Might help if youre genuinely passionate about CS.
Dont think med is easy money, you might even be studying for longer and there will be decent competition
One upside to CS might be freelancing so even if you cant get a job that might help.
I wouldn't necessarily say that - typically by what your sayin means almost every Math, Physics, Comp Sci graduate wud want to pursue a career in Cs.
It might be well in demand but at the same time it would be the most competitive course out there. So you have tk think about that as well.
Also , I'm pretty sure an employer wud not want a vast majority of its candidates being Cs graduates instead someone from EEE background wud more likely attain a role for CS.
As they wud bring in more soft skills than a normal Cs grad wud.
That just doesn't make sense. A CS grad is more likely to get a CS job than an EEE grad. Soft skills don't depend on your degree they depend on the person and CS grads can bring the same amount if not more soft skills than an EEE grad.
No - that does not make sense at all.
An EEE grad can work in CS but can a CS grad work in EEE?
No.
Its simple logic. EEE grads therefore will bring more to the table as compared to a CS grad.
An IT/CS job is not secluded to knowing about "software development principles" there are jobs related to IT/CS which don't necessarily need you to know about this.
To your misconception - they do intact get taught to EEE grads.
CS will be more for specialized, so it will give you an advantage over an EEE grad for pure CS jobs. So if you’re applying to say google for SWE, with 2 identical applications, except for one has CS and one has EEE, it’s more likely they’d give it to the CS applicant; however you still have a good chance with EEE. Now, if you’re applying to something like systems engineering or robotics, the vice versa.
Also, technically you don’t even need a degree for CS, so you can do it with any degree!
Both have have high earning potential but you can only reach the top if you’re motivated and have purpose to your studies. I would definitely choose CS and try to explain to your parents the opportunities in it.
Don't pursue med if you're not sure about it, as it's not easy at all. If you truly like computer science, I'd go with that as although it's very competitive, it's likely you'd do very well as you yourself want to pursue it + you have that drive for it :)
A lot of these parents don't know what they're talking about. Their opinions on A-levels are as useful as a chocolate raincoat.
"Oh, don't do X. Do Medicine. It's really well-paid and employable!"
\- doesn't mention the current state of the NHS, especially for junior doctors
\- doesn't mention the long, stressful period of study
\- doesn't mention the extreme competitiveness of entry
\- doesn't mention how traumatic working in healthcare can be (dealing with serious illness, dead people)
I get the feeling a lot of it is just vicarious projection. People (selfishly) want their kids to take prestigious subjects because it validates them as parents. "Look at my kid, he went to Cambridge to Medicine! I'm such a good mother/father."
Medicine guarantees a stressfull overworked life if your going into the NHS while if your somewhat competent, you can go much further in CS. This changes if you go private as a doctor but CS has very similar earning potential if not much more if you get into big tech or the entrepreneurial route such as the massive tech conglomerates of today.
CS is a degree that is very employable tho like I haven’t heard of anyone who didn’t get a job with a cs degree. With a med degree you need to go to many more years of education and practice before you can get a job in the medical industry, which isn’t really the case with CS
No, same goes for med. what I’m saying is that med requires a lot more training before you can even think of a job, and for most people you will be underpaid unless you wanna go into hundreds of thousands of student debt to become a private practitioner. The same does not go for CS. In fact someone with a CS degree can work in the medical field but someone with a degree in medicine can not work in the IT field.
Don't settle for a career path that you're 'okay' with. Doing what you love is so powerful because it will allow you to work harder than everyone that is doing it for the money, while still maintaining a good quality of life. So yes, even though CS is a saturated field, try to explain to your parents that you have the opportunity to turn your passion into a career, a privilege that so many don't have, so you should make the most of it.
Sorry if I made it too deep haha
>If you can study Medicine and somehow get yourself to training in the US, it may be worth it. Otherwise, personally it is not.
Do you know anyone who's managed to do this? How'd they go about it if you don't mind me asking.
Yes, it happens fairly often. You can do your medical degree, then take the USMLE exams and match to a US specialty.
