[RichardG]

To those who feel like they know what they want to do with their life, they know which career path to follow, how did you come to that decision? I have to confirm my A Level choices in less than a month but I have no idea what to pick. I found all my GCSEs painfully dull and the only thing which has ever interested me degree/job wise is meteorology, but i'm terrible at maths and physics - the two compulsory subjects - so it's not an option. I'm thinking that I should just choose general A Levels that cover most areas (two sciences, two arts?) because I probably won't figure out the rest of my life within the next 20ish days, but it's what happens after the A Levels that is still a problem. Do gap years really help as much as people claim? Any help appreciated!

Unless you have a vocation already picked out to work towards, then the choices you make now will have no impact on your life.

What I would advise you, is do A-levels that cover subjects that you're interested in, not that you think will cover your bases. I followed an educational path through A-levels and uni, but I have utilised zero percent of the things I learned in my work life.

Seriously, don't stress yourself out too much. Do things you'll enjoy learning about until you have a clearer idea for your own future.

[RichardG]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

Unless you have a vocation already picked out to work towards, then the choices you make now will have no impact on your life.

What I would advise you, is do A-levels that cover subjects that you're interested in, not that you think will cover your bases. I followed an educational path through A-levels and uni, but I have utilised zero percent of the things I learned in my work life.

Seriously, don't stress yourself out too much. Do things you'll enjoy learning about until you have a clearer idea for your own future.

That makes sense, it's just really difficult. My parents are pushing for me to be successful and my school kept giving us letters and talks stating that "the rest of our lives depend on the next few years" I feel like everyone else knows what to do and i'm still stuck here completely confused. Hopefully everything will fall into place one day like it seems to have done for you!

Originally Posted by RichardG

That makes sense, it's just really difficult. My parents are pushing for me to be successful and my school kept giving us letters and talks stating that "the rest of our lives depend on the next few years" I feel like everyone else knows what to do and i'm still stuck here completely confused. Hopefully everything will fall into place one day like it seems to have done for you!

Your parents are only pushing you because they desperately want you to be successful. It's rare at your age that you'll have any idea what to do, or a career mapped out for you. I went to a school that was just as pushy. I promise you there isn't a choice you can make about your A-levels that you will unable to correct at some point in the future, if you decide to take a different path.

Your next 2 years will be long if you're in subjects you find boring, just to please your parents.

[Tregard]

Yeah, do subjects you actually feel you'll enjoy, otherwise it'll be hell for you. Did an Economics A-level and hated it and couldn't focus on the subject at all. Just do what you find interesting and worry about the career later.

I'm lucky in that I've known what I wanted to be from since I was 13, but a lot of my friends had no clue until the Uni course choices came, cross the bridge when you come to it

[Livia]

Like Tregard I always knew what I wanted to study and what I wanted to do. You need to pick subjects you enjoy, like Jesus said... If you get a good degree it can lead to all sorts of careers. Surely geography is a good subject if you're interested in meteorology? And don't give up on the maths... I was bloody HOPELESS and managed to get an A Level.

[RichardG]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

Your parents are only pushing you because they desperately want you to be successful. It's rare at your age that you'll have any idea what to do, or a career mapped out for you. I went to a school that was just as pushy. I promise you there isn't a choice you can make about your A-levels that you will unable to correct at some point in the future, if you decide to take a different path.

Your next 2 years will be long if you're in subjects you find boring, just to please your parents.

Originally Posted by Tregard

Yeah, do subjects you actually feel you'll enjoy, otherwise it'll be hell for you. Did an Economics A-level and hated it and couldn't focus on the subject at all. Just do what you find interesting and worry about the career later.

I'm lucky in that I've known what I wanted to be from since I was 13, but a lot of my friends had no clue until the Uni course choices came, cross the bridge when you come to it

To be honest, finding four subjects that I think I will enjoy will still be a struggle but I feel more confident now. My parents have been leaving subtle hints every now and then about the benefits of being a doctor, a dentist, a lawyer etc and sometimes it almost feels like i'd disappoint them if I wasn't one, so i've definitely been feeling the pressure. I'll try to ignore all that now and just focus on the short term future rather than looking at long term careers. Thinking about it, I definitely would be pretty miserable going into something I don't like just to please others! Thanks for the advice!

[Roy Mars III]

your parents are always going to push in directions they think are best (they're parents that is what they do) but you need to decide for yourself. I can still remember how disappointed my parents were when I picked History to study instead of engineering like them. But they'll get over it, and it is better to study something you enjoy then something you don't and regret it later

[Z]

As others have said, pick things you enjoy rather than what you think you should study. Universities will let you in to just about any course if you have good qualifications in English (and maybe Maths too - but in Scotland Maths was no longer required, I don't know about elsewhere) and in any other subjects. So it doesn't matter if you come to apply for uni and think "I want to study politics" and you chose English, Art, Chemistry, Religious Studies etc... so long as you have good grades, you'll get into the faculty within the uni you want to apply to and you can do whatever you want to do.

