Advice on what to do after college??t

I’m super stressed out thinking about what to do after college, I thought I had things figured out but then a couple of years ago my mind changed about career paths and what I wanted to do. I’m really not feeling going to university as it’s not something I want and I feel like it would be a waste of time if my hearts not in it, if I did go it would be purely for the fact that I’d have a degree behind me. My other option would be an apprenticeship of some form, I was looking in the education sector but a lot in my area require you to have relevant work experience AND an employer within the field to support you which I don’t have so it’s proving difficult to do something like that and I only chose education because nothing else sounds appealing to me and it’s what I used to want to go into. Unfortunately for me I care too much about how others see me so when it comes to planning a career I want something that’s deemed “respectable” which i know is bad but I’m asking for what other options do I have that will get me into a good career even if it’s one that I might not have heard of. I’m not afraid of hard work to get to a position but it’s got to be worthwhile. Any advice or tips for my situation would be appreciated :smile:

x

Reply 1

hotpud

18

So first off, breath. Relax. Calm down. You have the rest of your life to get this right so there is no rush. We are talking 50+ years so if you make a mistake now, there is plenty of time to sort it out.

Secondly, doing something because of what you think others will think is pretty much the worst thing you can do. It isn't other people who are going to have to do this career and doing something you hate just because you feel other people will respect you is a direct path to insanity. If people don't respect you because of what you do, you need to cut them out of your life because they are adding nothing positive to it.

Lastly, if you don't know what you want to do right now, that is absolutely fine. Why not just get a job, any job, earn some money, go travelling, experience life and discover a bit about who you are and what you like. Then if you figure it out you can work backwards and do whatever is needed to hit that goal, bit it get experience or go to uni.

Good luck!

Reply 2

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

22

Original post by emmaancp

I’m super stressed out thinking about what to do after college, I thought I had things figured out but then a couple of years ago my mind changed about career paths and what I wanted to do. I’m really not feeling going to university as it’s not something I want and I feel like it would be a waste of time if my hearts not in it, if I did go it would be purely for the fact that I’d have a degree behind me. My other option would be an apprenticeship of some form, I was looking in the education sector but a lot in my area require you to have relevant work experience AND an employer within the field to support you which I don’t have so it’s proving difficult to do something like that and I only chose education because nothing else sounds appealing to me and it’s what I used to want to go into. Unfortunately for me I care too much about how others see me so when it comes to planning a career I want something that’s deemed “respectable” which i know is bad but I’m asking for what other options do I have that will get me into a good career even if it’s one that I might not have heard of. I’m not afraid of hard work to get to a position but it’s got to be worthwhile. Any advice or tips for my situation would be appreciated :smile:

x

I thought I had things figured out but then a couple of years ago my mind changed about career paths and what I wanted to do
What made you decide to switch careers?

I was looking in the education sector but a lot in my area require you to have relevant work experience AND an employer within the field to support you which I don’t have so it’s proving difficult to do something like that and I only chose education because nothing else sounds appealing to me and it’s what I used to want to go into.
See the following:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-categories/teaching-and-education
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/browse-sector/teaching-and-education
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/education/job-profiles
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/education/job-profiles

As far as I know, roles such as teaching assistant doesn't require prior experience.
If you want to become a teacher, you would need to end up with a degree of some description, be it through uni or a degree apprenticeship.

Unfortunately for me I care too much about how others see me so when it comes to planning a career I want something that’s deemed “respectable” which i know is bad but I’m asking for what other options do I have that will get me into a good career even if it’s one that I might not have heard of.
Well if we are going to be superficial about it, it probably helps if you can define what is "respectable" and what's a "good career".
I respect refuse collectors, because they do a job that's needed in society, they work hard, and they work in less than nice conditions; it's honest work. It's the same with educators (even though I disagree with a lot that goes on in the sector).
If your heart isn't in it though, you might end up regretting on it, irrespective of how other people see you. To me, it's always about what you find most fulfilling. However, I will entertain this part of the question (no matter how insulting) if you can be specific about your definitions.

Advice on what to do after college??t

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you