A small but not insignificant number of humanities graduates find work in STEM jobs when they leave university - bringing new skills and a fresh perspective to the sector
The non-vocational nature of a humanities degree means graduates are able to enter a range of occupations that are not directly related to their studies. HESA's most recent Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) data shows that a small number of first-degree humanities graduates (405 in total) were working as science, IT, engineering and building professionals in 2016/17 six months after graduation.
It is often mandatory for graduates working in these fields to have specific qualifications, or an academic background in STEM, but not all occupations will require this - enabling humanities graduates to pursue these career paths.
Humanities graduates that did transition into careers in science, IT and engineering typically studied history (32.8%), English studies (19.8%) and philosophy (10%). The majority were found working in IT-related positions, with a smaller number entering science and engineering roles. The most popular jobs among this group were:
- web design and development professional (14.6%)
- social and humanities scientists (13.4%)
- programmers and software development professionals (11.5%)
- IT user support technicians (10.8%)
- IT operations technicians (10.5%)
- information technology and telecommunications professionals n.e.c. (7.8%)
- IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (6.5%)
- university researchers (5.2%)
- engineering professionals n.e.c. (2.7%)
- chartered surveyors (2.6%).
Not all technology roles require graduates to have hard skills. Jobs such as UX design, for instance, demand the use of soft skills like empathy and fitting information into context.1 Therefore, hiring humanities graduates can be advantageous for employers as they bring in different expertise and a fresh perspective: traditionally, physics graduates have strong logic skills while music graduates are good at recognising patterns.2
Those humanities graduates working as science professionals tended to work in the education industry. Public administration and defence, and libraries, archives, museum and other cultural activity industries were also common destinations.
The gender breakdown shows that an almost equal percentage of female (50.2%) and male (49.8%) humanities graduates found employment in STEM careers.
A number of organisations are opening up specific vacancies - where a high-level of STEM knowledge and skills isn't vital - to graduates from all educational backgrounds.
Employers prioritise passion and interest
72.5% of these graduates said their qualification was required for their job, suggesting that some employers value a candidate's passion for a position and their willingness to learn skills outside of their degree discipline. Humanities graduates seeking a software developer role might find it beneficial to teach themselves the necessary skills through online courses and then use this knowledge to develop a portfolio of apps/websites they've built to impress employers in their applications.3
A large proportion of STEM industries are suffering from supply issues and skills shortages, and employers can't always afford to wait until the next cohort of graduates enter the labour market. Therefore, a number of organisations are opening up specific vacancies (where a high-level of STEM knowledge and skills isn't vital) to graduates from all educational backgrounds and are offering to train them instead.4
SMEs may also opt to hire from a wider pool of talent to ensure their vacancies are filled, so these companies may be a worthwhile option for those seeking roles unrelated to their degree.5 Humanities graduates in tech roles were most likely to work for an SME (41.3%), compared with those in science (38.8%) and engineering and building roles (31.9%).
One third worked in London
A lot of these graduates worked in large urban areas six months after graduation, with a significant proportion clustered in the capital city. The top employment destinations were:
- Westminster
- City of London
- Greater London
- Camden
- Leeds
- Manchester
- Hampshire
- Southwark.
London and the South East of England are hotspots for roles in tech, with a quarter of these jobs found in London.6 Manchester and Birmingham are the second and third most common locations for this type of employment.7
Job searching differs by occupation
'University and college careers services' was the most utilised resource by humanities graduates looking to pursue a job as a science professional, suggesting that these graduates benefit from additional support to help them break into this industry.
Personal contacts are valuable for humanities graduates, with it being the most popular route into engineering and building (36.7%). A high proportion of graduates in engineering roles had also worked at the company before securing their job (26%).
Graduates working in IT were most likely to say they found their job through a recruitment agency/website (29.9%).
Notes
- How To Get Into Tech With An Arts Degree, TalentEgg, 2016.
- All degrees welcome for graduate it jobs, TARGETjobs.
- Want a job in technology? Don’t worry if you don’t have a degree, Reed.
- How To Get Into Tech With An Arts Degree, TalentEgg, 2016.
- SME Guide to Graduate Recruitment & Development, Gradconsult, 2016.
- Want a job in technology? Don’t worry if you don’t have a degree, Reed.
- Ibid.
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