It works differently in Scotland, but when I sat my important-for-uni exams, I was studying English, Maths, French, German and Modern Studies. I'm now about to start writing a dissertation about the oil and gas industry in Russia. I didn't do any Chemistry and I didn't do any History. Go with what you enjoy and you can figure out the rest later

[RichardG]

Originally Posted by Livia

Like Tregard I always knew what I wanted to study and what I wanted to do. You need to pick subjects you enjoy, like Jesus said... If you get a good degree it can lead to all sorts of careers. Surely geography is a good subject if you're interested in meteorology? And don't give up on the maths... I was bloody HOPELESS and managed to get an A Level.

I think i'm going to go with geography as an option because I enjoy aspects of Geology too, and that would definitely help if I decided to apply for it. As for the maths though, i'm not so sure. I've never managed to get higher than a C in a gcse past paper so i'd be useless at the a level. It's a shame because I know it opens up a lot of doors, but I don't think i'll bother. It's not worth the risk of failing it imo.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by RichardG

I think i'm going to go with geography as an option because I enjoy aspects of Geology too, and that would definitely help if I decided to apply for it. As for the maths though, i'm not so sure. I've never managed to get higher than a C in a gcse past paper so i'd be useless at the a level. It's a shame because I know it opens up a lot of doors, but I don't think i'll bother. It's not worth the risk of failing it imo.

it is DEFINITELY worth the risk! You have two years to master it... and if you've got to Grade C IN GCSE there's no way you're hopeless.

[Tregard]

I would say try and stick with maths if you are competent at it, just because it's a really good base for a lot of other courses, but if it really doesn't interest you, it may be best to go with something else :L

[RichardG]

Originally Posted by Livia

it is DEFINITELY worth the risk! You have two years to master it... and if you've got to Grade C IN GCSE there's no way you're hopeless.

Originally Posted by Tregard

I would say try and stick with maths if you are competent at it, just because it's a really good base for a lot of other courses, but if it really doesn't interest you, it may be best to go with something else :L

To be accepted into the A Level course at my college I need a minimum of a B at GCSE, so it isn't likely i'd even have the chance to have a go at it. But, as Jesus said, maybe one day in the future i'll have the chance to give it all another go.

Thanks to everyone who has answered - you've all been really helpful!

[Livia]

I'm sure there are, and have always been, lots of people who feel like you do right now RichardG, who have gone on to do well. Good luck with your studies.

[swinearefine]

I just started selling dimebags to friends in high school and it all spiraled from there.

[reece(:]

I recently figured mine out, I just did lots of extensive research of different degrees and what they offered that linked in with my interests, find something you enjoy thoroughly and aren't wishy washy on. Doing a degree in something I will enjoy is great and getting a job afterwards is the bonus for me.

[Samuel.]

It's a really tough decision that I myself struggled with. Ended up making the wrong choices and dropped out after a year.

It was only when I was 19 I actually had an idea what I wanted to do in life, and I'm now at uni studying it happier than ever.

So I don't know what to advise you it may take a couple of years before you have any idea what you want to do for a career, and find yourself back at college.

Just don't feel pressured that you have to do everything within a set time, like college at 16, uni at 18, work at 21. Go at your own pace if you're not 100% confident with the direction you're going.

[Vicky.]

I got very pissed. Ended up in a karaoke bar. Then was offered a job

Though my job isnt really considered a 'career' I suppose. Its fun though

[King Gizzard]

Nope.. I haven't yet..oops

[Z]

Schools try to rush you through the education system and into higher learning for their statistic quotas. I have a friend who finished school, moved to Australia for 2 years, came back and landed herself a well paid job in the oil industry and she gets Ł1,000 bonuses every now and then. Most of the rest of my friends went to uni and are nowhere near getting to that level of success. Uni isn't the be all and end all of life, it's just what school and your parents have told you to work towards. So it's important to study things that you like so that you don't make things hard for yourself. No point studying maths if you're crap at maths and you believe that you're crap at it. Study something else that you are good at! You seem intelligent

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by RichardG

To those who feel like they know what they want to do with their life, they know which career path to follow, how did you come to that decision? I have to confirm my A Level choices in less than a month but I have no idea what to pick. I found all my GCSEs painfully dull and the only thing which has ever interested me degree/job wise is meteorology, but i'm terrible at maths and physics - the two compulsory subjects - so it's not an option. I'm thinking that I should just choose general A Levels that cover most areas (two sciences, two arts?) because I probably won't figure out the rest of my life within the next 20ish days, but it's what happens after the A Levels that is still a problem. Do gap years really help as much as people claim? Any help appreciated!

