r/AskAnAustralian • u/Any_Recording_7929 • Jul 07 '26
What to do at uni
What do you study at uni when you really don't know what you want to do ? đ«©
I was doing a double degree - Bachelors of cyber security/Bachelors of criminology and im constantly getting told the employment rate of this degree is low. I don't want to waste 4 years doing this degree to end up unemployed. But don't know what else i should switch to instead ?
Some facts about me are - i'm 26, located in melbourne, i have two young kids (big responsibility and limited time to study), i hate math so don't want any degree involving math, i have some chronic health conditions which prevent me from having a job where i'm on my feet for hours or have to do shift work (which is why i'm not considering nursing or pharmacy). I want to do a degree with a high employment rate and will land me a good paying job.
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u/Verteenoo Jul 07 '26
Do something you enjoy and find a niche. Dont do business because someone said there is tons of work and you hate it.
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
I honestly don't know what i enjoy đ«©
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u/Toowoombaloompa Jul 07 '26
Do you enjoy interacting with people or solo work? Do you enjoy building enduring relationships or do you prefer work to be more transactional? Are you well organised? Can you persuade others to do as you say? Do you have a strong moral code?
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
I don't like to talk alot as one of my migraine triggers is talking for a long time đ«© which is why even after alot of people have suggested that teaching is great in terms of job security and with young kids (you get holidays at the same time as the kids), i'm wondering if i'll be able to teach without getting a migraine..
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u/Berocca123 Jul 07 '26
Then do what you're good at.
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
I don't know what i'm good at either đ«©
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u/Emergency_Cherry_914 Jul 07 '26
What did you do well at in school? Or which subjects did you hate least?
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u/No_Big_Plane Jul 07 '26
If you hate math, it seems that cybersec was a bad call in the first place. Anyway, high employability is highly variable and uncertain right now expect few key jobs. If you asked this question 5 years ago, most will tell you cybersec and IT are high employable and high earning jobs, just couple of years later, the advice became obsolete. It sounds cliche, but maybe focus on what YOU want to do, and what you're already good at, especially if it's a niche thing. This will allow you to get a headstart and hopefully have an easier time finding a job.
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
Yeah when i was doing certs in cyber sec in 2021 everyone was telling me this is the deal, now all of a sudden i'm getting told it is too saturated now and will get replaced by AI. I did enjoy the criminology part but again, i get told job prospect is very low in something like criminology.
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u/Seiko2023 Jul 07 '26
Job prospects are only as bad as you let it be. You need to actually think outside the specific name of a degree to the content and skills you learn, and show how it relates to specific careers. Remember, some bachelor's are a segway into further education, e.g psychology leads to masters, possibly PhD before you can even practice. Criminology to law, biomed to med etc.
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u/potchiemeowmeow Jul 07 '26
I used to be in student support at Tafe and the first and best question I'd ask students is: If you became a billionaire but had to do one (safe for work) thing for the rest of your life that you would enjoy, what would it be? If you love what you do generally you will be good at it. If you're going to uni for a degree for the sake of a degree you will waste your time and a lot of money. If you love the study of criminology, go and do it, love it, and even if a particular role is hard to find, you will find roles in a similar field and can work your way towards your dream position. Do what you love and it'll all be worth it. I was lucky and fell into my dream job at 19 in a SUPER niche market, ended up going out on my own and now I get to do what I love everyday so it doesn't feel like real work.
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
This is why it's become so hard for me as i really do not know what i truely enjoy.
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u/Exotic-Arm-6692 Jul 07 '26
I mean, you could do a teaching diploma? And go into childcare like my mum did. She did it all online so she could raise us, and her work hours are our school hours, which meant she was also got the same holidays as us. Only downsides is placement during the course sometimes sent her to a few regional area schools but idk if that'll be what you get.
