Should my daughter be thinking about jobs?

[swansonj]

Our elder daughter is 16, just done GCSEs and in the middle therefore of A Level choices. Her peer group seems completely obsessed with the consequences for getting a job of their choices and unwilling to countenence anything that is not directly vocational.

I have done my best to persuade her to choose the subjects she enjoys most and is best at, on the basis that if she's bright enough and gets good enough grades/degree then she'll find a job regardless of subjects (and, of course, that education has value for purposes other than improving one's income-earning potential). A happy young person with good grades in English and History is a better prospect than a miserable young person with mediocre grades in Maths and Physics.

She then got an unexpected lift home after a concert last week, from a teacher of all people, who, besides criticising us for daring to have expected her to get a bus home, said that it was absolutely essential to choose GCSEs, never mind A Levels, with a specific job in view, and that if I was naive enough to think that pursuing subjects for the love of them was a valid strategy, well, I must have been bankrolled by rich parents.

 

[martint235]

I would have thought the idea was to aim for a job you want and like. In order to do that surely there's a high chance that you're going to be studying subjects that you like? Or am I missing something obvious?

 

[Puddles]

At 16 most are not even aware of the reality of jobs and the wide variety out there, one "apprentice" in accountancy that I had shoved at me had a degree in Geography or geology or Geo something or other, certainly nothing to do with accounts or maths, the firm used to employ the trainees based on the level of education attained didn't matter in what field - seemed very odd to me as half of them had no aptitude for the role.

 

[green1]

Depends on the individual. I always knew I wanted to get in to engineering and the subjects I was good at happened to be the likes of maths, physics, chemistry, Tech Studies. If she knows what she wants to then there is no harm in going down the specialisation path. If she hasn't got a clue what she wants to do than I'd say she would be far better going down the route of picking what she enjoys and having a broad range of subjects so that she has a few more options post A level.

 

[Longshot]

I don't agree. I work in a fairly specialist industry and many of the best people in it started off by doing non industry specific degrees and then converting at a later date. Most degrees and certainly GCSE/A'Levels show a level of intelligence or ability - the subject matter within reason is not that important. I know bosses who would rather see A Levels in English or the sciences than Business Studies for example.

I would suggest doing core subject exams - English/Maths/Sciences/Geography/History that show your ability to learn and/or pass tests which will demonstrate a degree of intelligence to a wide range of potential employers. Degrees are the first point at which I would start leaning in a particular direction with a view to a chosen career.

 

[Beebo]

My recommendation would be to choose her 3 favourite / best subjects for A level and then head off to University to study her favourite subject, she can always do a conversion course later if she needs to. Very few people know what they want to do even when they leave university and very few jobs are totally subject specific anyway.

I have a degree in geography, but work in Insurance, but I have since gained two further professional qualificantions. The professional qualifications are far more valuable to me, in terms of earning power, than the degree or A levels.

 

[Spinney]

What green1 said - but maybe avoid things like 'media studies' if there is such a thing at A level. Someone who has followed what they enjoy doing is not the same thing as someone who has picked meeja studies etc because they think they will be easier than more academic studies (I'm not saying they are easier although I have my suspicions, but they are generally seen as easier). I would think the first would be far more employable than the second.

Also, if she is interested in history now (and so might want to do this for a degree), it might be worth looking at university entry requirements for history degrees (and similar). There is no commitment now, obvioulsy, but equally a bit of research might allow her to pick (say) two subjects she really likes and another that will help keep more options open later.

 

[DCLane]

As a university academic, I'd say that she should choose what she's interested in. She'll get better A-level grades and be much happier.

 

[Herr-B]

I think you're doing alright. Doing courses she either doesn't want to do or has no interest in, nor apptitude for, can't end well. Let her do what she wants, with your obvious encouragement and support.

Most people leaving school have little idea what they will become, I think quite a lot of university students are similar - most adults that do further education choose something fun and not necessarily functional, I know I did.

I left school/college with little or no decent grades, I've only spent a few weeks on the dole after being made redundant. I've travelled the world and done many fun things.

