career advice for teenager

[Pugwash]

My granddaughter is sitting her AS levels from next week in Art, Biology, Psychology and Physics. In her mocks she was predicted As in all but Physics. She is trying to think of a possible career post A levels. She loves both Biology and Art - was able to combine her love for both subjects in her GCSEs (A *) and in her current AS work. She is unsure whether to continue with physics next year but could see that it could come in use (but unlikely to get a high grade). We have suggested radiographer, speech therapist, Physiotherapist (hard to get in Uni as over subscribed) Lab technician (would need chemistry) - it looks as though she wants to go down the science route (not teaching) She enquired about being Art Therapists, but needed degrees in both Psychology and Art plus sponsorship

Has anyone else got any suggestions? Apparently not a good careers adviser at her school. She does not mind doing an apprenticeship She has 11 GCSEs with all but one being A or A*

[peckham_ryu]

My opinion (as flawed as anyone else's!) is that some people have a vision of their career at an early age, and that those who don't have that vision will need time to find their path rather than set artificial plans. My suggestion to a bright young person who is still open to any number of careers, would be to go for an academically rigourous degree. A good degree class in one of the subjects viewed as 'serious' will open many doors in the future, and just as importantly the mental challenge will be more rewarding for a motivated student. And there will be excellent careers advisers and fairs at university. It's ok for teenagers to look ahead with an open mind - despite all the peer pressure from friends who all 'know' exactly how their lives are going to play out.

My most interesting friends are those who have switched horses at least a few times between A-levels and main career :) They're just as successful as the less interesting ones!

[womanofdulwich]

Could she use some of this summer to "shadow: or do a bit of work experience in various jobs? ( need to start planning it now). I would seriously explore a profession where the NHS are helping with your fees and if you have work experience ( which probably all successful will have for physio) that will help. Sometimes it's good to shadow/do work experience to help find out what you don't want to do.Your granddaughter sounds super☺

[uncleglen]

To do anything in the Biological Sciences at uni would require Chemistry, and to get further than A level in Physics, A level Maths is essential. Universities that do the 'scientific' psychology degrees prefer students to have traditional science A levels to study Psychology, rather than Psychology A level because they like to mold the students into their way.

Art Therapy is a postgraduate course done after an Art degree or Psychology degree.

[Saffron]

Check the university regs, bc not everywhere requires chemistry for degrees in biological/life sciences. Two good marks in two other science fields will be ok for some.

Art therapy is very competitive and hard to make a career out of it without a lot of support.

Biomedical science degree offers accreditation at some universities, good pathway to work in an analytical lab. Pharmacology is not an accredited program, but is also a good pathway for lab techs. xx

[Jeremy]

I would say that any science degree without Maths is going to be very tough - even if she meets the entrance requirements, she will be at a real disadvantage. Although some universities might offer a foundation year covering the necessary Maths and Chemistry?

[uncleglen]

If your grand daughter wants to go to a Russell group uni , which, given her GCSE results, should be her aim and her school should be really encouraging it, then she will need to research her options thoroughly. Warwick for example requires students who do not have A2 Chemistry to do a supplementary course. I know for example that King's College London used to give their 1st year Engineers a maths test at the start of the degree and if students did not get 90% they were required to do maths on Wednesdays until 9pm.

I think (as someone who has been working in the secondary sector for 20 years) that your granddaughter has great potential and should be aiming for a prestigious institution and should tailor her future courses to getting into one as a degree from a Russell group uni will carry more weight than say, a degree from an ex-polytechnic.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

As Uncle says, employers target certain Universities, and circa 60% of grad roles are open to graduates of any discipline. Obviously certain careers require specific quals e.g. medicine but not all.Even for law, a law degree is not a requirement and you can go down a training route and further quals to get into that.

If uni is the way to go, then which uni will perhaps be the bigger question in terms of the prospects on completion.

http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/2016/graduate_market/GMReport16.pdf

Not likely to retire until 70 so give a few things a whirl. Get work experience over summer holidays, then internships while at uni then try to make a decision. Likelihood is you will change route 5 or 6 times during your working life anyhow.

[cantthinkofaname]

Just tell her to follow what she likes doing now.

There is so much pressure on young people today to have it all figured out, and it can cause enormous feelings of inadequacy & anxiety.

Very few people really know what they want to do at 17. And that's ok. You can choose a career when you've graduated, and heck, changing career is quite normal now. The happiest people I know now are NOT the ones who followed through with what they thought would get them a good job, rather they followed their heart and landed something that suits them perfectly.

University is a thrilling part of your life. It's there to educate yes; but to make friends, learn about life, love, being independent and experience the ups and downs. Careers advisors there are usually better than the ones in schools anyway. In her final year of uni she can try lots of different placements and internships and you never know what may happen.:

[Pugwash]

She is spending most of the summer doing this Government Citizenship award thing -one week on a uni campus and the rest of the time doing community work. Is in 2 minds re university - the financial pressures ( myself, her mum and aunt all went to uni when there were either grants or low tuition fees)

NHS sponsorships are gradually being phased out ( the latest idea is that Nurses should pay tuition fees).

Her Mum did a degree in Psychology which she did not use in employment, but in her late 30s trained as an OT with NHS. I spent 5 years in my 40s doing a degree then and professional qualification

She would be happy to do an appropriate apprenticeship especially if that could lead onto further advancement re studying etc.

[brezzo]

I would advise her to. Do as many university open days/UCAS fairs as possible - these will be running after AS exams. Even visit places she doesn't fancy and investigate courses she isn't sure about

[Alex K]

I wish that it were still possible to leave one's homeland behind.