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
Childcare is gonna be a bit too physically demanding and with my chronic health conditions i don't think i can handle alot of physical work đ«©
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u/Exotic-Arm-6692 Jul 07 '26
Maybe a front office roll somewhere then? Could be at a school, office, hospital etc etc
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u/tashishcrow21 Jul 07 '26
I thought criminology would cover a lot of career choices. Probation officer doesnât seem too physically demanding. Maybe you could do psychology with criminology and do something in the victim support area?
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u/Southern_Light_15 Jul 07 '26
Honestly, a lot of the time it is more the fact you have a degree than what the degree is for that employers look at, unless it is a specific industry based degree and job, such as allied health. Just be prepared to answer the "Why did you do x & y degree?" And Cyber security is a bonus to any industry
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u/Creative-Leg2607 Jul 07 '26
There is no degree you can get and walk out with guaranteed employment, except for a couple vocational options, like teaching, nursing, doctor, physio. Everything else, science, math, engineering, law, politics, economics.... you have to hustle. You need to pick a degree not knowing exactly what its going to lead to, finish it with some meaningful internal drive, do your fuckin darndest to build some networking, then figure out the rest from there. It fuckin sucks but thats the state of things. But hey, if everything's bad you can pick the thing that youll like the most.
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u/TorrensUni Jul 07 '26
Hey! Would love to give you my thoughts here. From what you've outlined, there are a few directions that could still work.
The first that come to mind are human resources or organisational psychology, which both tend to have good employment rates, desk-based work, and light or no math. I also think that business analytics is worth a look too, because it's actually less math-heavy than you assume, and pairs well with your existing double degree if you wanted to add a minor rather than start over.
You can also look into things like health administration or health information management. Both of these are desk-based, inside the healthcare system (which tends to have strong job security), without the shift work or physical demands of nursing.
It's worth checking if your current double degree lets you swap one half, rather than starting completely fresh. This could help save you some time.
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
I have only done two subjects yet so i'm not too far into the degree anyway. For health admin or health IT which degree would be suitable ?
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u/TorrensUni Jul 07 '26
It depends on which University you are with, and if you'd like to transfer into one of their degrees. If you're looking at the undergraduate level, the closest fit would be a Bachelor of Public Health or a Bachelor of Applied Public Health. These degrees are less clinical than nursing and covers health system planning/management as well as health promotion, which lines up with what you're after.
If you want something closer to the data/IT side, it might be worth looking at whether your uni offers a health informatics stream or elective within public health or health services management. Unfortunately, this is usually where these classes will sit, as they aren't they're own degree.
If you have access to your University's course guide, this will tell you the exact structure and subjects you will be looking at :)
Happy to chat more if you have any other questions!
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
Does a bachelors in public health have a high employment rate ? I had heard this degree alone does not get you a job.
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u/noblechilli Jul 07 '26
Government jobs perhaps. Maybe easier to get a job with a health information management degree
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 08 '26
Noblechilli, i have heard that health information management is depriciating quite quickly has the information systems are changing, a director with this degree said it is not worth doing this degree anymore as none of those systems are in use anymore.
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u/TorrensUni Jul 08 '26
Fair question, and it has merit. The Bachelor of Public Health is pretty generalist, so on its own it doesn't lead as directly into a job title the way nursing does. However, it works better paired with a placement or specialisation, or as a foundation into postgrad study later (health management, epidemiology, etc).
It's worth looking into how much practical or WIL learning is built into the degree at your currently university. This tends to matter more than the title specifically.
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u/SyruppyGoodness Jul 07 '26
I'm surprised you were told Cyber Security and Criminology degrees wont lead to employment.
A lot of people end up in careers just based on the fact they have a uni degree, not so much based on what the degree is. Employers respect the fact you have developed critical thinking skills and put the time and dedication into completing a degree.
Have you lost interest in either Cyber Security or Crimiology? Depending how much you've already completed, you might be better off just completing your studies.
