. He loves strength training, boxing and encouraging people to succeed in their pursuits (legal ones)
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