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How did you decide?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Hi all,

Aimhigher, the programme designed to encourage students to think about higher education as a real option, would like to know, from young people themselves, the answer to an important question about how people made their choices at the end of school.

When you thought, or are thinking, about what to do after school, who were the main people who affected your decisions on what to do?

Feel free not to be brief in your answers ;),

Jim
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    *bump*
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is that for young only, meaning 25+ can't reply?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nope, anyone can feel free but it might be helpful to say, 'a few years ago' to set it in context
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    8 years ago when I stop school without passing my graduation as my parents force me to do some studies I didn't want to do, I went into graphic design...

    The person that affected me on that decison I guess was my dad, only thing he did for me really, he teached me some graphic design when I was 14 and at 18 found me a job in the company he was working for at the time...

    I think my decision was also affected by the fact that I was going to lose my flat as left home and was leaving only on money I could make by selling stolen goods and I really didn't want to get back at my parents house (mom+stepdad)... Also maybe a bit deep down I always wonder what it would be like to have my dad close by....

    That's about it I think...
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    Teachers really. They were like "YEAH EVERYONE SHOULD GO INTO HIGHER EDUCATION SO WE GET EXTRA MONIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT!?""
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And was it them that made your mind up for you?
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    Jim V wrote:
    And was it them that made your mind up for you?
    Pretty much :p Well for going into sixth form, I essentially couldnt be arsed finding something else to do.

    As for uni I suppose I thought about it and thought it was a good idea, noone really influenced me tbh.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I left school in 2000. The main deciding factor for me was that if I wanted to do well, I needed to leave the area. I come from a very small place with tourism being the main income, high free school meals ratio etc. To actually achieve anything I needed to leave. University was the best option for me as a) I had the brains (not to sound big headed or anything) and b) financially as I could get into student accommodation, get a loan etc. My parents couldn't support me at the time so it was the best, viable option for me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teachers mainly they supported and advised me. My parents more pressured me into uni. They basically said my only get-out-of-uni free card was a step by step process of how my life in the world of work was going to evolve. I couldn't make that kind of plan of my life so here I am. Degree. Voila.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There seemed to be a general consensus at school that unless you weren't going to get 5 A-C's you would go onto college. It just seems to be the done thing. I was originally into veterinary stuff, so I always intended to go to uni, but towards the end of school, I was getting more into graphic design and journalism, that sort of thing. So with the help of my teachers, I picked A-Levels that would let me do that (English Lang, Media, Art and IT). During my first year of Media Studies I made a film for my practical work, and got the highest mark the college had ever given for media studies practical work, and loved making it too. So that's when I decided I wanted to go on to study film and TV at uni. Went there, did that, had fun, and will hopefully be getting a paid job in that field in the next six months or so.

    I'd say most of my decisions were based on myself, with a bit of advice from teachers. My parents always showed an interest, but they're very much the "we'll support you whatever you decide" types, so I was never under any pressure from them to do things I didn't want (though I think my mum is still dubious about my career in television production, but parents don't seem to understand the concept of anything that doesn't have a guarenteed pension). Most of my school friends also went to the same college, so that wasn't an issue either.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote:

    When you thought, or are thinking, about what to do after school, who were the main people who affected your decisions on what to do?


    myself.

    for me not going to college wasn't something i considered. for me it's just what you do. i'm not going to get very far with 5 a-c grade GCSEs and i want to further myself in respects to learning/education.

    i guess my parents too because it's always been instilled in me to work hard and my parents have good jobs - i want one too! and in my eyes you do that by going to college.

    plus i wouldn't want to go straight into FT work at the age of 16 anyway. ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i never considered not going to college (and university).

    My school had a thing, like an education fair, where there was stands with people from different colleges. I dont remember speaking to anyone but i saw information on a course and decided thats what i wanted to do. I kept my options open by gathering some information on art courses. I never wanted to do A levels, i didnt see the point.

