Categories: uncategorized
Date: 28 July 2007 07:15:25
If, in that non-descript summer of '88 somebody had handed me a blank sheet of paper and asked me to map out where I saw my life going it would have been quite simple. A Levels lead to university which leads to a career; relationship leads to co-habitation and possibly marriage and children; buy a house pay off the mortgage and then have a comfortable retirement before you die. Had they ask me to fill in any details I would have struggled; I had a mild idea that working in a Building Society might be ok, but as to any real ambitions and career goals I had none to speak of - and that was the main problem.
If you know you want to be a doctor or journalist or such choosing your A Level subjects is easy there are specific subjects you know you need to take, but when you have no long term plan it gets a bit more tricky. Oh yes people at school and home tried to draw out of me what I wanted to do, but I was a stroppy teenager who quite frankly didn't know what I wanted to do.
So it was that I drifted into 6th form swapping subjects over the first few weeks thinking neither Sociology or English were what I wanted to be doing and ending up with a mix of History, Economics and AS Religious Studies (it was old style AS, same level as the full A Level but only half the content). To be quite honest I really don't know if the story would have been different if I had stayed with the original choices or not, but whatever after struggling through 2 terms I had had enough. I think I had slept and day-dreamed through more of the Economics lessons than I had concentrated in, History I just had found tough and only in my small RS class with the wonderful teacher did I really work and show any academic ability at all. However, one AS which was going to be gone at the end of the year, was not enough to keep me engaged or, more importantly from my point of view, get me into university.
My parents were not surprised when I told them I was leaving or rather, asked them by phone for the money for a haircut as as I had an interview for a job the next week. It transpired that at the parents evening a few weeks before it had become clear how disengaged I was in all but the RS. As for my leaving the school, well I just took my books back and left before starting work in an insurance office a week or so later. (Remember this was the late 80's where with a handful of reasonable GCSE's you could do that sort of thing).
Anyway what did I learn or what would I do differently?
My biggest mistake was allowing myself thinking I had no ambitions or dreams and not that many real interests. If I'm honest I did have interests and maybe even dreams, but they weren't the ones which careers are made of (generally) and so I didn't think they were relevant. Also I stayed in the safe environment I knew rather than going somewhere else which probably did a better set of A Levels for me.
Lesson 1: If you're not sure what to do get yourself a pile of the prospectuses for the providers (sorry schools and colleges) in your area and a big sheet of paper split into four regtangles. On the sheet of paper do a SWOT analysis. This means you look at the things you're interested in and what you're good at under S (strengths), the things you find really boring or really struggle with under W (weaknesses), what you might be able to do in the future (like different jobs, travelling or studying abroad) under O (opportunities) and what might hold you back under T or stop you being able to do things you want to under T (threats).
Then focus on the S & W section by going through the prospectuses you have and cross out all the subjects that clearly fit into the W section and put a star by the subjects and courses which clearly fit into the S section.
Next you need to use the O & T sections to do a bit of research. Start with the O column; if you want to study abroad later on, for example, you need to find out what UK qualifications you need for where you want to go. Similarly if you think you might be interested in studying a particular course at uni eventually (but it's a dream you don't want to share because you think it will sound wierd) go onto the Course Search section of the UCAS site and find out what subjects and grades you need to follow that dream. If you have an interest in a particular industry but don't know what jobs you could do (apart from ones you think are well out of your league) go onto the internet and find out a bit more about that industry. Under threats go through and cross out the ones which aren't real but come from your own insecurity and keep the ones that could be real barriers (eg grades). Next to the real barriers use your research to see if there is any alternative open to you. Then go back to your pile of information do some more crossing out and staring, based on the research you've done. You'll still have to make some choices, but by this point they might be a bit easier.
I think in retrospect another big mistake I made was not giving the English or Sociology a chance. Had I persevered with more than the first few lessons in both I think that I would have been much more settled. Also changing one subject is slightly unsettling, changing two is downright disruptive.
Lesson number 2: If you dislike a subject at first give it a chance, and if you must change your programme of study don't change more than one.
My other problem was I didn't discuss the problems I was having with anybody properly. I didn't exactly get on with my form tutor or the head of 6th form and to be fair they didn't really know me. I think if I had sought out one of the staff who did know me and chatted things through with them I might have stood more of a chance. Oh and I could have listened to my parents (but that might have been going a tad too far).
Lesson number 3: If you are struggling have a one off talk to somebody who you trust before you make any drastic decisions and be prepared to be honest with them. You will need to understand that they may refer you onto somebody else and that at some point you are going to have to have the same chat with your tutor / head of 6th form or whoever, but atleast you will have had it with somebody whose advice you value first.
As to why I actually made the decision to leave, well that was because I had this mad idea that the map on the blank piece of paper if you didn't get to uni was: get a job, get a relationship, possibly cohabit, but eventually get married, have children, pay off mortgage on house (probably in town where you were born), retire and die. Therefore, if I wasn't going to achieve the A Levels to start me on the other route I may aswell as switch to plan b sooner rather than later.
Lesson number 4: There are numerous routes through life and if you don't complete your A Levels it is not the end of the world and doesn't mean you automatically have to sign up for the full marriage and kids thing. Similarly A Levels don't have to lead to university. Basically if you are mentally using either of the "life maps" I have described to guide you in your decisions rip them up now because whilst they may lead you into good decisions they can also be very dangerous if you use them as more than rough guides.