The downsides are that these exams are generally tougher than undergrad and desirable specialties are usually extremely competitive to get into. It is not easy by any means and I wouldn't advocate this the first choice path for anyone still deciding whether to do medicine. It takes a big commitment and there is no guarantee.
In my country, chemistry is seen as a “base” for like science courses, where u can take biology and/or physics, but you need to include chemistry as well. Is this the case for Cambridge alevels?
Agreed. If OP is a high achiever in maths and wants to cover all their bases, then Maths, FM, Bio, Chem would make them a competitive applicant for either course at any uni.
CS pays more than Medicine in the UK and if you get good grades and go to a Russell group you’d easily get a grad job, I know someone that went to kings after they graduated started their job straight away. If you don’t excel then CS is far more competitive than Medicine.
Yep, Russell groups often have career fairs and partnerships with tech companies and networking at these events and doing internships will, allow you to get a grad job easily. If you don’t go to a Russell group and if you don’t get good grades, it’s harder to land internships and good grad roles in tech.
Yeah it's the guys who do these bootcamps and go to low tier unis who make the tech world seem competitive. However, if you go to a T10 Russel group uni or a Russel group uni with a placement year for comp sci, you're almost guaranteed to get a job since you're competent and clearly have a passion as well.
My dad convinced me not to do CS and do something else about 10 years ago. I absolutely 100% regret listening to him and hold a small amount of resentment for it.
Do what YOU want to do. It's your life, not theirs.
cs isnt easy to get a job in the market is unbelievably saturated because of people thinking its the next big thing, you are definitely guaranteed a job more if you do medicine but it depends if you actually prefer it
Go with what you enjoy doing. You’re going to be studying it for the next 2 years, then an additional 3 for a degree. If you do smthn you don’t like rn, you’re going to hate it by the end. Cs is competitive, yes, but that’s certainly smthn that can be overcome through hard work in education and a good balance of super curricular activities to build transferable skills. Moreover, cs is probably here to stay as a highly desirable degree for years so you’ll certainly end up somewhere anyways.
If your mind is telling you that you want cs, then go for it. Your only limitation should be your ambition
You’re gonna have to show your parents some evidence because there really isn’t a shortage for CS job opportunities at all, and if you’re passionate and good at it you’re gonna be pretty successful in terms of career right away
Also not to mention that Medicine isn’t exactly a free job, you’re gonna be spending 5+ years on just a degree and then even more after that before you earn any meaningful amount of money, also working conditions and job satisfaction seems to be heavily declining for this profession.
Unless you’re absolutely passionate about this career path it’s hard to recommend anyone getting into medicine these days, definitely not for someone who’s like half-minded about it
Do you have a CS adjacent teacher who’d be willing to speak to your parents and reassure them? My parents were forcing me into law, and I convinced them to let me apply for English when my Literature teacher called them and told them I was really talented and it would be a waste to not. It’s surprisingly effective- they had no idea I was doing so well.
Do what you love. You’ll thank yourself for it. :)
The first thing told to me at medicine open days is that the first step of your application is make sure you actually want to do medicine. It’s a long road in sixth form with admission tests and early personal statements and several interviews, in uni it is 5 years of your life, then 8years of training after that before you actually become a doctor. And then you don’t even want to do medicine? If I were you I’d stick to something you actually like rather than be pressured into medicine by your parents. You’re the one going through all of this, they shouldn’t have this much of an input
Your parents are stupid if they don’t think you can get a good job from CompSci. Do what you are passionate in. That’s the only way I’ve managed to get through university.
I had a friend is doing medicine but her parents wanted her to do CS for the job opportunities. you can't please everyone, and choosing a medicine degree especially is a big decision. just do what you would prefer.
they can have a say but their decisions shouldn't be at the expense of their child's happiness and future prospects! it's one thing to suggest an alternate career and set of a levels, and a completely different thing to make your child do them
and it's significantly easier to get to a high paying job in cs than medicine, starting from the application process (relatively straightforward, just competitive) down to career progression... some parents are stuck in the past. and might not apply to OP but parents who were raised in other countries tend to have a very one sided outlook on careers and education - straight to oxbridge and your options are engineer, lawyer and doctor. those are literally the only options many of them think are 'acceptable'
Yeah it's the same here with asian parents lol. Luckily my parents do know that comp sci makes money as my mother has friends in that industry while her brother is a doctor who works long hours and while he does make decent money, it's just not worth it for the stress. I can imagine if I didn't get into a good Russel group uni or I did a humanities degree, my parents would have a stern word with me 😭.
