Where do you see yourself in a few years’ time? This is a question I – along with many other teens – get asked on a daily basis by practically anyone who engages in a conversation about what you are doing at the present moment. It’s a pretty simple question if you have a solid answer for it, however, I don’t know where I see myself in a few years’ time so it proves quite difficult to answer when I do get asked.
I am a 16-year-old student at sixth form who is studying for my A – Levels which are English Literature and Language, Sociology and Photography. As I am currently unsure of what career path I want to go down I am taking every opportunity to explore the different career prospects I could possibly go down through different experiences such as work placements and lectures. For many people, it’s as simple as 1,2,3 but with the endless possibilities floating around such as university, apprenticeships, work placements or even getting a full-time job it isn’t that simple.
For me I think it’s more about making the ‘right’ decision rather than doing what makes me happy. What I do now is essential to what happens next – it directly affects what I can do or even what I can’t do. Which is a bit of a depressing thought to think that something as simple as making a decision can limit what people do in the future as a career. I think that such a big decision shouldn’t be put on us at such a young age as we already have a lot on out plate and making big important decisions shouldn’t be put on our shoulders.
Although there is an amount of people who are unsure of where they want to go forward from after education there are a number of people who are certain of what career path they want to take. As I am a student at sixth form my next educational based step is to attend university. I personally am a bit up in the air about whether I should or not and have come up with a list of pros and cons to attending university which I will sum up briefly now.
Pros. Let’s start on a positive note. On average there are 50,000 different courses available to everyone so within that mix there is bound to be one which takes your interest. If you get a uni qualification/degree you are less likely to be unemployed and you are more likely to get a better salary when compared to those who only have A – levels or with those who have no degree qualifications. When attending university you are gaining a better level of independence as you are living away from home you’ll have to do your own cooking, cleaning and financial work. All the time you’ll be meeting new people and socialising with people in the same classes as you. And let’s not forget the most obvious one, you’re pushing your career forward. However, on a slightly less positive note, if the thought of attending university doesn’t appeal to you then it’s highly unlikely that it won’t benefit you at all. Personally, I think that if you don’t have a solid and clear idea of what you want to do as a career or even if you don’t want to do a career which requires a degree for you to do it then I think that university is a waste of time.
There are other things which are putting young people off going to university, as attending university is quite cost heavy and therefore, when they start their life independently they are in debt from the student loans which they have taken out previously to get by.
The socialisation of the children can also impact people’s decisions to attend university. If neither of the child’s parents attended university then that is a norm for them and they won’t question it and just assume that because their parents didn’t then neither do they
