What careers can I go into using my degree subject?
Exploring the careers paths of previous graduates in your subject can be a good way to understand the options open to you.
- Research what previous graduates from your course at Oxford have done by looking at our graduate outcomes survey.
- Find national data on the career destinations of graduates in your subject area in the annual publication What do graduates do?
- Look at what types of jobs alumni are doing on LinkedIn where you can search by degree subject studied at Oxford.
- Read summaries of career options for your degree subject from Prospects and TargetJobs
- Professional bodies specific to your subject area sometimes produce a summary of career options that directly use your discipline: examples include the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Classical Studies.
- Talk to tutors and your peers from within your field to learn about what other people have gone on to do, again listening to identify options which might appeal.
Thinking deeper about 'using your subject'
Defining ‘using your subject’ is a useful way to crystallize what you’re really looking for and develop options beyond just the basic list above. See if any of the following factors resonate with you (there might be more than one):
- Analysing further what I developed in my major thesis/dissertation/project
- Applying the technical knowledge or skills from the course to the real world
- Continuing to use specific skills or techniques I practised on the course
- Being around people who I can talk to about academic ideas
- Making the transition from ‘student’ to ‘worker’ feel more gradual
- Being in a similar environment as I was on my course
- Trying out some of the range of skills I’ve learnt to figure out my next step
- Working in an area of work I understand well and feel confident in
- Keeping my interest in the subject alive
It’s only the first three factors which relate to the specific academic skills from your course: the others are possible to fulfil in a much broader range of ways.
Using transferable skills
The vast majority of potential jobs and employers do not require specific courses, and are open to nearly all degree disciplines. For them ‘using your subject’ means employing the many transferable skills from your degree, as well as your interests and motivations (which may relate to your subject choice in the first place).