How can I explore my career options?

When should I start thinking about my future career?

It’s never too early to start thinking about your future career! Throughout our time at school and college, we are encouraged to learn a variety of different subjects and skills – everyone has their own interests and strengths, and these can then lead into a variety of career areas for you to explore.

If you have a favourite subject at school then you could start to research which careers this could lead into! If you have a particular hobby or activity outside of school, such as a sport or creative interest, have you considered what skills this gives you, and which jobs might use this skill? Perhaps some of the most important times to be thinking about your future career ideas include times where you need to make a choice in your education. This includes choosing your GCSE options (in Year 9), choosing your plans after GCSEs (Year 11) and choices at 18 (Year 13).

It is really useful at these times to think about the kind of career you may be interested in, and to look at which options or routes may help you get there. But don’t worry, as there is lots of support available to help you with these decisions!

I’m not sure what I want to do, where should I start?

Most young people (and adults!) feel unsure about career decisions – you are not alone! Perhaps a good starting point is to think about your own personality and strengths as an individual. What kind of person are you? Are you creative? Sporty? Practical? Think about who you are – what are your interests? What are your favourite activities? What are your best subjects are school and why? Always put yourself first. You want to base any future career choices based on your interests, skills and happiness!

What tools are on offer that can support me?

There are lots of tools available to help you with career choices – a good starting point is usually speaking to a careers adviser.

If you are in a school, college or university setting, then you should have access to a careers adviser. This is a qualified professional who can talk to you one on one about your ideas in an impartial and non-judgmental way. They are trained to listen to you about your ideas, and can help you with exploring your options.

Your school or college may also have lots of careers events planned too such as careers fairs, employer talks, college or university visits, work experience and more.

Try to get involved in all these activities where you can – not only can they help you with your careers research, they can also help you gain confidence in yourself and give you inspiration!

What wider things should I take into consideration?

When you are researching different career ideas, you might want to think about LMI – this stands for “labour market information” and provides important information on career areas that can help you make your decisions, such as:

• Skills – what skills are required in this job area? Do these match your own skills?
• Availability – is this career in demand? Will there be opportunities for you in this job area in the future? Is this job available locally, or will you need to travel?
• Training & Qualifications – do you need to have certain subjects or grades to work in this job area? (This is particularly important to researching when choosing courses, like choosing GCSEs in Year 9 or college/sixth-form courses in Year 11!)
• Salary – how much can you earn in this career? Are there opportunities to progress and increase your pay? Does the salary match your own personal lifestyle goals?

All of these factors can play and an important role when exploring your careers – don’t forget to use these considerations to make comparisons between other career options or job roles, as this can sometimes help identify which route may be best for you!

Click on the What is LMI and why do I need to know about it? article to find out more information about Labout Market Information.

Any top tips?

Remember – navigating your career path is not easy and doesn’t happen overnight! There are usually lots of steps involved and lots of twists and turns! It is always ok if you are not sure of your plans, and always ok if you change your mind. Make sure you talk to those around you – family, friends, teachers, careers advisers, other support staff or visitors – all will be able to listen to you and can help make suggestions on your next steps. Here’s my 3 top tips:

3. Have a “Plan B”

It is good practice to always think “what if?” and to have a back up plan; especially if you are very set on a career plan or course. Talk through your plans with a careers adviser – they can help you research a range of routes and opportunities, so that you can consider different options.

Related