need advice for choosing between HR or Speech path/Occupational therapy career (2 Viewers)

[dancingqueennn]

Hi guys, so I recently started a business degree (mid year intake) planning on majoring in HR and Marketing or bus law. Although I recently found out I can gain entry into an Occupational therapy (ot) degree if I manage to get high marks this semester (my atar is 1.5 points below the LSR

I'd prefer to pursue OT as it's in much higher demand than HR and covers more interesting areas (i like biology and sociological studies), plus OT is apparently super versatile and even offers opportunities to work in mental health and various settings. If I don't manage to gain entry into the OT course, im not sure what would be best.

I could do speech pathology at ACU, but I'm only interested in working with adults/geriatrics whereas speech path seems to centre more-so on children. I also dislike how specialised speech path is. My main consideration for speech path is that it's in a similar realm to OT (high demand, allied health etc), although I'm not sure if that's enough for me to choose it completely over HR. My biggest concerns with HR/business careers is that I'm not fond of the corporate vibe and have SEVERE concerns of being unemployed (i think hr has much lower job security and id love the freedom to easily find another job if i found my workplace was toxic, which seems more realistic for allied health).

Does anyone have any advice/knowledge/experience on any of these areas of study? I know people who have told me single business/commerce degrees are a "mistake" and the lower demand/high competitiveness turns me off...but maybe it's overstated
oh i'll post a poll (mostly for fun) in the case i don't get entry into Occupational therapy

 

[carrotsss]

@its_ace21

 

[its_ace21]

Hi guys, so I recently started a business degree (mid year intake) planning on majoring in HR and Marketing or bus law. Although I recently found out I can gain entry into an Occupational therapy (ot) degree if I manage to get high marks this semester (my atar is 1.5 points below the LSR

I'd prefer to pursue OT as it's in much higher demand than HR and covers more interesting areas (i like biology and sociological studies), plus OT is apparently super versatile and even offers opportunities to work in mental health and various settings. If I don't manage to gain entry into the OT course, im not sure what would be best.

I could do speech pathology at ACU, but I'm only interested in working with adults/geriatrics whereas speech path seems to centre more-so on children. I also dislike how specialised speech path is. My main consideration for speech path is that it's in a similar realm to OT (high demand, allied health etc), although I'm not sure if that's enough for me to choose it completely over HR. My biggest concerns with HR/business careers is that I'm not fond of the corporate vibe and have SEVERE concerns of being unemployed (i think hr has much lower job security and id love the freedom to easily find another job if i found my workplace was toxic, which seems more realistic for allied health).

Does anyone have any advice/knowledge/experience on any of these areas of study? I know people who have told me single business/commerce degrees are a "mistake" and the lower demand/high competitiveness turns me off...but maybe it's overstated
oh i'll post a poll (mostly for fun) in the case i don't get entry into Occupational therapy

which uni do u want to do ot in

also for speech path u could just work in centres that focus with elderly such as stroke survivors or ppl who have been in car crashes

 

[dancingqueennn]

which uni do u want to do ot in

also for speech path u could just work in centres that focus with elderly such as stroke survivors or ppl who have been in car crashes

also acu for ot (they only require 2 units to consider uni results for admission yay)... i could do western syd uni for OT but it's really far :/
i just saw some linguistics transcription thingies for speech parh and now im a lil scared

 

[its_ace21]

also acu for ot (they only require 2 units to consider uni results for admission yay)... i could do western syd uni for OT but it's really far :/
i just saw some linguistics transcription thingies for speech parh and now im a lil scared

TRANSCRIPTION IS SO FUN

 

[jimmysmith560]

As someone with a background in HR, I will offer some insights, hoping that you will find them helpful in terms of choosing your field of study. There are a few points that I will focus on.