 

[Night Train]

I loved science and engineering when at school and wanted to work for the MOD designing transport, or NASA designing space craft but realised that the world was going to change and electronics and computing was going to become more common place and I had no interest in either.
Just as I was going to choose black-smithing, engineering, metal work and wood work at school all the workshops were removed and a BBC micro appeared.
So I then did English, Maths, Geography, History, Physics, Art, and Drama as I liked them.
I then went on to do Physics and Maths A levels and motor vehicle City and Guilds, and then moved on to a Mech Eng degree. Unfortunately I had to leave that when my brother died so that I could take over running the family electrical contracting business.

After a nervous breakdown, following my bereavement, I went into social and supported housing management.
I took the Chartered Institute of Housing's supported housing certificate, small business studies, and coded pipe welding at college when I moved from London to Manchester. (The welding has been the most useful of the three.)
My career moved up to housing development, stock transfer, and area renewal until I was so bored I walked out of the career.

Then I did a HND in Furniture Making, started making furniture, and then trained to be a teacher.

I loved teaching, the teaching didn't love me and left me mentally and physically damaged, so I now 'make things' for fun and hopefully for my new business.

It isn't easy to determine a career path, nor suitable subjects to study, when only 16 so best to study favorite subjects over 'academically/career useful' ones at that stage and then look for suitable work and eventually fun work.

 

[ASC1951]

She then got an unexpected lift home after a concert last week, from a teacher of all people, who, besides criticising us for daring to have expected her to get a bus home, said that it was absolutely essential to choose GCSEs, never mind A Levels, with a specific job in view, and that if I was naive enough to think that pursuing subjects for the love of them was a valid strategy, well, I must have been bankrolled by rich parents.

I would say that deciding on a specific job at 16 is foolish; and I would choose school subjects in large part on the basis of what I liked, for the good reason that I would expect to do better at them.
TBH I wouldn't consult a teacher for a visionary perspective on the world of work. Most of them have done the same job all their lives and whole swathes are married to teachers and spend all their leisure with teachers.

 

[Night Train]

TBH I wouldn't consult a teacher for a visionary perspective on the world of work. Most of them have done the same job all their lives and whole swathes are married to teachers and spend all their leisure with teachers.

Isn't that true of many vocational occupations? I know social housing and council work is very 'incestuous'.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

She then got an unexpected lift home after a concert last week, from a teacher of all people, who, besides criticising us for daring to have expected her to get a bus home, said that it was absolutely essential to choose GCSEs, never mind A Levels, with a specific job in view, and that if I was naive enough to think that pursuing subjects for the love of them was a valid strategy, well, I must have been bankrolled by rich parents.

TWAT ALERT! TWAT ALERT!!

Its better to do what she wants to do, and anyway, if things don't quite work out for her in the future, then she can always do something else instead, things are not set in stone!!

I left school with very little other than my Standard Grades due to illness, and have I worked as a freelance photographer*, I worked in furniture removal, on a farm and as a classroom assistant in a special needs school. What I do next, who knows? But I am trying to get better qualifications and have been back to College again and will be again in the future. I personally would like to do something in the field of Haemotology or some other medical thing, but, going on my previous 'career' trajectory, I prefer to keep an open mind and not box myself in.

Its healthy not to box yourself in.


* - I don't do photography now, I loved working with film and in darkrooms, but digital does absolutely nothing for me whatsoever, so I only take pictures for my own pleasure now.

 

[zizou]

I think your attitude is healthy and the teacher sounds like a bit of an arse commenting in that manner on your parenting.

I dont have any kids but if i did i reckon i'd be pissed off enough to with the naive comment to go off on some rant about the dangers of teachers giving impressionable young students a lift home!

 

[Globalti]

I never met a careers advisor who had anything useful to suggest; as soon as they saw I was a linguist they recommended teaching, interpreting or translating. All of my friends and I are in jobs that are unrelated to our degree subjects. The most important thing is that students emerge from college with their livers intact and a healthy open-minded attitude, especially to travel and doing business outside their own country.