..honestly Richard, if you have the opportunity and it's feasible to take a gap year, I would seriously consider it if I were you...not everyone is ready to make their choices at exactly the same time and sometimes spending time experiencing other things first is just the right thing for you...

..anyway, the best of luck in whatever you decide...

[RichardG]

Originally Posted by Samuel.

So I don't know what to advise you it may take a couple of years before you have any idea what you want to do for a career, and find yourself back at college.

Just don't feel pressured that you have to do everything within a set time, like college at 16, uni at 18, work at 21. Go at your own pace if you're not 100% confident with the direction you're going.

Before now i'd never even considered taking things slower and not rushing to complete the educational 'milestones' at the first possible opportunity, so definitely some helpful advice. Sometimes it's easy to get pulled into the system and want to rush through everything!

Originally Posted by Zee

Schools try to rush you through the education system and into higher learning for their statistic quotas. I have a friend who finished school, moved to Australia for 2 years, came back and landed herself a well paid job in the oil industry and she gets Ł1,000 bonuses every now and then. Most of the rest of my friends went to uni and are nowhere near getting to that level of success. Uni isn't the be all and end all of life, it's just what school and your parents have told you to work towards. So it's important to study things that you like so that you don't make things hard for yourself. No point studying maths if you're crap at maths and you believe that you're crap at it. Study something else that you are good at! You seem intelligent

thank you

Originally Posted by Ammi

..honestly Richard, if you have the opportunity and it's feasible to take a gap year, I would seriously consider it if I were you...not everyone is ready to make their choices at exactly the same time and sometimes spending time experiencing other things first is just the right thing for you...

..anyway, the best of luck in whatever you decide...

I think I may consider it if i'm still just as lost and confused this time next year! It would be nice to spend some time alone doing what I want to do for a change. I imagine it would be a good chance to learn more about what I do and don't enjoy doing.

[the truth]

ive always thought there is too much pressure to choose your degree course at 18
why not work and travel for a year or 2 before deciding....practical experience is a massive developmental factor....it seems more logical to get some work experiences before deciding on your long term future career. either way don't stress. I did a business degree but to be frank its been as much use in setting up businesses as my sociology a level.....utterly irrelevant.....in some ways I think we get far to hung up on certificates...I think basic ability to read write and count and basic decent values such as honesty hard work and integrity are as crucial as any certificate.

amazing though looking at my mates who ended up doing what, 2 friends doing civil enginerring, 1 ended up an actuary , another an airline pilot flying passenger planes every week.....one took geology , quit and is now an experienced commercial lawyer...one didn't do much at school finally knuckled down years later and works for trading standards, another was deaf but got his masters degree and is now in the environmental health.....another no a levels but is now a social worker....a few ended up as coppers after trying umpteen other jobs first.....I think also in some ways some people end up in a career by trial and error....they look at all the things they can and cant do and by process of hard work and elimiunation end up in a particular career


youre smart to ask around , especially to people with experience
also youre lucky as this generation you have the internet to be able access more opinions, knowledge, experiences of others
not that long ago, probably 15 years, it was far less sophisticated....youd get your results go home speak to your folks and then decide what degree to apply for at what uni then send 1001 cvs and applications and run around the country like a madman meeting lecturers and deans

within a few months youd either be packed off to uni to start a whole new life and career....or youd be sat at home looking at either resits or a job


don't panic carry on and do what makes you happy

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by swinearefine

I just started selling dimebags to friends in high school and it all spiraled from there.

I laughed.

[DanaC]

I know so many people who had a clear idea of what they wanted to do, and followed the quals path that would lead them to that career, only to find that as they got nearer to it they didn't really want it at all.

I also have always thought that the pressure to decide the rest of your life at such a young age is over the top. How can you really know what is out there and where your aptitude lies? Your experience base is limited at 16. The world of work is vast. There are roles and careers out there that you won't even have heard of, let alone explored the possibilities of them.

If you want to go to university, and these days it's also worth exploring other options, then my only advice would be to a) choose subjects that you feel you can enjoy or get satisfaction from, and b) try to avoid so-called 'soft' subjects. Unless you have a particular interest in them obviously.

Some subjects are seen as generally more of a preparation for university study than others. Worth seeking advice from someone in university admissions.

Since you don't yet know what direction you wish to go in, try to go for things that will allow plenty of options later on.