What do I do if I have no idea what career I want?
TIPS FOR TEENAGERS PREPARING TO CHOOSE A LEVELS, COLLEGE COURSES OR WHAT TO DO AT UNIVERSITY
It can feel pretty overwhelming when you are asked by someone “so what do you want to do when you leave school?”. It is no doubt asked out of genuine curiosity, but if you don’t have an answer, it can leave you feeling like you should.
Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to know all the answers; I’m also here to give you practical advice on how to approach finding some of the answers, or at the very least find out where to start.
What do you know?
The best place to start is with what you do know. Do you have any ideas bubbling already? It doesn’t matter how vague - it is a place to start. For example, do you already know you don’t want to work in an office, or your major motivator is that you want to earn a lot of money. Perhaps you want to know what careers are available if you don’t go to university. Every single idea you have is valid and is a hook to finding out more. This page on the Target Careers website is a brilliant place to start.
Take a quiz – it’s fun I promise!
Another great place to start is to take an online quiz to find out a bit more about your strengths, personality traits and how others see you. This can help identify the type of roles that might suit you.
There are loads out there, but this one is my favourite as it attributes your personality to an animal. It’s insightful and provides you with some excellent language you can use later in CVs, cover letters and personal statements.
What is your favourite subject?
Another way to generate ideas is to look at subject areas you are interested in. Take time to reflect on what is in particular about the subject that you enjoy – do you love 3D Design as you love creating things? Is PE your favourite as you relish being part of a team or perhaps sport is central to your life? Do you love RS because you enjoy debating and advocating? On the Career Pilot website, you can explore careers related to a subject here.
Exploring roles
Hopefully by this stage you have one or two roles that you would like to find out more about. Let’s consider what the key pieces of information you need to find out are and where can you find it.
Key information:
What is the role about and is it what I was expecting?
Will it suit me?
What could I earn?
What do I need to do to get into this role?
Do I need specific A levels or a BTEC/T Level?
Do I need to do a specific degree?
Do I need a degree at all – are there other routes into this career?
Spend a few minutes thinking through what you have found out. Does this role still sound interesting? Could you see yourself doing it? Do the entry requirements feel achievable? If so, add it to your short list. You can then go back and repeat this process to generate some more ideas.
You don’t have to have lots of ideas at this point, but it’s important to explore and note down those that you do have in case they have an impact on any decisions you need to make.
What about university?
If you are starting to think about university courses or weighing up whether you want to go at all, there are some brilliant resources to help you get started. Pick a statement below that best fits how you are feeling and check out the resources to help you find the answer:
I already have an idea of the type of course I would like to study:
https://www.ucas.com/ - search courses at all UK universities
https://targetcareers.co.uk/uni/degree-subject-guides - find out where your degree could take you
I don’t know what to study:
https://www.informedchoices.ac.uk/which-degree
I don’t know if university is right for me:
https://targetcareers.co.uk/careers-advice/work-v-uni/22-should-i-go-to-university-or-get-a-job
What are my choices if I don’t go:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/applying-for-university/alternatives-to-university
You don’t have to do everything at once
My final piece of advice is that you don’t have to sit down and look at this all at once. Break it down into some smaller chunks. Perhaps just start with the quiz or have a nose about in the Target Careers website.
If you think you could do with a bit more support in making a decision, click here to find out how I can help.