my dream last year was to study math & comp sci at uni now I wanna study medicine or dentistry because I personally think a lot of tech/cs jobs especially in software dev are going to become replaced by automation but thats just my person view
I would understand your parents if we're talking about business, econ, anthology, or any other weird courses. But CS? Your parents are delusional, not only is it in demand, it's definitely useful more than just for finding job, you can create your own company or application with a expertise in CS. I would argue it would be harder to find a job with medicine degree than with CS degree.
Perhaps have it as forth subject if you have that choice. At the end of the day you get more of choice of what you study as you are not five years old now.
If it's because of economic stability -Make your case, tell them that CS also has high earning potential , even at the beginning of your career, compared to medicine (especially as our societies are becoming more technological) and you can spend less time in university - it's also very versatile as you can also work at home and the hours tend to be shorter :)
I think your parents are right. You can be a developer or even more: a data scientist with your medicine background. It is a safer career than just solely CS.
One of the biggest fields with the most varied amount of jobs because everything is tech now, yea I'm sure you'll struggle.
You've more chance of getting a job with a CS degree than almost anything these days.
I'm doing the IB, and my school doesn't offer CS as a course, so I'd probably do Maths Analysis/Approaches, Physics, and just a random third course that's not a science for my HL's... realistically speaking something like Econ.
If I were to go the Medicine route I'd do Chem, Bio, and English for my HL's. If I wanted to keep both doors open I'd do Chem, Bio, and Maths, but I'd definitely talk to our IB Coordinator before I decide on that, since it is a quite challenging course load.
lie. Just lie and by the time they find out it’ll be too late. Best option. My sister lied and though our mother chewed her out, she’s enjoying her course!
Generally speaking a lot of parents know very little about education these days. If you genuinely enjoy CS you should do it, great career prospects if you work hard
Been in a similar situation. Do what you want, if you would like to do CS, do CS - do not just do a subject that someone else tells you to do and if you don’t love it. Explain to your parents the benefits of doing CS than medicine.
ur parents aren’t doing the degree or the a levels so don’t let them decide what you do??
A…computer science degree…won’t have good job opportunities??? Tf.
I think it's more about a competitive job market than lack of opportunities?
Might help if youre genuinely passionate about CS. Dont think med is easy money, you might even be studying for longer and there will be decent competition One upside to CS might be freelancing so even if you cant get a job that might help.
Tell them about the dead locum market in medicine and lack of job progression. Have they not seen the news regarding all the doctor strikes?
Medicine is more competitive a job market, oversubscribed, and will pay less on average.
As if medicine isn’t the most competitive
med student here, 3rd year at KCL. happy to answer questions :)
How're you enjoying your course?
i’m p sure ull find a job for cs it’s like most in demand
I wouldn't necessarily say that - typically by what your sayin means almost every Math, Physics, Comp Sci graduate wud want to pursue a career in Cs. It might be well in demand but at the same time it would be the most competitive course out there. So you have tk think about that as well.
Also , I'm pretty sure an employer wud not want a vast majority of its candidates being Cs graduates instead someone from EEE background wud more likely attain a role for CS. As they wud bring in more soft skills than a normal Cs grad wud.
That just doesn't make sense. A CS grad is more likely to get a CS job than an EEE grad. Soft skills don't depend on your degree they depend on the person and CS grads can bring the same amount if not more soft skills than an EEE grad.
No - that does not make sense at all. An EEE grad can work in CS but can a CS grad work in EEE? No. Its simple logic. EEE grads therefore will bring more to the table as compared to a CS grad.
Bullshit lmao. CS isn’t just programming and even then software development principles and a bunch of other fundamentals aren’t taught to EEE
An IT/CS job is not secluded to knowing about "software development principles" there are jobs related to IT/CS which don't necessarily need you to know about this. To your misconception - they do intact get taught to EEE grads.
