Leave sixth form for apprenticeship

I have been thinking about this since even before exams maybe Since around May time. I applied to sixth form and got in but I did child’s play learning and development for gcse and I really enjoyed it so I also applied to childcare college but rejected the offer to stude law, criminology and RE at sixth form and I didn’t like the idea of doing two full days a week at a work placement unpaid😭.I really enjoy the subjects and I like sixth form and have made lots of friends, however I don’t think it’s a tactical life decision for me to be there since I’m most likely not going to go to university; I have no interest in it. So even since before I started sixth form I’ve wanted to leave to do the Level 3 Early years and I’ve wanted a job to do with children. And say if I wanted to go to uni I always could with the childcare qualification. But if I didn’t go to uni I have a qualification that can lead me straight into employment but the a levels can’t because I can’t get a job related to them without going to university which I’m not keen on. I also liked the gcse coursework in child care which I know would be nothing compared to the coursework of college but at least it will all focused on one subject and I’ll have constant work exposure with pay to aid that. Sixth form work is starting to get a lot and I do like the subjects but I’m not passionate because I don’t see where they can get me in life. I’ve seen online 3 apprenticeships very close to my house. Should I apply and leave sixth form and are there any other factors I need to consider?

Childcare vs Law/Criminology/RE ?

When you see it like that, what do you want to spend the next two years of your life doing? They are two very different options so I'm guessing you have a strong gut reaction that I think you should follow!

This second quote is the perfect example of how you should NOT think. Screw the next 2 years, you are defining the foundation of the next 45 years of your life.

Jumping to Childcare now limits you to childcare, or actively trying to reverse that decision later in life. Sticking with A levels gives you the possibility of a much wider range of jobs, including doing a childcare qualification after school, while still having the more flexible A levels as back up.

Doing A levels first doesn't stop you doing childcare afterwards, whereas doing childcare now sets you on a path where it is much harder to revise that decision in the future.

And on the other hand, screwing up two years of your life to get mediocre if not failed A Level results in subjects you don't want to do at a uni you don't want to attend leaves you precisely nowhere. There is much more to life than A Levels at any cost. So much more to it all than that.

But the OP says they are really enjoying the subjects, sixth form, has friends etc. So the workload may be increasing, but that's life, if they are happy where they are then the better strategy is to complete A levels and then decide on childcare.

Tbh I have no experience in childcare etc but you should consider how many jobs would accept you and take you in with your qualifications (one or three jobs that accept near you wouldn't be enough if say you leave the area or you end up getting rejected and then are left with nothing to do).
But if sixthform isn't your thing (ngl it aint my thing either) definitely thing about doing apprenticeship instead of UNI but try to go through with your a level qualifications since they last for up to 5-6 years so lets say three years down the line you want to go back to UNI you have options

This second quote is the perfect example of how you should NOT think. Screw the next 2 years, you are defining the foundation of the next 45 years of your life.

Jumping to Childcare now limits you to childcare, or actively trying to reverse that decision later in life. Sticking with A levels gives you the possibility of a much wider range of jobs, including doing a childcare qualification after school, while still having the more flexible A levels as back up.

Doing A levels first doesn't stop you doing childcare afterwards, whereas doing childcare now sets you on a path where it is much harder to revise that decision in the future.

That is a very good point. I’m not very interested in uni, but say theoretically I did go to uni with the A levels, I could only study law and crime related stuff (because a degree in religious studies can only get u a job in teaching 😭)which limits the careers I can go in to. But say if I do the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Early years apprenticeship and decided to go to uni( which I could because the highest amount of ucas points that cause can give is 144) I could do social work, early years management, primary education, youth work, peadiatric nursing(I think😭), or a degree to do with working with disabled people or I could go straight into employment as a nursery practitioner, nanny, teaching assistant or other child related things. But with the a levels, the jobs that I can go straight into employment are of a limited range. I’m comfortable now but for the sake of the future, going into early years might be for the best. I’m still deciding and thank u for ur input

It's complete nonsense that you can only go into teaching with a Theology degree, you can go into anything that isn't subject specific, and frankly that's most jobs. Civil Service, consulting, marketing, journalism, academia, advertising, HR, anybody's management scheme ...

Do those require university?

. The jobs are level 3 apprenticeships so they’re college level and I’m 16 turning 17, they last 18-21 months. When I looked at the nursery jobs for qualified people, they seem to be a lot. But in regards to the subjects I’m currently doing at sixth form, there’s none that i can find except from prison officer and police😭😭. I was considering doing an apprenticeship instead of sixth form not instead of uni but thank u for the input.