The Student Room Group

I’m not sure what to do after A Levels

I’m currently doing English Lit, Psychology and Philosophy. For context, before i chose the current topics i had previously chosen to do a completely different career path which was to go into either Astronomy or Cosmology, ended up finding that I didn’t like it. So, i chose these 3 subjects, because it was the ones i was interested in, but when i changed subjects I hadn’t really thought what career/future i would go into with these in mind. That was all the way back in GCSE, and now im in the middle of year 12, and in like a month or 2 we’re gonna have to start our UCAS applications, yet i legit have no idea what to do. I’ve considered working in publishing, but that doesn’t get me exicted, and i have no idea if i would suit a career in law of any kind. I post edits on TikTok, which i love doing, i would say im okay at it, and I’ve been doing it for the last 3 years, but im also not sure if i would be able to pursue a career that includes things like that, like something that would guarantee me a job. And i seriously don’t wanna end up doing a lit degree at uni, spend loads of money and come out unsatisfied. I’m interested in the subjects im doing rn, but im so lost. And im scared that if I take a gap year that i will just end up doing nothing and sort of give up on life.

Reply 1

Original post
by P34nut5
I’m currently doing English Lit, Psychology and Philosophy. For context, before i chose the current topics i had previously chosen to do a completely different career path which was to go into either Astronomy or Cosmology, ended up finding that I didn’t like it. So, i chose these 3 subjects, because it was the ones i was interested in, but when i changed subjects I hadn’t really thought what career/future i would go into with these in mind. That was all the way back in GCSE, and now im in the middle of year 12, and in like a month or 2 we’re gonna have to start our UCAS applications, yet i legit have no idea what to do. I’ve considered working in publishing, but that doesn’t get me exicted, and i have no idea if i would suit a career in law of any kind. I post edits on TikTok, which i love doing, i would say im okay at it, and I’ve been doing it for the last 3 years, but im also not sure if i would be able to pursue a career that includes things like that, like something that would guarantee me a job. And i seriously don’t wanna end up doing a lit degree at uni, spend loads of money and come out unsatisfied. I’m interested in the subjects im doing rn, but im so lost. And im scared that if I take a gap year that i will just end up doing nothing and sort of give up on life.

you could pursue video editing and become an editor - that can carry you in social media working with influencers or youtube channels, brands, and go into film?

i also highly recommend looking at foundation years. it's a free year of education and a 1 yr course of something. most people who do a foundation year are more prepared for uni than others. i didn't know what i was doing, did a foundation, i feel much more aware of what i want and have gained friends, information, new skills, networking, mentorship, etc. i believe there's different foundation degrees in different subjects. figure out which one appeals to you the most.

eng lit, psychology, philosophy all come overlap in analysis of people in my opinion. do you like that? what made you pick those subjects that interests you from them?

you could go into social work, could go into analysis for brands maybe to help them do the best with advertising (i did media studies, and in that they talk a tiny bit about psychographics of people meaning different type of viewers and their motivations, and thus a media product's audience. you could go into helping that, that way you're also working with media and working with understanding people).

Reply 2

Original post
by P34nut5
I’m currently doing English Lit, Psychology and Philosophy. For context, before i chose the current topics i had previously chosen to do a completely different career path which was to go into either Astronomy or Cosmology, ended up finding that I didn’t like it. So, i chose these 3 subjects, because it was the ones i was interested in, but when i changed subjects I hadn’t really thought what career/future i would go into with these in mind. That was all the way back in GCSE, and now im in the middle of year 12, and in like a month or 2 we’re gonna have to start our UCAS applications, yet i legit have no idea what to do. I’ve considered working in publishing, but that doesn’t get me exicted, and i have no idea if i would suit a career in law of any kind. I post edits on TikTok, which i love doing, i would say im okay at it, and I’ve been doing it for the last 3 years, but im also not sure if i would be able to pursue a career that includes things like that, like something that would guarantee me a job. And i seriously don’t wanna end up doing a lit degree at uni, spend loads of money and come out unsatisfied. I’m interested in the subjects im doing rn, but im so lost. And im scared that if I take a gap year that i will just end up doing nothing and sort of give up on life.

Hi,

honestly this is way more common than you probably think, especially around the middle of year 12 when UCAS starts getting mentioned and everyone suddenly feels like they’re supposed to have their whole life planned.
first thing to say is that your A level combo actually keeps a lot of options open. English lit, psychology and philosophy are all essay-based subjects that build skills like critical thinking, writing, analysing arguments and understanding people. Those are useful for loads of degrees and careers, not just one specific path.
also, you don’t have to pick a career right now. What you’re really choosing with UCAS is a degree direction, not the job you’ll do for the next 40 years. A lot of people change direction during or after uni.
a few thoughts based on what you said:
about law a lot of people who go into law didn’t know if it suited them beforehand. Law degrees take students from loads of subject backgrounds, especially essay subjects like yours. It might be worth doing a bit of research or maybe a short online law course/video just to see if the way lawyers think about problems actually interests you.
about creative/media stuff (like your tiktok edits) the fact you’ve been doing that consistently for 3 years is actually a good sign. Skills like editing, storytelling, and understanding online audiences are used in areas like:

