Planning your Next Steps

Easter is now over for another year. With the start of a new term or semester, the end of the academic year isn’t too far away - summer holidays beckon! The main obstacle between now and then, are a whole host of exams and assignments to be focussed on.

Have you got your next steps planned? For some, the answer will be a resounding yes - with back up plans too. For others it may be a ‘yes’ but more hesitant as applications are still being considered by different schools or universities. There will be a few students who haven’t applied for anything yet or whose plans have changed for various reasons - for instance illness, mock results or a change of heart about future career ideas. If you are one of these students, who hasn’t got anything definite yet, hopefully this blog will give you some encouragement!

Planning your Next Steps Top Tips

Don’t lose heart!

There are still opportunities out there, for 6th forms, apprenticeships, undergraduate or postgraduate courses. Yes, some of the more competitive places may have made all the offers they are planning to for next academic year. But there are other options.

Find out what is available

Schools, colleges, training providers, employers and universities all want to find good candidates. They know that plans change over time too. They won’t mind at all if you contact them to find out what the situation is for their recruitment plans. Taking this initiative shows motivation, interest and a positive mindset! And if they haven’t got opportunities for you, they may be able to tell you who else to try. Or other routes to consider for what you are aiming for.

Consider the ‘general’ vs ‘specific’

Do you want to keep your options open for longer or have you got your heart set on a specific curriculum area or vocational area? There will be opportunities to do both at different stages of your educational journey. So for instance, you could do an extended Diploma in Engineering to focus in on an area or A levels including Maths and Physics to keep your options broader. You could do a general Business degree or a specific one that focuses on Marketing or Finace. As a rider to this, apprenticeships will be specific as the training will be tied in to a specific job role and Masters degrees will often be a bit more focussed than an undergraduate degree!

Get some advice

There will be people around you who can give you some support and listen to your ideas. Teaching staff can be a good starting point, especially if you are considering carrying on with their subject - they will know what is involved and where it could lead. Your school, college or university will also have a careers team, which will include a careers adviser. Its worth spending some time talking to them - it’s their job to help students make decisions around their options. They can help you review the good and bad points of each option. They aren’t there to push an option onto you or twist your arm to stay for the 6th form, another college course or masters course. They won’t know everything about every option, but can help you find out for yourself, so that you can make your own decision.

Visit

If you are thinking about applying for another course, do go and visit. You will be potentially studying in this environment for some time, so it’s important to get a sense of whether you will like it there. The same applies for applying for work or an apprenticeship. You are likely to be spending a lot of time and energy working, so its important to get this right, if you can.

Career ideas

A lot of students have definite ideas for their career. Others have vague ideas or know the industry they want to work in. Others don’t have any ideas at all. If you would like to develop your ideas more, there are a a couple fo things you can do. Firstly, talk to a careers adviser - they are experts at helping you come up with ideas that are realistic whilst ambitious and based on accurate information, rather than stereotypes about a career. You can also have a go at some careers questionaires. These include free ones like Prospects Planner and NHS Careers Quiz. These will come up with some suggestions based on a small number of questions, so a good starting point - but purely that, a starting point! You can also use something like Morrisby, which you pay for, this will be a lot more in depth, looking at your skills, aptitudes and interests. Its a service we offer at CareerFocus Essex.

And lastly

You can also think through about taking a year out and reapplying. This might seem like a drastic step but actually you can spend the time building up your experience and contacts! You can also spend time researching if there is a different path to your ‘end goal’.

We hope these tips have been useful! Good luck in your planning. And do get in touch if you would like some further help.

Mark Yates