When I think back to my late teenage years, I was entirely directionless. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, I even changed my mind and swapped every AS level subject in the second week of college. I’d hate for my own children to feel so lost, so I’m prepared to step in and help guide them early on.
I think if access to better guidance was available when I was at school, it might have steered me in the right direction and helped me make choices about my future.
One independent Sixth Form in Spain is dedicated to helping their pupils do what’s right for them, and other schools are following suit.
Choosing the right university course is a big decision. It’s something that can shape your whole life, and affect your future employability. If you pick an over-saturated subject area, it may be hard to find employment once the degree is over, whereas if you pick something with out researching it thoroughly, you could end up in a career that’s not right for you.
It’s hard to pick the right mix of enjoyability and employability, but if schools are putting more time and effort into guidance, picking the wrong degree course could quickly become a thing of the past.
For my own children, I’d like them to pick something that makes them happy and that’s likely to get them an enjoyable job at the end of it. Vocational degrees often seem like the smartest option (eg. teaching, dentistry etc) because there will always be a job at the end of it, but making the choice is more nuanced than that. I completed a degree in business and thrived off the creative aspects of it. A close friend took a chemistry degree and found comfort in the knowledge there was ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers and nothing in between.
Essentially, the right course for my child will give them an enjoyable learning experience and a good chance of employment at the end of it. I’m glad schools now are making a huge effort to offer the best guidance they can.