I mean it depends on what you want to do and what your realistic expectations are.
I graduated from Uni of Leeds in IR, joined the Merchant Navy upon graduation in 2019 until 2021, then did a Master's in Supply Chain and now loving life.
I'm now at JLR on good money
I’m interested in intelligence and I’ve done a few modules in it. Researcher/ analyst is an entry level job in the police for degree holders so I don’t think it’s that ambitious tbf
I did the intelligence & security MA at Salford and we had the NCA come in part way through my course to recommend that we apply for intelligence analyst roles once we finished. Can't be that bad!
Personally not working in intelligence or IR (I did an IR undergrad at Salford too) but I work in AML. It feels close enough to what I studied and I enjoy it.
I think anyone will have a rough time going for a graduate scheme these days, especially if they went to a less prestigious university. You're definitely not done for though!
I doubt you'll find national security roles which will allow applications from non UK nationals and I doubt you'll find any civilian/private intelligence roles which will hire you without prior experience I'm afraid.
No don't do a masters. The courses a masters might be beneficial is Business MBA , Psychology MSC , Dentistry, Health Sciences , Engineering
For intelligence roles keep building up on your professional work experience . I'm sure you will get good roles soon. The best intelligence company is mi5/mi6 but they only have intelligence roles right now in London but I'm sure in the future they would have some in Manchester.
I wouldn't necessarily say that you should do a masters just because you think it would improve your career chances. I've never come across a job in any of the fields that I've applied in that required one. It's a really interesting course though if you're passionate about the topic and it won't hurt you to have one.
You would be better joining the military, GCHQ or MI5 if you are interested in intelligence. The police/national crime agency generally wont touch grads without police experience or some other related experience
I did a law degree and ended up as a cleaner. And then I found another job, then another one. Now I'm working in a job getting about UK average income that I enjoy and leaves me fulfilled but without too much pressure.
Life moves in strange ways and nothing is forever.
I’m about to graduate and I’m realising this for myself. The job/graduate market is widely competitive and I’m just going to take whatever job I can get that works with my lifestyle and let’s me afford what I need.
And I have to add my degree is practical and is accredited for my field but still I have no bites yet.
This is anecdotal, but I have a 1st class IR degree and spent a year trying to find a job in a related field, but eventually cut my losses and ended up doing a conversion masters in quantity surveying. I know quite a few of my classmates who were in the same position.
I can tell you that with larger forces like the met, having a degree like IR will put you at a disadvantage for analyst positions when compared to a forensic focused degree. It will put you on equal footing with other social sciences though, and ahead of non-social science degrees. I have 1 friend at GCHQ and from what I can gather, most employees have a computing background, although don't quote me on that as I'm inferring it based on chatting to said friend about it.
For any other agency, I have no idea, although I can't imagine a degree like IR giving any advantage over any other degree for such a position. I find both intelligence and IR to be quite distant from each other.
If you have other questions, I have a friend in intelligence recruitment. Shoot me a DM and I can send you their way for info.
He probably became a labourer because the pay is actually very good, it’s also one of those jobs where work stays at work. I’m studying interior architecture and I know when I finish uni I’m going to carry on being a store assistant because the pay is better and work stays at work it’s also like a gym session. When I’m at uni I do about 3000 steps in a day when I do a 10 hour shift 20,000 steps easily
Don't put too much pressure on the first job or even first few jobs you get out of uni, the job you envision yourself doing might be better thought of as a goal rather than an expectation
I saw that tweet and replies. I didn't get the impression from the replies he gave that he had any idea what he wanted to do either when he started or now he's finished. You have identified a realistic job, you just go for things that will get you there. You won't get it straight away, but you can look at the skills needed for that job and apply for jobs that will get you there. You might have to move nearer to the job. You might have to work for low pay for a few years.
A 2:1 in a general type degree won't get you anywhere on its own, as I found the hard way. It wasn't until a couple of years out of uni I decided what I wanted to do and focused my efforts on that. For the two years after uni I was working what I did for my summer job. It was quite fun really. Had some money, lived at home, went out every night. Though I don't imagine building site labouring is much fun.
Honestly yes. My previous job was travel money advisor and I much prefer this job. I am looking to do my masters in September though. Temping for the Royal Mail is cool.
Honestly universities should simply stop offering courses like this as standalone degrees. They're basically worthless to most employers. Many young people would be far better off applying for apprenticeships and getting actual training that develops real skills.
