most useful OU degree?

[pimping]

What I am looking for is a degree which will lead into a very well paid job.
I am looking towards economics/finance but would welcome any thoughts/experience on which degree would be most useful. I would try my hand at any degree if it meant a well paid job at the end of it.

[Panayiotis]

Judging by your username, I think you have already figured out the best way to make money these days.

[Jonathan27]

I'd suggest accountancy. The pay is okay, but more to the point there is a clear job. When I was at Uni I studied Politics, its pure luck that I ended up with a decent job after that.

[Monty Python]

What do you define as "well paid", and how soon do you want to be on that salary?

[STW2010]

Is money your only motivation? If so, to be honest I find that quite sad. You spend so much time at work, surely there should other incentives. You will need to show that you have an interest in the job that you are going for when it comes to the interview, plus you will find it tough to remain committed to a putting in the hours required for a degree if you are only interested in how much money you will make.

[Strachan]

STW2010 said:

Is money your only motivation? To be honest I find that quite sad.

I find it quite realistic.

[rog007]

pimping said:

What I am looking for is a degree which will lead into a very well paid job.

If it were only that simple! Unfortunately there are many forces at work here, some you can control, and others you can not. Your own intelligence, your preferences, what you enjoy (there are many people out there being well paid but hating every waking second), your aspirations, your current financial situation, your inherent competencies, the uni admissions and selection process, the state of the market today/tomorrow/next decade etc, etc.

If the world were perfect and anyone could choose to enter in to a career in to the highest paid jobs (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/dec/18/uks-be... then we would all be a doctors, dentists, lawyers, pilots, accountants etc. Thankfully, the world is not perfect and we have a wide diversity of abilities and professions. There is one strap line I would consider however; to succeed, provide what is scarce. Good luck!

Edited by rog007 on Monday 15th August 08:23

[Strachan]

Broken link, Rog!

[Stu R]

It depends entirely on what you see yourself doing, and what you think you're suited to. Any degree can lead to a complete dead end job, and for people looking to rocket up the career ladder there's probably a significant amount of further training as a post-grad to look forward to.

If the thought of something finance or economic related makes you tick, go for it. If you think it's an easy way to get into a great salary you'll probably end up disappointed. If it's something you're willing to accept will be a foot in the door at best and you're prepared to put a lot of effort and hard work into, you'll probably find it could work well for you if the right opportunities present themselves.

[anonymous-user]

OP, given you said on another thread that you are leaving the army, an engineering degree coupled with your experience should see you fit into that environment quite well. OU degrees are by all accounts tough and you need to be totally dedicated. good luck.

[rog007]

Sorry; some reason it keeps getting cut short. Extract from 2010 data here:


1. Head of major organisation £97,626 -14.7%

10th pct: £52,000. 80th pct✝: £195,320.

It will come as no surprise to learn that if you want to earn high, it helps to be a mover in the boardroom. Professionals in this bracket head enterprises and organisations employing more than 500 people. They plan, direct and co-ordinate resources for operations such as processing, production, construction, maintenance, transport, storage, handling and warehousing, the resources of offices performing clerical and related functions and the specialist activities of enterprises. Related job titles: Chief executive; director; general manager; managing director.

2. Medical practitioner £80,266 +2.4%

10th pct: £34,272. 90th pct: £141,662.

Medical practitioners diagnose mental and physical injuries, disorders and diseases, prescribe and give treatment, recommend preventative action and can refer patients to a specialist. Related job titles: Anaesthetist; consultant (hospital service); doctor; general practitioner; physician; psychiatrist; psychoanalyst; registrar (hospital service); surgeon.

3. Aircraft pilot £68,467 -6.6%

Percentile data unavailable.

Aircraft flight deck officers check, regulate, adjust and test engines and other equipment prior to take-off, navigate and pilot aircraft and give flying lessons. Related job titles: Airline captain; commercial pilot; flight engineer; flying instructor.

4. Senior national government official £62,747 +4.1%

20th pct*: £38,925. 60th pct✝: £67,838.

National government senior officials formulate and ratify legislation and government policy, act as elected representatives of national, European or regional parliaments and represent and direct diplomatic operations. Related jobs: Assistant secretary/Grade 5 (government); diplomat; MEP; MP; permanent secretary.

5. Dental practitioner £60,098 -11.2%

Percentile data unavailable.

The only salary quoted as a mean rather than median value, as Ashe contained no data on the latter. The high mean value shows how dentistry sits comfortably among the UK's best-paid career paths. Dental practitioners diagnose dental and oral diseases, injuries and disorders, prescribe and administer treatment, recommend preventative action and refer patients to other specialists. Related job titles: Dental surgeon; orthodontist; periodontist.

6. Finance manager/chartered secretary £56,479 -2.8%

10th pct: £25,642. 80th pct✝: £100,000.

Financial managers plan, organise and direct financial information as well as advise on company financial policy. Chartered secretaries organise and direct work associated with meetings of directors and shareholders, act as company representatives, control share registration work, advise on company law and ensure all regulations concerning the running of a company are observed. Related job titles: Company registrar; treasurer; credit manager; financial director; merchant banker.

Edited by rog007 on Monday 15th August 08:31

[RemainAllHoof]

Y'see, I'd love to become a heart surgeon or something similar but seeing a scalpel penetrate the skin and the stretching pull apart the

[pacman1]

Look for where there is a demand.

Does the oil industry not pay well?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14521890

[chris123321]

Are open university degrees held in as much regard as "normal" university degrees or are they considered a bit useless?

[Stu R]

chris123321 said:

Are open university degrees held in as much regard as "normal" university degrees or are they considered a bit useless?

Depends on the degree. Generally speaking they're fairly highly respected as people have to bust their ass a lot more to get them ordinarily.

[Strachan]

pacman1 said:

Look for where there is a demand.

Does the oil industry not pay well?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14521890

no - it does pay well

[pacman1]

Strachan said:

pacman1 said:

Look for where there is a demand.

Does the oil industry not pay well?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14521890

no - it does pay well

As I suspected.

[NobleGuy]

pimping said:

What I am looking for is a degree which will lead into a very well paid job.
I am looking towards economics/finance but would welcome any thoughts/experience on which degree would be most useful. I would try my hand at any degree if it meant a well paid job at the end of it.

Maths. It opens up accountancy, finance, (possibly) engineering, teaching and it represents one of the biggest talent gaps in the UK.

[Strachan]

Degree level maths is mind numbing and largely irrelevant for most above fields. Exceptions are there but level of maths in engineering and economics is fine for IB, accountancy.

[NobleGuy]

Strachan said:

Degree level maths is mind numbing...

Opinion. The truth is to find a well paid job doesn't require a degree necessarily, but I bet a Maths degree would get you more attention than Business Studies, Sports Science or Art History.

Edited by NobleGuy on Monday 22 August 16:05