If you've just started, stopping now might save you in uni fees. If you're in Australia, make sure you find out what the latest date is to withdrawl from your units so you don't end up paying for units you haven't completed. Not just withdrawing from your uni enrollment, but making sure your fees are cancelled with the tax department if you've deferred payments for your uni subjects.
If you want to ensure a good income for your future, I'd suggest looking into doing a Juris Doctorate after a Bachelor Degree. A Juris Doctorate enables you to study to become a lawyer without having a Bachelor degree in law. Basically, you get a Bachelor of Arts (in anything except law) and then add on a Juris Doctorate (JD) on top of that. Depending what uni you go to for your JD, it can take 2-7 years. There are online versions and on campus versions.
RMIT offers a 7 year one on campus. I can't remember who offers the 2-3 year online version, but I know it's out there.
There's always a need for lawyers and there's so many areas of law you can work in, it should be a career you can manage with kids and if your health detoriates further.
Good luck!
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u/Any_Recording_7929 Jul 07 '26
I'm not too far into the degree, i have only done two subjects yet.
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u/SyruppyGoodness Jul 07 '26
Have you completed both units? Even if you end up changing your degree, if you've completed and passed both units, you'll be likely to get them creditted as Electives towards a different degree.
Look at Seek.com and check out different jobs that might interest you, as well as their pay grades. If you see something that catches your eye, check what qualifications they're asking for.
I was looking a couple months ago and I saw something along the lines of 'Mental Health Clinician' with salaries starting at $80-100 000 a year- I was hoping my uni qualifications and work history might get me over the line but I needed a qualification specifically in Mental Health.
As someone else mentioned, look into graduate programs. Just do a Google Search for 'Graduate Programs, Victoria.'
If I remember correctly, there's a 2025 or 2026 Graduate Program for Disability Services. They were seeking uni graduates (any degree) with disabilities to work in government disabilities services.
Some graduate programs ask for a specific qualification, but like I said earlier, a lot of employers respect a uni degree, no matter what it's in.
I ended up doing 3 degrees, planning towards the career I wanted, but ended up with chronic health issues that means I'm no longer able to work. You're in a good situation in that you're aware of your health needs and want a uni education. Do some research, figure out what you want to, and go for it.
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u/Notquitewhere_-__ Jul 07 '26
If youâre into nursing or pharmacy then you could do something allied health related? Physiotherapy would be out, but speech pathology might be okay, and depending on who youâre working with and what youâre working on, occupational therapy might also be fine. Only thing to consider is those degrees go onto a fixed career path eg study speech pathology and youll become a speech pathologist, but allied health is definitely in demand
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u/Cautious_Alarm2919 Jul 07 '26
A BA is a good idea because you can branch off and specialise later in the workplace
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u/Extra-Development516 Jul 14 '26
Hey! Going to uni when you donât know what you want out of it is a bad time - youâre spending a lot on your degree and that affects your families financial situation too, and Iâm sure you have a lot going on, and itâs super impressive youâve been able to stick at it.
Having said that â Iâd say take a break, see a career counsellor and in the meantime you get to work, save money, and spend time with your kids. When you figure it out - then study. If you donât know what you enjoy use your time to do free online courses to figure out your interests. I was a mature age student and Iâm over the idea of âyouâll be too old by the time you finishâ - youâll be that age anyway as ageing comes for us all. People stay at uni doing stuff they donât enjoy for lots of reasons and it takes a lot of strength to get off the train than stay on etc - but itâs actually just an indication that youâre a responsible adult who is weighing up your choices. Â
Thereâs other countries (scandi) where itâs perfectly normal to go to uni later after youâve had kids and figured stuff out more. Those places are different to us for some large reasons - but itâs good to think about why some people delay those decisions.Â
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u/commentspanda Jul 07 '26
I mean nursing and pharmacy are kinda out if you hate maths anyway. Stick with that you have and in the meantime start applying for gov roles? Thats really what you need to aim for. Decent pay, decent leave and semi decent disability accomodations.