Leaving School Soon?
Do you know what you want to do next?
If not, it might be time to start thinking about your options and start planning the next stage of your life. It’s really important to get some careers advice before you start making some big decisions about what to do after Year 11.
We’ve put together some hints and tips about deciding what you’re going to do when you finish school.
There might be several reasons why you’ve not made plans for your future yet.
For example:
“I’m not ready!”
Unsure what to do after school?
Ok, but what’s stopping you from being ready? Are there other things happening in your life that are taking over? Are you worried about something and it’s beginning to affect you? Or do you just not feel able to make a decision yet?
We never want you to feel alone. If you can’t talk to your parents or carers about the issues that you are facing, see your teacher or Connexions Personal Adviser. You should have the opportunity to make an appointment with the Connexions or Careers Adviser in your school so make sure you speak to them in plenty of time. You can always visit a Connexions centre in your local town or city.
“There are too many options – how can I choose?”
Try breaking down this big decision into smaller parts. Maybe you could think about:
- What are you favourite subjects at school? What are your least favourite? It’s important that you do a job that you enjoy, so if you don’t like maths, a job as an Accountant might not be the best route for you.
- Whether you would prefer to work in an office or outside or travelling around. This too will affect your eventual decision. If you want to work outdoors, a job in a Call Centre might not be the best route for you.
- What skills and interests you have. It may be that you can turn a hobby into a career, such as Equine, Hairdressing or Joinery.
- What sort of people you’d like to work with. Maybe you’d prefer to work with children, or the elderly, as part of a team or on your own.
- What you are aiming for. If you want to achieve certain qualifications you might need to do particular jobs.
- What’s important to you for the future? Are you motivated by money? Do you want to eventually work for yourself?
Organise Some Work Experience
Work experience can really help you decide your career path
If you have a few ideal jobs in mind, it might be a good idea to see if you can try them out. Most school pupils get the opportunity to go on work experience for a week or two, usually in Year 10 or 11.
If your work experience is still to come, try and arrange your placement in something which you have an interest in and which may help you make your decision about what to do next. For example, if you’re interested in becoming a hairdresser, arrange to go to a salon and see if you like it. Then you will have a better idea about whether this is the career for you.
If you have already done work experience through school, there’s nothing stopping you trying to arrange a placement during the school holidays. Extra activities like this will look great when you come to put together a C.V. and apply for jobs.
Many people find that they learn best by doing something practical and hands-on. Think about activities you’ve done in school, do you find you enjoy practical lessons more than ones where you are just writing and learning theory? If you do, then an Apprenticeship could be the best route for you when you finish school.
Read the next section for guidance on how to go about finding a job>>