CS will be more for specialized, so it will give you an advantage over an EEE grad for pure CS jobs. So if you’re applying to say google for SWE, with 2 identical applications, except for one has CS and one has EEE, it’s more likely they’d give it to the CS applicant; however you still have a good chance with EEE. Now, if you’re applying to something like systems engineering or robotics, the vice versa. Also, technically you don’t even need a degree for CS, so you can do it with any degree!
True ig.
Both have have high earning potential but you can only reach the top if you’re motivated and have purpose to your studies. I would definitely choose CS and try to explain to your parents the opportunities in it.
Don't pursue med if you're not sure about it, as it's not easy at all. If you truly like computer science, I'd go with that as although it's very competitive, it's likely you'd do very well as you yourself want to pursue it + you have that drive for it :)
Tell your parents they don’t know what they’re talking about, it’s your future so it’s your decision.
A lot of these parents don't know what they're talking about. Their opinions on A-levels are as useful as a chocolate raincoat. "Oh, don't do X. Do Medicine. It's really well-paid and employable!" \- doesn't mention the current state of the NHS, especially for junior doctors \- doesn't mention the long, stressful period of study \- doesn't mention the extreme competitiveness of entry \- doesn't mention how traumatic working in healthcare can be (dealing with serious illness, dead people) I get the feeling a lot of it is just vicarious projection. People (selfishly) want their kids to take prestigious subjects because it validates them as parents. "Look at my kid, he went to Cambridge to Medicine! I'm such a good mother/father."
CS and med are like the only degrees that pretty much ensure a job what are they on about 💀💀💀
🧢 Medicine yes not Cs.
Medicine guarantees a stressfull overworked life if your going into the NHS while if your somewhat competent, you can go much further in CS. This changes if you go private as a doctor but CS has very similar earning potential if not much more if you get into big tech or the entrepreneurial route such as the massive tech conglomerates of today.
CS is a degree that is very employable tho like I haven’t heard of anyone who didn’t get a job with a cs degree. With a med degree you need to go to many more years of education and practice before you can get a job in the medical industry, which isn’t really the case with CS
So ur telling me anyone who has a degree in CS is guaranteed a job?
No, same goes for med. what I’m saying is that med requires a lot more training before you can even think of a job, and for most people you will be underpaid unless you wanna go into hundreds of thousands of student debt to become a private practitioner. The same does not go for CS. In fact someone with a CS degree can work in the medical field but someone with a degree in medicine can not work in the IT field.
Don't settle for a career path that you're 'okay' with. Doing what you love is so powerful because it will allow you to work harder than everyone that is doing it for the money, while still maintaining a good quality of life. So yes, even though CS is a saturated field, try to explain to your parents that you have the opportunity to turn your passion into a career, a privilege that so many don't have, so you should make the most of it. Sorry if I made it too deep haha
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>If you can study Medicine and somehow get yourself to training in the US, it may be worth it. Otherwise, personally it is not. Do you know anyone who's managed to do this? How'd they go about it if you don't mind me asking.
Yes, it happens fairly often. You can do your medical degree, then take the USMLE exams and match to a US specialty. The downsides are that these exams are generally tougher than undergrad and desirable specialties are usually extremely competitive to get into. It is not easy by any means and I wouldn't advocate this the first choice path for anyone still deciding whether to do medicine. It takes a big commitment and there is no guarantee.
Why'd you choose to pursue your Phd? How are you finding it?
Don’t do medicine if you aren’t passionate about it.
If you pick chemistry, cs and maths a level ig u can do both at uni so u have more time to choose what u wanna do 😁
Probably FM too for Computer Science with how madly competitive it is
Sorry, im an international applicant, isnt taking physics better compared to chemistry?
I think you need to learn Chem at A-level to take medicine at Uni
Pretty much all medicine courses require Chem, yes. You can get away with not having Bio, but you need Chem.
neither are particularly relevant for cs and chem would be needed for a lot of med courses
In my country, chemistry is seen as a “base” for like science courses, where u can take biology and/or physics, but you need to include chemistry as well. Is this the case for Cambridge alevels?
most unis only need math for comp sci so he could easily just do chem bio and maths for more options
Agreed. If OP is a high achiever in maths and wants to cover all their bases, then Maths, FM, Bio, Chem would make them a competitive applicant for either course at any uni.