First, there is always demand for HR professionals. A simple way of gaining a general idea would be to search for HR jobs using a job platform, where you will find numerous jobs, including graduate/entry-level positions. As such, it would be inaccurate to assert that HR is in low demand. However, the assertion that it is a competitive field to get a job in is accurate. In many cases, graduate/entry-level positions receive 100+ applications, which naturally means that an applicant's competitiveness will primarily depend on elements such as their education and experience, as well as factors over which a candidate has little control, such as ATS used in recruitment. Having been laid off from my most recent job (which was in a different field), I have since been applying for jobs in HR and attended some interviews/completed other forms of assessment (I actually have an interview coming up tomorrow as we speak, wish me luck haha).

Second, job security is determined and affected by multiple factors, including employer size and financial position, employee performance and the type of work (for example, permanent vs fixed term). Generally speaking, HR is not associated with low job security. This is especially true of government jobs. The same notion applies to IR, which can also be a career path for someone who studies HR. No workplace is perfect (this applies to all fields), and you are bound to encounter and work with both good people and bad people.

Overall, this should hopefully address some misconceptions/exaggerations regarding HR. You should pursue the field that you are interested in because, assuming that job prospects are good, you are much more likely to succeed in a field that you are genuinely passionate about.

I hope this helps!

 

[dancingqueennn]

As someone with a background in HR, I will offer some insights, hoping that you will find them helpful in terms of choosing your field of study. There are a few points that I will focus on.

First, there is always demand for HR professionals. A simple way of gaining a general idea would be to search for HR jobs using a job platform, where you will find numerous jobs, including graduate/entry-level positions. As such, it would be inaccurate to assert that HR is in low demand. However, the assertion that it is a competitive field to get a job in is accurate. In many cases, graduate/entry-level positions receive 100+ applications, which naturally means that an applicant's competitiveness will primarily depend on elements such as their education and experience, as well as factors over which a candidate has little control, such as ATS used in recruitment. Having been laid off from my most recent job (which was in a different field), I have since been applying for jobs in HR and attended some interviews/completed other forms of assessment (I actually have an interview coming up tomorrow as we speak, wish me luck haha).

Second, job security is determined and affected by multiple factors, including employer size and financial position, employee performance and the type of work (for example, permanent vs fixed term). Generally speaking, HR is not associated with low job security. This is especially true of government jobs. The same notion applies to IR, which can also be a career path for someone who studies HR. No workplace is perfect (this applies to all fields), and you are bound to encounter and work with both good people and bad people.

Overall, this should hopefully address some misconceptions/exaggerations regarding HR. You should pursue the field that you are interested in because, assuming that job prospects are good, you are much more likely to succeed in a field that you are genuinely passionate about.

I hope this helps!

thanks jimmy and good luck with your interview!!
i was also wondering if a second major would impact employability for HR jobs. the only other business majors that interest me are marketing and business law (and maybe bus info systems which is only offered as a submajor). would either of these majors make an impact on employability? im consdering either doing a whole second major, or two submajors. im so sad i used to do usyd commerce but regrettably withrew earlier this year and lost my adjustments so ive had to settle for uts but not sure if that matters much from an employability perspective either haha

 

[jimmysmith560]

thanks jimmy and good luck with your interview!!
i was also wondering if a second major would impact employability for HR jobs. the only other business majors that interest me are marketing and business law (and maybe bus info systems which is only offered as a submajor). would either of these majors make an impact on employability? im consdering either doing a whole second major, or two submajors. im so sad i used to do usyd commerce but regrettably withrew earlier this year and lost my adjustments so ive had to settle for uts but not sure if that matters much from an employability perspective either haha

No worries, and thank you!

Unless a particular role also requires a background in another field, studying a second major is unlikely to largely increase employability, especially for entry-level roles (although it would allow you to work in another field, thereby expanding your options compared to studying a single major). Studying HR is usually the main requirement and a candidate can differentiate themselves through favourable performance. With that being said, there are roles within HR where a second major and/or further study would be useful, although those tend to be more senior roles. For example, HRBPs typically work with professionals and teams from other business departments. In such cases, knowledge about other business functions that can be gained from studying a second major, when coupled with existing HR knowledge and experience, can be useful and can as such improve employability.

Don't worry about changing universities. The university that a candidate attends is not a main consideration for HR jobs. As long as you achieve mostly favourable results at UTS, you will be fine.