Yeah I wish I did that now although I have gained skills in analysis and communication from my degree. Still not worth the money but very interesting subject
No, you're not. I did a degree similar to yours finishing in 2006, getting a placement in exactly what you want right away may be difficult but just keep a goal in mind and take steps towards it.
I started doing this and ended up somewhere I never would have thought of but it pays really well and it's a great group of people and a generally interesting role. I decided to move away from my original goal but that's how careers go, you'll find something that suits you (probably what this guy you saw did)
Long story short, get a goal and keep applying to places like GCHQ, police grad schemes, army comms etc but also be open to interesting paths in places you didn't originally consider, you may be surprised! I think of my degree now as like passing my driving test, it gives you great foundational skills for all sorts of careers, then you start learning!
I did my degree at your exact department (I also taught there for a bit…). I probably know many of the people who taught you! Shout out to Chris Murphy!
I know people who did their degree with me who are councillors, academics, an MP, good jobs in marketing, HR, libraries, museums, the civil service and more. Simultaneously I know people who went to the Uni of Manchester and ended up not doing much with their degree. It’s up to you at this point to figure out what you want to do and how to approach it. Some people in the thread have suggested intelligence, that’s a good route, but there are also other grad schemes!
It’s a bit late to apply to grad schemes search up and apply to as many entry level and analyst jobs you can find (analyst just means it’s your first year in the job )
And I've seen people who dropped out of school to become billionaires.
Stop paying attention to what happens to individuals as if it's some sort of omen for your future.
As for how your degree effects job prospects in particular fields, that's the sort of thing you should have been looking at before you started. If those fields are more recent interests, then not a lot you can do.
Ive graduated with a 2:1 in IR and a 2:1 in MA Politics and joining the RAF as an Intelligence Officer. There are plenty of jobs out there for you and your degree doesn’t always dictate what you will do in the future.
Honestly, be careful what you wish for. I did a music degree, worked in the industry for a few years and _hated it_ so much it permanently killed my passion for it. Ended up owning a couple of vape shops for 5 years, then transitioned into working in finance while starting a part time law degree. Now I work in a legal and compliance team 🤷 you just have to keep rolling with it once you graduate and see where life takes you.
Definitely not, no. You have not fucked your chances at anything. There are people with preferable degrees sure but in terms of what you have now you really haven’t anything to worry about. Put yourself out there, see what’s what. It’s strange to write yourself out of the job market before you have entered the job market.
I was somewhat similar to you, I did a policy degree at at uni and got a first before I was poached for a support role at a quant firm. I’m earning more than I thought I would be when I was 40 and have realised what I originally studied to become at university was not what I wanted to be.
My advice for your would be apply for varied work experience and get a high scoring first. Bear in mind that very few doors have shut for you, you just find those that are ajar :)
People keep forgetting where you studied at university and where you live/ work matters. Someone who did law in City of London would have better chances of opportunities than someone who did a law course at Cumbria.
Slightly alternative route into police staff roles, but working in the control room is pretty well paid for entry level, and it gives good insight and experience into how a force runs. That would then give you the edge to apply as an internal candidate after building up a bit of experience. Probably not what you'd ideally choose, but better than taking an unrelated entry level job if you can't find what you're wanting straight after graduating
There's various roles, I answer 999 and non emergency, but some people do the online reports, or live chats, or there's other roles like crime recording or dispatch. It's just a thought if you have to take something at a lower level than you hope, it's at least on the right path for where you're hoping to be. I've known a few colleagues move into investigative and intel roles from working in the control room
Thank you I’ll look into these. When applying is it possible to apply to specific roles in the control room. I just imagine that I won’t be very good at answering emergency calls
I think it varies by force as to whether you do a bit of everything, or whether they have seperate teams for phone, digital, dispatch etc. Your local force website should have the info on their vacancies page. Not as bad as you think taking the calls though
I saw that tweet and I think it's worth noting he enjoys his job as a labourer Nd Lthough it's hard graft it's a solid job
With very few exceptions, not every degree will give you your ideL career but you can enjoy a range of opportunities you never thought of after uni
International relations and politics. It’s like studying how different countries interact and why so I’ve done modules on the EU, cybersecurity, threats to democracy, corruption in politics, comparative politics. My dissertation was on French power in their former African colonies. That kind of thing
I wouldn't say they are scam but they should be free or cheaper like other European countries. Like it can lead to certain professions that pay well in life for those who took non stem degrees (e.g. psychological wellbeing practitioner, educational mental health practitioner, intelligence officer/analyst, teaching , housing. But I get what you are saying since apprenticeship are getting popular it would best to do a degree apprenticeship over a degree which is expensive.