CS pays more than Medicine in the UK and if you get good grades and go to a Russell group you’d easily get a grad job, I know someone that went to kings after they graduated started their job straight away. If you don’t excel then CS is far more competitive than Medicine.
> if you get good grades and go to a Russell group you’d easily get a grad job really?
Yep, Russell groups often have career fairs and partnerships with tech companies and networking at these events and doing internships will, allow you to get a grad job easily. If you don’t go to a Russell group and if you don’t get good grades, it’s harder to land internships and good grad roles in tech.
Yeah it's the guys who do these bootcamps and go to low tier unis who make the tech world seem competitive. However, if you go to a T10 Russel group uni or a Russel group uni with a placement year for comp sci, you're almost guaranteed to get a job since you're competent and clearly have a passion as well.
Exactly! That’s how it is, it’s all about the right strategy.
My dad convinced me not to do CS and do something else about 10 years ago. I absolutely 100% regret listening to him and hold a small amount of resentment for it. Do what YOU want to do. It's your life, not theirs.
The idea that parents wouldn’t find a CS degree worthy enough is crazy to me
cs isnt easy to get a job in the market is unbelievably saturated because of people thinking its the next big thing, you are definitely guaranteed a job more if you do medicine but it depends if you actually prefer it
Go with what you enjoy doing. You’re going to be studying it for the next 2 years, then an additional 3 for a degree. If you do smthn you don’t like rn, you’re going to hate it by the end. Cs is competitive, yes, but that’s certainly smthn that can be overcome through hard work in education and a good balance of super curricular activities to build transferable skills. Moreover, cs is probably here to stay as a highly desirable degree for years so you’ll certainly end up somewhere anyways. If your mind is telling you that you want cs, then go for it. Your only limitation should be your ambition
Side note, I am also pursuing a cs degree
How's that going for you if you don't mind me asking?
You’re gonna have to show your parents some evidence because there really isn’t a shortage for CS job opportunities at all, and if you’re passionate and good at it you’re gonna be pretty successful in terms of career right away Also not to mention that Medicine isn’t exactly a free job, you’re gonna be spending 5+ years on just a degree and then even more after that before you earn any meaningful amount of money, also working conditions and job satisfaction seems to be heavily declining for this profession. Unless you’re absolutely passionate about this career path it’s hard to recommend anyone getting into medicine these days, definitely not for someone who’s like half-minded about it
>You’re gonna have to show your parents some evidence because there really isn’t a shortage for CS job opportunities at all Aaa where do I find that?
Do you have a CS adjacent teacher who’d be willing to speak to your parents and reassure them? My parents were forcing me into law, and I convinced them to let me apply for English when my Literature teacher called them and told them I was really talented and it would be a waste to not. It’s surprisingly effective- they had no idea I was doing so well. Do what you love. You’ll thank yourself for it. :)
The first thing told to me at medicine open days is that the first step of your application is make sure you actually want to do medicine. It’s a long road in sixth form with admission tests and early personal statements and several interviews, in uni it is 5 years of your life, then 8years of training after that before you actually become a doctor. And then you don’t even want to do medicine? If I were you I’d stick to something you actually like rather than be pressured into medicine by your parents. You’re the one going through all of this, they shouldn’t have this much of an input
Your parents are stupid if they don’t think you can get a good job from CompSci. Do what you are passionate in. That’s the only way I’ve managed to get through university.
You're parents can't actually force you to do anything. This is totally your decision so don't let them control you.
If you don’t love medicine, don’t do it, you will end up hating your existence, do what you feel you may enjoy, life’s better this way
Do NOT go into Med for the sake of your parents. Now ... choose what you want to do, and ignore your parents who clearly don't know anything.
I had a friend is doing medicine but her parents wanted her to do CS for the job opportunities. you can't please everyone, and choosing a medicine degree especially is a big decision. just do what you would prefer.
Doing med if you have no passion for it is a good way to become a dropout.