Forty years ago, when in a similar situation I rejected the idea of university and moved to Japan -- because it was as far, as different, a place as I could imagine -- contact with "home" was by aerogramme. Blue, thin, folded, and gone. Two weeks later it might reach a parent. International calls were FAR too dear. No internet and, of course, no Skype. I was on my own.

It grew me up fast.

When I came back after two years I wanted to do uni, and to learn at uni -- my get-drunk-at-uni had been got out of my system long ago.

I recommend that the young woman go lose herself in a different culture. She will find herself along the way.

[Alan Medic]

What AK said. If she can go away for a year or two it may help her find out what she really wants to do.

[Pugwash]

I have been looking up possible courses for her and sent off for a couple of prospectus for course which she could use her Art for, and another for science where she could do a diploma or BTEC and then convert to a degree

If an apprenticeship came up in an area she was interested in, she may take this to get work experience.

She dreads the thought of being unemployed - not so much the loss of money but how it would effect her self confidence as a naturally shy person. The citizenship thing may give her an insight into voluntary work. She does not fancy going into professions that the wider family are in i.e. social work, OT,education support worker, Plumber, advertising.

[jacks09]

Shameless plugs but my friends run a company called allaboutcareers.com...free advice on lots and lots of careers....

[Ellem86]

I have been qualified in my job for almost 5 years now and, despite my experience, I am still asked for my GCSEs, A levels and degree results when I apply for jobs. My advice to your granddaughter would therefore be to study hard and, if she does go to university, to pick a "serious" subject at a Russell Group uni and, again, work hard. Employers don't seem to mind if you change course halfway through your degree but my experience is that they do mind if you don't do well.

[Nigello]

I third what AK said. Anything that fosters resilience and adaptability will stand her in good stead. Take a couple of years out and go to Latin America or Japan or somewhere different, pick up a *good* knowledge of the language and come back much better equipped for work and life.

[Saffron]

Just to give a different point of view... If she dreads the thought of being unemployed, a gap year may play on that anxiety rather than dispelling it.

Russell Group unis are great if you want a research career as a lead investigator or lab head, but otherwise many ex-polytechs are well-recruited for lab/clinical tech jobs. In addition, the pastoral care at ex-polytechs is sometimes better than Russell Group unis.

For a combination of art/science, what about a degree in metallurgy, or an apprenticeship in silversmithing?

[DaveR]

Very few jobs outside of serious science require particular subjects at A level/degree, and if she's not doing maths A level and struggling (comparatively) with physics then serious science might not be her future. If that's the case, going to university is still the most reliable way of maximising your career options, and she should choose the subject that most interests her and is likely to continue to interest and stimulate her as she gets deeper in. She can think about specific career paths later - that's what most people do in practice. I'm one of the very few people I know actually doing the job I thought I'd be doing when I was 17.

It's not always popular advice but it is a good idea to choose as rigorous a course at as good a university as she can. Not only because in the real world a biology degree from Manchester is in another universe compared to say a forensic science degree from Luton, but also because the quality of teaching and the academic facilities at the former are going to be vastly superior.

[Jeremy]

DaveR Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm one of the very few

> people I know actually doing the job I thought I'd

> be doing when I was 17.

Either you've got an awesome job, or you were one very dull teenager!!

[LondonMix]

I don't think uni is right for everyone or the only path. However, based on what you've said about granddaughter, it would seem to be her best option.

I agree with Ellem and also echo what DaveR says. For most careers, employers see university as an education in how to think, write, and reason effectively as well as an intensive course on how to learn new skills. They don't expect you to know how to do the job. To learn how to do a job, you'll always need specific on the job training, even in finance and the law.

Many people switch careers mid life and so having a solid academic foundation is all she should be worried about unless she has a specific passion. With a good degree from a good uni, she's very unlikely to be unemployed and will have more options open to her overall than if she went down a more specialized route.

Ellem86 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have been qualified in my job for almost 5 years

> now and, despite my experience, I am still asked

> for my GCSEs, A levels and degree results when I

> apply for jobs. My advice to your granddaughter

> would therefore be to study hard and, if she does

> go to university, to pick a "serious" subject at a

> Russell Group uni and, again, work hard. Employers

> don't seem to mind if you change course halfway

> through your degree but my experience is that they

> do mind if you don't do well.

[LondonMix]

I have a friend like that who decided to she wanted to be a vet at age 7. She thinks its crazy it actually happened as when she first said it, she couldn't possibly have known she had the math and science skills to get through the very demanding course. Sometimes, picking what you want early is just lucky odds rather than some clear vision of your future.

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> DaveR Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I'm one of the very few

> > people I know actually doing the job I thought

> I'd

> > be doing when I was 17.

>

> Either you've got an awesome job, or you were one

> very dull teenager!!

[Ellem86]

I picked law at age 5 after watching Law & Order and stuck to it. Obviously had to come up with a more palatable answer to "why law?" for interviews!

LondonMix Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have a friend like that who decided to she

> wanted to be a vet at age 7. She thinks its crazy

> it actually happened as when she first said it,

> she couldn't possibly have known she had the math

> and science skills to get through the very

> demanding course. Sometimes, picking what you

> want early is just lucky odds rather than some

> clear vision of your future.

>

>

> Jeremy Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > DaveR Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > I'm one of the very few

> > > people I know actually doing the job I

> thought

> > I'd

> > > be doing when I was 17.

> >

> > Either you've got an awesome job, or you were

> one

> > very dull teenager!!

[LondonMix]

Law and Order made me what to be a lawyer as well but I got over it after watching the OJ trial! Are you American? I am if its not already obvious.

[Ellem86]

Not American but still watch Law & Order to this day!