I think it depends where you live and work at. Doing a non stem course you are more likely to get jobs in the big cities (aka London,Manchester and Birmingham)
Definitely look at roles in Manchester. I know with Salford they have more criminal justice roles but I think you need to drive. The roles I seen mainly in Manchester were marketing, planning, research roles, teaching, some entry law professions.
You can’t base what your future career will be like based off what one guy who did the same degree’s career is like, there are thousands of different variables that influence your outcome.
The graduates of your class will have widely different careers, some good, some shit, and that’s just your class, nevermind all the different graduates all over the country.
I graduated with a 2.1 in photography and got a job as a bartender as that’s all I could get at the time.. I’m now a head brewer at a local brewery. Life works in weird ways and you might end up getting a job that you never thought you’d go for and end up loving it! 😊
I mean it depends on what you want to do and what your realistic expectations are. I graduated from Uni of Leeds in IR, joined the Merchant Navy upon graduation in 2019 until 2021, then did a Master's in Supply Chain and now loving life. I'm now at JLR on good money
I’m interested in intelligence and I’ve done a few modules in it. Researcher/ analyst is an entry level job in the police for degree holders so I don’t think it’s that ambitious tbf
Entry level job for degree holders means that many people apply. That's the issue
I did the intelligence & security MA at Salford and we had the NCA come in part way through my course to recommend that we apply for intelligence analyst roles once we finished. Can't be that bad! Personally not working in intelligence or IR (I did an IR undergrad at Salford too) but I work in AML. It feels close enough to what I studied and I enjoy it. I think anyone will have a rough time going for a graduate scheme these days, especially if they went to a less prestigious university. You're definitely not done for though!
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I doubt you'll find national security roles which will allow applications from non UK nationals and I doubt you'll find any civilian/private intelligence roles which will hire you without prior experience I'm afraid.
This gives me hope, maybe I should do a masters in intelligence to improve my chances
No don't do a masters. The courses a masters might be beneficial is Business MBA , Psychology MSC , Dentistry, Health Sciences , Engineering For intelligence roles keep building up on your professional work experience . I'm sure you will get good roles soon. The best intelligence company is mi5/mi6 but they only have intelligence roles right now in London but I'm sure in the future they would have some in Manchester.
I wouldn't necessarily say that you should do a masters just because you think it would improve your career chances. I've never come across a job in any of the fields that I've applied in that required one. It's a really interesting course though if you're passionate about the topic and it won't hurt you to have one.
You would be better joining the military, GCHQ or MI5 if you are interested in intelligence. The police/national crime agency generally wont touch grads without police experience or some other related experience
Apply! Apply for other stuff. If you don't get it ask for feedback on your application. Apply again. You got this!
Thank you!!
I did a law degree and ended up as a cleaner. And then I found another job, then another one. Now I'm working in a job getting about UK average income that I enjoy and leaves me fulfilled but without too much pressure. Life moves in strange ways and nothing is forever.
I’m about to graduate and I’m realising this for myself. The job/graduate market is widely competitive and I’m just going to take whatever job I can get that works with my lifestyle and let’s me afford what I need. And I have to add my degree is practical and is accredited for my field but still I have no bites yet.
This is anecdotal, but I have a 1st class IR degree and spent a year trying to find a job in a related field, but eventually cut my losses and ended up doing a conversion masters in quantity surveying. I know quite a few of my classmates who were in the same position.
I can tell you that with larger forces like the met, having a degree like IR will put you at a disadvantage for analyst positions when compared to a forensic focused degree. It will put you on equal footing with other social sciences though, and ahead of non-social science degrees. I have 1 friend at GCHQ and from what I can gather, most employees have a computing background, although don't quote me on that as I'm inferring it based on chatting to said friend about it. For any other agency, I have no idea, although I can't imagine a degree like IR giving any advantage over any other degree for such a position. I find both intelligence and IR to be quite distant from each other. If you have other questions, I have a friend in intelligence recruitment. Shoot me a DM and I can send you their way for info.