marketing / digital marketing

media production

content creation / social media roles

advertising

a lot of those are more stable careers than people assume, especially if you combine creativity with business or media studies at uni.
about choosing a degree if you’re worried about doing straight English lit, you could look at degrees that mix things a bit more, like:

media & communications

digital media / content production

psychology degrees

philosophy & politics type courses

marketing or advertising

those kinds of courses still use your strengths but open up a wider set of careers.
about the gap year worry a gap year doesn’t automatically mean doing nothing. A lot of people work, save money, travel a bit, or just take time to figure things out. But if you feel like you might struggle without structure, going to uni first and exploring things there (societies, internships, placements) can also help you figure out what you enjoy.
the main thing is: you’re not behind. A lot of people applying through UCAS right now feel exactly the same way but just don’t say it out loud.
if it helps, a good starting point might be asking yourself:

do you enjoy analysing ideas and writing?

do you enjoy understanding people and behaviour?

do you enjoy creative/digital work like editing and media?

those three directions actually line up quite nicely with the subjects you’re already doing.
try not to put too much pressure on yourself to have everything figured out right now. Most people’s careers end up changing direction a few times anyway.
hope that helps a bit, and good luck with everything 👍

Anthony
student rep

Reply 3

Original post
by P34nut5
I’m currently doing English Lit, Psychology and Philosophy. For context, before i chose the current topics i had previously chosen to do a completely different career path which was to go into either Astronomy or Cosmology, ended up finding that I didn’t like it. So, i chose these 3 subjects, because it was the ones i was interested in, but when i changed subjects I hadn’t really thought what career/future i would go into with these in mind. That was all the way back in GCSE, and now im in the middle of year 12, and in like a month or 2 we’re gonna have to start our UCAS applications, yet i legit have no idea what to do. I’ve considered working in publishing, but that doesn’t get me exicted, and i have no idea if i would suit a career in law of any kind. I post edits on TikTok, which i love doing, i would say im okay at it, and I’ve been doing it for the last 3 years, but im also not sure if i would be able to pursue a career that includes things like that, like something that would guarantee me a job. And i seriously don’t wanna end up doing a lit degree at uni, spend loads of money and come out unsatisfied. I’m interested in the subjects im doing rn, but im so lost. And im scared that if I take a gap year that i will just end up doing nothing and sort of give up on life.

Maybe because you like editing you should consider something in marketing or digital media. Maybe you could be the person who helps companies with their brand and social media u don’t need specific a levels for that usually and the a level psych will defo help

Reply 4

TYam for responding, I’ll look into foundation years and stuff! I chose these subjects because it’s what I felt/thought I resignated the most, and I guess I didn’t really look too deep into the subject’s actual work I guess. I mean the time i was experiencing when changing my subjects, was a time when I was beginning to love reading because it was helping me with mental health, and still today. And for the other subjects, it was I was just simply interested in what they could offer!
Original post
by CityOfTroy
you could pursue video editing and become an editor - that can carry you in social media working with influencers or youtube channels, brands, and go into film?
i also highly recommend looking at foundation years. it's a free year of education and a 1 yr course of something. most people who do a foundation year are more prepared for uni than others. i didn't know what i was doing, did a foundation, i feel much more aware of what i want and have gained friends, information, new skills, networking, mentorship, etc. i believe there's different foundation degrees in different subjects. figure out which one appeals to you the most.
eng lit, psychology, philosophy all come overlap in analysis of people in my opinion. do you like that? what made you pick those subjects that interests you from them?
you could go into social work, could go into analysis for brands maybe to help them do the best with advertising (i did media studies, and in that they talk a tiny bit about psychographics of people meaning different type of viewers and their motivations, and thus a media product's audience. you could go into helping that, that way you're also working with media and working with understanding people).

Reply 5

Original post
by P34nut5
I’m currently doing English Lit, Psychology and Philosophy. For context, before i chose the current topics i had previously chosen to do a completely different career path which was to go into either Astronomy or Cosmology, ended up finding that I didn’t like it. So, i chose these 3 subjects, because it was the ones i was interested in, but when i changed subjects I hadn’t really thought what career/future i would go into with these in mind. That was all the way back in GCSE, and now im in the middle of year 12, and in like a month or 2 we’re gonna have to start our UCAS applications, yet i legit have no idea what to do. I’ve considered working in publishing, but that doesn’t get me exicted, and i have no idea if i would suit a career in law of any kind. I post edits on TikTok, which i love doing, i would say im okay at it, and I’ve been doing it for the last 3 years, but im also not sure if i would be able to pursue a career that includes things like that, like something that would guarantee me a job. And i seriously don’t wanna end up doing a lit degree at uni, spend loads of money and come out unsatisfied. I’m interested in the subjects im doing rn, but im so lost. And im scared that if I take a gap year that i will just end up doing nothing and sort of give up on life.


Hi,

This is completely normal, a lot of students feel the same at year 12.
The subjects you mentioned rely a lot on critical thinking, analysing and writing. There are plenty of fields you can think about that require the same skills: teaching, journalism, marketing, digital media, politics.
Perhaps it would be helpful to thoroughly read about those subjects and see which one resonates with you 😊.

-Sarah (Kingston Rep)

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