University: Graduating With a STEM Subject

By Ninegrandstudent

Next summer I’ll be graduating (hopefully!) from Kent University with a degree in Actuarial Science – which is pretty much mathematics applied to finance and risk. I can calculate life insurance premiums, I can produce a company’s income statement. But how easy is it for a STEM graduate (that’s a graduate from a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical background) to find a job? I received this infographic and, whilst it’s aimed at Engineering students (W take note!), I found it quite interesting;

It was interesting to read about the male-female split. Whilst it’s not something I’ve noticed hugely on my course at university (I’d say it’s approximately 50-50), it’s been really apparent whilst on placement that’s it’s a male dominated environment even for my area. I’m planning on working in insurance, and my current team is very male. Whilst I don’t think it’s biased towards either gender, I find that the skill-set is probably more typically male – mathematical, logical, and able to stick to your guns. I’d also agree with the student split in the infographic – my degree is VERY heavily dominated by international students. I’d be surprised if 30% in my lectures were home students if I’m honest…which goes to show how good my university is for actuarial subjects! I’m also taking note of the average starting salary – though I’m predicting mine to be higher (whoop!) it is interesting to see that STEM students expect decent payrises alongside career progression. Take a look here;

*Sponsored post in collaboration with STEM Graduates, all opinions are my own.

What kind of subjects did/do you enjoy most – were you arty, or more STEM-orientated?