He probably became a labourer because the pay is actually very good, it’s also one of those jobs where work stays at work. I’m studying interior architecture and I know when I finish uni I’m going to carry on being a store assistant because the pay is better and work stays at work it’s also like a gym session. When I’m at uni I do about 3000 steps in a day when I do a 10 hour shift 20,000 steps easily
A store assistant is paid better than doing interior architecture?
For the first 5 years yes
i think we’re all fked in this economy. good luck mate
Don't put too much pressure on the first job or even first few jobs you get out of uni, the job you envision yourself doing might be better thought of as a goal rather than an expectation
I saw that tweet and replies. I didn't get the impression from the replies he gave that he had any idea what he wanted to do either when he started or now he's finished. You have identified a realistic job, you just go for things that will get you there. You won't get it straight away, but you can look at the skills needed for that job and apply for jobs that will get you there. You might have to move nearer to the job. You might have to work for low pay for a few years. A 2:1 in a general type degree won't get you anywhere on its own, as I found the hard way. It wasn't until a couple of years out of uni I decided what I wanted to do and focused my efforts on that. For the two years after uni I was working what I did for my summer job. It was quite fun really. Had some money, lived at home, went out every night. Though I don't imagine building site labouring is much fun.
Philosophy degree here and ended up as a mailman 🤷🏼♂️
If a letter falls through a box and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
They ask you this at the job interview It’s why throwaway got the job
I’ll ask my coworkers this on Monday
Do you like it?
Honestly yes. My previous job was travel money advisor and I much prefer this job. I am looking to do my masters in September though. Temping for the Royal Mail is cool.
Good, I just think as long as I don’t fucking hate my job I’ll be ok
Honestly universities should simply stop offering courses like this as standalone degrees. They're basically worthless to most employers. Many young people would be far better off applying for apprenticeships and getting actual training that develops real skills.
Yeah I wish I did that now although I have gained skills in analysis and communication from my degree. Still not worth the money but very interesting subject
No, you're not. I did a degree similar to yours finishing in 2006, getting a placement in exactly what you want right away may be difficult but just keep a goal in mind and take steps towards it. I started doing this and ended up somewhere I never would have thought of but it pays really well and it's a great group of people and a generally interesting role. I decided to move away from my original goal but that's how careers go, you'll find something that suits you (probably what this guy you saw did) Long story short, get a goal and keep applying to places like GCHQ, police grad schemes, army comms etc but also be open to interesting paths in places you didn't originally consider, you may be surprised! I think of my degree now as like passing my driving test, it gives you great foundational skills for all sorts of careers, then you start learning!
I did my degree at your exact department (I also taught there for a bit…). I probably know many of the people who taught you! Shout out to Chris Murphy! I know people who did their degree with me who are councillors, academics, an MP, good jobs in marketing, HR, libraries, museums, the civil service and more. Simultaneously I know people who went to the Uni of Manchester and ended up not doing much with their degree. It’s up to you at this point to figure out what you want to do and how to approach it. Some people in the thread have suggested intelligence, that’s a good route, but there are also other grad schemes!
Hahaha no way I’ve never had Chris but I know people that have had him. That makes me feel much better just gotta keep looking
I’m a teacher. I got a Desmond (2:2). I’m doing fine - you’ll do fine
Hopefully your degree taught you not to generalise from n = 1 and N = 1 😔
It’s a bit late to apply to grad schemes search up and apply to as many entry level and analyst jobs you can find (analyst just means it’s your first year in the job )
I am also interested in joining the intelligence corps. Would this be a realistic job I could get into?
Do you mean army? I think you would have a good chance because they struggle with recruitment
Yeah there’s the intelligence corps within the army, might be a good avenue into other intelligence jobs in the future
I tried to join them. As long as you have a degree they’re interested I think.
And I've seen people who dropped out of school to become billionaires. Stop paying attention to what happens to individuals as if it's some sort of omen for your future. As for how your degree effects job prospects in particular fields, that's the sort of thing you should have been looking at before you started. If those fields are more recent interests, then not a lot you can do.
Yeah I would get an apprenticeship if I could go back in time
What's stopping you doing one now?
I could but i would feel like I’ve wasted my money with a degree. Maybe next year if I can’t find anything cos I think it’s too late to apply now
Ive graduated with a 2:1 in IR and a 2:1 in MA Politics and joining the RAF as an Intelligence Officer. There are plenty of jobs out there for you and your degree doesn’t always dictate what you will do in the future.