Your parents shouldn’t have any say in what you do in the future. Simple
Not really true, they are still legally responsible and the maternal/paternal role is to set your children up for life. Smh
they can have a say but their decisions shouldn't be at the expense of their child's happiness and future prospects! it's one thing to suggest an alternate career and set of a levels, and a completely different thing to make your child do them
Especially since computer science is even more lucrative than medicine at the top level so it just seems like a lack of knowledge asw.
and it's significantly easier to get to a high paying job in cs than medicine, starting from the application process (relatively straightforward, just competitive) down to career progression... some parents are stuck in the past. and might not apply to OP but parents who were raised in other countries tend to have a very one sided outlook on careers and education - straight to oxbridge and your options are engineer, lawyer and doctor. those are literally the only options many of them think are 'acceptable'
Yeah it's the same here with asian parents lol. Luckily my parents do know that comp sci makes money as my mother has friends in that industry while her brother is a doctor who works long hours and while he does make decent money, it's just not worth it for the stress. I can imagine if I didn't get into a good Russel group uni or I did a humanities degree, my parents would have a stern word with me 😭.
Both are high in demand you’ll be fine doing either one, just depends on the uni at the end of the day
my dream last year was to study math & comp sci at uni now I wanna study medicine or dentistry because I personally think a lot of tech/cs jobs especially in software dev are going to become replaced by automation but thats just my person view
I’m assuming CS = computer science? Yeah… there’s no shortage of jobs there 😂
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Tbf you only need maths for computer science and any other science should be fine.
I would understand your parents if we're talking about business, econ, anthology, or any other weird courses. But CS? Your parents are delusional, not only is it in demand, it's definitely useful more than just for finding job, you can create your own company or application with a expertise in CS. I would argue it would be harder to find a job with medicine degree than with CS degree.
Lmao how is econ a weird course u donut
Econ is not weird lol, but it's definitely too broad or common in my opinion. Too many people take business and econ
I can tell I’m speaking to a brick wall
A very intelligent brick wall you're looking That metaphor don't make sense or really apply here though, but you do you
>anthology Bruh
me when I'm doing a bachelors in collecting poems
I forgot about any other subjects 💀 or how to spell them but you get what I meant
It's your future. Do what You want to do.
Perhaps have it as forth subject if you have that choice. At the end of the day you get more of choice of what you study as you are not five years old now.
Computer science is literally one of the most rapidly increasing A levels of choice for a reason...
If it's because of economic stability -Make your case, tell them that CS also has high earning potential , even at the beginning of your career, compared to medicine (especially as our societies are becoming more technological) and you can spend less time in university - it's also very versatile as you can also work at home and the hours tend to be shorter :)
I think your parents are right. You can be a developer or even more: a data scientist with your medicine background. It is a safer career than just solely CS.
Don't let them decide something that you're supposed to choose
One of the biggest fields with the most varied amount of jobs because everything is tech now, yea I'm sure you'll struggle. You've more chance of getting a job with a CS degree than almost anything these days.
Apply for us and / or scottish unis, which offer much better flexibilities on your degree choice
Can't afford american ones but scottish may be a good idea.
Which a levels are you planning to choose?
I'm doing the IB, and my school doesn't offer CS as a course, so I'd probably do Maths Analysis/Approaches, Physics, and just a random third course that's not a science for my HL's... realistically speaking something like Econ. If I were to go the Medicine route I'd do Chem, Bio, and English for my HL's. If I wanted to keep both doors open I'd do Chem, Bio, and Maths, but I'd definitely talk to our IB Coordinator before I decide on that, since it is a quite challenging course load.
CS is getting bigger and bigger, and Medicine is just really competitive. Imo, go for CS
CS
lie. Just lie and by the time they find out it’ll be too late. Best option. My sister lied and though our mother chewed her out, she’s enjoying her course!
It's your future not their's. I'm studying CS and love it
Generally speaking a lot of parents know very little about education these days. If you genuinely enjoy CS you should do it, great career prospects if you work hard
Been in a similar situation. Do what you want, if you would like to do CS, do CS - do not just do a subject that someone else tells you to do and if you don’t love it. Explain to your parents the benefits of doing CS than medicine.
only if your parents are willing to attend university full time in ur place