Do you think we determine out futures (academically) too young?

Hello, I will be taking my GCSE's properly in September at the start of year 10. This will basically make or break my career choices for the future, so will it for everyone (I use the term losely). Anyway, does anyone else think it is wrong that from the time your age 10/11, you determine the rest of your future at too young of an age? I can't help but feel its like giving a child the chance to make or break a whole persons life! For example, you start sculpturing the rest of your life from the age of 10/11, because of you don't do well in primary school, you may not get to do your 11+ which opens many more windows thn a comprehensive. Also, hen your only a young teen you do GCSE's? I don't think it's fair... I think we should let kids be kids and do all this later in life. Anyone else agree? Disagree?

Reply 1

the mezzil

Original post by Clubbinggal98

Hardly any schools use the 11+ anymore. Also, nobody sets out their entire life from the age of 10/11.. or am I missing something here?

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 2

Clubbinggal98

The begin means everyone in many cases, and in many ways determines the rest of your lifes full potential

Reply 3

henrysaunders1

I don't think GCSEs have a huge influence in determining your future. Once you have started A-Levels, GCSEs are more or less eliminated as useful qualifications. As long as you take fairly academic A-Levels then you will have a huge amount of possibilities for the future. Although I think it is too young for some people to decide. For example the reason so many students take subjects like media and leisure & tourism is because they are so easy, a lot of students at that age will take subjects on how easy they are and not what they will get out of them (although I'm not saying that is the case with everyone). In short GCSEs don't have much influence on the rest of your life. You can jump straight into History A-Level without taking it at GCSE, it's more that you use them to get into the next stage of your education.

Reply 4

Clubbinggal98

Totally agree Henry actually

Reply 5

IlexBlue

Original post by henrysaunders1

Yes, but some people go to schools where they aren't told how A Levels or GCSEs like Media and Leisure & Tourism are regarded by universities, no matter how smart they are, and they're automatically at a disadvantage to other kids who were told and can't go back and change a decision they made at 16.

Likewise, your GCSEs determine your A Levels, which determines your degree. Someone who's gone into A Levels doing English and suddenly wants to convert to Science to study at university has to go back to square one.

Reply 6

henrysaunders1

Original post by IlexBlue

That's true, although this depends on what your definition of smart is. I imagine smart people to have a level of common sense and if they have common sense they will know that Leisure and Tourism is not a useful subject. Also if they are smart they will have done some research into the subjects their school has to offer.

I really only see GCSEs as the basis for you to enter further education. The quality of GCSE courses and examinations are so poor. You are not taught how to think for yourself, you are taught how to pass the exam which really isn't useful in future life. They do not really give you a clear understanding of the subject. For example I took GCSE Law, while most of it was, albeit simple, about law. On one paper a third of the marks were going for identifying health and safety signs. How can that even be considered to be of any use in a legal profession or bear any direct relevance to the subject.

Reply 7

Iron Lady

No, your life isn't determined at the age of 10/11. Grammar schools aren't that much better than state comprehensives. It's all within someone's control to make sure they are on the right track.

Reply 8

nulli tertius

Original post by Clubbinggal98

This will basically make or break my career choices for the future, so will it for everyone (I use the term losely).

Life isn't as pre-determined as you think.

You are right that in England your future starts to be defined by the choices you make at 14, there is always scope to revisit those choices with some cost in time and money.

For example, you may make choices at 14 that appear to close off a medical career such as not taking GCSE chemistry. However there are foundation courses for medicine intended for mature students which will take someone without a scientific background and get them up to the scientific level necessary for a medical degree.

Reply 9

SillyEddy

I think the first time we were ever quizzed on career paths was in year 8/9, and even then, the choices made were trivial and with plenty of flexibility. For most, it was just about picking the right GCSEs to go on to do the right A-levels. In all honesty, GCSEs really don't affect career choices - It's during the A-levels when you really shape your future. For a lot of courses, you didn't even need the appropriate GCSE to do the A-level, so anyone doing GCSEs should just get a wide variety and find things they enjoy doing.

Are we pestered too early on to make career choices? Yes and no. In some countries, such as the USA, many people won't know which job they want to go into when they're at university and they will keep changing modules and majors/minors throughout. I'd say that's too late to be deciding.

In the UK, you can be asked quite early on, which is fine, but there's zero support or focus for students. We were asked to make posters describing our dream job and what we want to go into, but the teachers never asked the students if those were smart choices. It was more a case of "You want to become an astronaut? Okay, that's great! You do that!", rather than "You do realise that this is probably not going to happen, right?". No research into job availability nor stability of that industry is ever asked and the students are cuddled because the teachers don't want to crush their dreams. From the poster I did years ago, I've gone through 4 jobs and 4 changes in career focus because the work I wanted was no longer available or I ceased to become a suitable candidate. If the schools are going to ask about careers, they need to provide some decent information to the students about reality and second, third, fourth and fifth choices in life.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 10

username91207

Original post by SillyEddy

In the UK, you can be asked quite early on, which is fine, but there's zero support or focus for students. We were asked to make posters describing our dream job and what we want to go into, but the teachers never asked the students if those were smart choices. It was more a case of "You want to become an astronaut? Okay, that's great! You do that!", rather than "You do realise that this is probably not going to happen, right?". No research into job availability nor stability of that industry is ever asked and the students are cuddled because the teachers don't want to crush their dreams. From the poster I did years ago, I've gone through 4 jobs and 4 changes in career focus because the work I wanted was no longer available or I ceased to become a suitable candidate. If the schools are going to ask about careers, they need to provide some decent information to the students about reality and second, third, fourth and fifth choices in life.

Because of their age, or because they're at university?

No one I know had any idea what they wanted to do before the age of 18, and my partner's only just realised now and he's 25. I do think we ask people to decide too early what they want to do, and teachers and career advisors don't provide them with enough information to make informed decisions.

Reply 11

SillyEddy

Original post by snowyowl

Because of their age, or because they're at university?

No one I know had any idea what they wanted to do before the age of 18, and my partner's only just realised now and he's 25. I do think we ask people to decide too early what they want to do, and teachers and career advisors don't provide them with enough information to make informed decisions.

I'm not sure if it's age or university. I think it's just the general approach that they have. Their first year of university will be a more general year though - It'd be like us doing general A-levels to have a broader knowledge, but the degree would typically be 4 years long because of it.

Thus, people go to university not knowing what they want to do because they have that extra year to think about it. I suppose in America a degree is worth something for all jobs, so "a degree" is better than "no degree" when applying for jobs, but has the obvious drawback of everyone having a degree.

I think people are pushed into career choices a little early and many don't realise that they have a choice about when they go to university. They're used to finishing one year of schooling and starting again in September, so university just fits their normal pattern. In my ideal world, citizens would be given college credits to spend when they liked. Currently, only minors are given the free education, but I think it could do wonders to let people return later in life (mid 20s, 30s, etc) to "spend" those college credits and get the education when it's right for them. A bit like student finance, but 2-3 free college education years instead.

A couple of years out, working and getting an understanding of how the world works could be a lot better.