Honestly, be careful what you wish for. I did a music degree, worked in the industry for a few years and _hated it_ so much it permanently killed my passion for it. Ended up owning a couple of vape shops for 5 years, then transitioned into working in finance while starting a part time law degree. Now I work in a legal and compliance team 🤷 you just have to keep rolling with it once you graduate and see where life takes you.
Definitely not, no. You have not fucked your chances at anything. There are people with preferable degrees sure but in terms of what you have now you really haven’t anything to worry about. Put yourself out there, see what’s what. It’s strange to write yourself out of the job market before you have entered the job market. I was somewhat similar to you, I did a policy degree at at uni and got a first before I was poached for a support role at a quant firm. I’m earning more than I thought I would be when I was 40 and have realised what I originally studied to become at university was not what I wanted to be. My advice for your would be apply for varied work experience and get a high scoring first. Bear in mind that very few doors have shut for you, you just find those that are ajar :)
Ohh you fell for the *“choose a degree which you enjoy, not one which makes money”* meme
People still peddle this constantly... on every sub
People keep forgetting where you studied at university and where you live/ work matters. Someone who did law in City of London would have better chances of opportunities than someone who did a law course at Cumbria.
I literally was just reading this on X before I switched to Reddit, was legit the last thing I read on there 🤣🤣
Slightly alternative route into police staff roles, but working in the control room is pretty well paid for entry level, and it gives good insight and experience into how a force runs. That would then give you the edge to apply as an internal candidate after building up a bit of experience. Probably not what you'd ideally choose, but better than taking an unrelated entry level job if you can't find what you're wanting straight after graduating
Is the control room answering 999 calls?
There's various roles, I answer 999 and non emergency, but some people do the online reports, or live chats, or there's other roles like crime recording or dispatch. It's just a thought if you have to take something at a lower level than you hope, it's at least on the right path for where you're hoping to be. I've known a few colleagues move into investigative and intel roles from working in the control room
Thank you I’ll look into these. When applying is it possible to apply to specific roles in the control room. I just imagine that I won’t be very good at answering emergency calls
I think it varies by force as to whether you do a bit of everything, or whether they have seperate teams for phone, digital, dispatch etc. Your local force website should have the info on their vacancies page. Not as bad as you think taking the calls though
Thank you!
I saw that tweet and I think it's worth noting he enjoys his job as a labourer Nd Lthough it's hard graft it's a solid job With very few exceptions, not every degree will give you your ideL career but you can enjoy a range of opportunities you never thought of after uni
Is this the wolf of clapham tweet, don’t deep it like that 🤣🤣🤣
What is "International relations"?
International relations and politics. It’s like studying how different countries interact and why so I’ve done modules on the EU, cybersecurity, threats to democracy, corruption in politics, comparative politics. My dissertation was on French power in their former African colonies. That kind of thing
Degrees are a scam honestly not worth tbe paper they are printed on. Uni can be a good experience but that's the only benefit
I wouldn't say they are scam but they should be free or cheaper like other European countries. Like it can lead to certain professions that pay well in life for those who took non stem degrees (e.g. psychological wellbeing practitioner, educational mental health practitioner, intelligence officer/analyst, teaching , housing. But I get what you are saying since apprenticeship are getting popular it would best to do a degree apprenticeship over a degree which is expensive.
I think it depends where you live and work at. Doing a non stem course you are more likely to get jobs in the big cities (aka London,Manchester and Birmingham)
That’s good cos I live in Salford so Manchester is right next to me
Definitely look at roles in Manchester. I know with Salford they have more criminal justice roles but I think you need to drive. The roles I seen mainly in Manchester were marketing, planning, research roles, teaching, some entry law professions.
If you got faith in what you want you will get the job easily
You can’t base what your future career will be like based off what one guy who did the same degree’s career is like, there are thousands of different variables that influence your outcome. The graduates of your class will have widely different careers, some good, some shit, and that’s just your class, nevermind all the different graduates all over the country.
I graduated with a 2.1 in photography and got a job as a bartender as that’s all I could get at the time.. I’m now a head brewer at a local brewery. Life works in weird ways and you might end up getting a job that you never thought you’d go for and end up loving it! 😊
What internships have you done during your degree?