    Nobody influenced my decisions but me, ive always been obsessed by my subjects of choice, so going to college to do a btec national diploma at a nice college was the obvious choice, the course was perfect for the education and learning i wanted to do, on the open day the college was friendly, well organised and welcoming, it felt like the right place to be.

    Parents and friends had no effect on my choice, all my friends from school were going to a different college to me, to do their A levels, but i didnt care that i wasnt following the crowd, i was more focussed on my subject. My parents had always known i'd go into this subject of anyway and we didnt even chat about what i was to do after school, i just applied to college on my own initiative.

    I was also into art at the time of leaving school, i went to a different college's open day but it didnt feel right and i knew in my heart it wasnt what i really wanted.

    Ive never regretted my decision.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mainly my parents, my brother went on to higher education and so i was expected too as well, plus I can be quite lazy and gonig into higher education is easier than finishing school and finding a full time job!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It was never really an option not to go to higher education. Not that I felt pressured, it was just always what I was going to do, my brothers and sisters all did, my parents did, my friends at secondary school were all going to, i thought it was normal to go to Uni.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When I was at 6th Form ('04) the pressure to apply to uni was immense. It came from all subject tutors and there was never a mention of NOT going to uni. It was implied by a lot of the staff in 6th form that Uni was the only option, and if you chose not to go to uni, you were treated differently - badly in some cases.

    I felt this pressure, and I let it affect my choices - I completed the application process, to a uni that I wasn't sure I wanted to attend, on a course that I had no knowledge of, but I went ahead with it anyway. After attending enrolment I decided that uni was not for me, and came home.

    These days, I make the decision. I've applied to study for a diploma at my local college, to study something I'm passionate about - something my 6th form looked down on, because it wasn't your average 'academic' qualification. These days, I think 'screw you' instead of being bullied to do something I don't want to do.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What ever seemed to be the easiest option at the time
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote:
    Hi all,

    Aimhigher, the programme designed to encourage students to think about higher education as a real option, would like to know, from young people themselves, the answer to an important question about how people made their choices at the end of school.

    When you thought, or are thinking, about what to do after school, who were the main people who affected your decisions on what to do?

    Feel free not to be brief in your answers ;),

    Jim

    This is kind of difficult to answer tgo answer because I more or less influenced myself with some help from my dad and a friend that convinced me to take up a computer course. I also want to go into healthcare side after spending alot of time in hospital when i was younger.

    Alot of it was what i was interested in, i was under very little influence from school friends or family to be honest.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well these days you don't really have a choice. It's usually higher education or dead end job - unless you're super lucky.
    I think i'd like to go to uni and A-levels seemed the best way for me. We shall see.
    So far no one in my family has gone on to higher education - so i'd also like to be a bit different. I don't want to end up like my parents did.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote:
    Well these days you don't really have a choice. It's usually higher education or dead end job - unless you're super lucky.
    I think i'd like to go to uni and A-levels seemed the best way for me. We shall see.
    So far no one in my family has gone on to higher education - so i'd also like to be a bit different. I don't want to end up like my parents did.

    And schools basically force higher education down our throats. Also (I think someone mentioned this in a different thread) if anyone says that they don't want to go to uni, they don't want to know.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In my case, the teachers were against me from the start. :D They were adamant because I could achieve 'top grades', that I had to go to sixth form. Unfortunetly, it was this mentality they pressed on us that has caused me to lose a lot of my close friends from school who did go to sixth form, as they feel I'm wasting my life and my ability (which is what the teachers said).

    I chose to go to college and do beauty on my own terms, and I'm lucky that my parents supported me in it. I don't feel I've wasted my abilty as it's hard work, and alot of memorising and exams... but I enjoy it. I decided when I went on a teenager aimed course for beauty therapy every Saturday for about 6 weeks in Year 7. it was run by the college I'm at now, and I loved it. They did loads of different subjects, and it was a really clever way of showing kids whats out there, and I think they're still doing them now (too busy with my NVQ to find out really!!)

    I wouldn't say I'm anti-sixth form but I know if I'd have listened to the teachers I wouldn't be happy. I'm now a fully qualified Beautician, and if I stay another year, I'll be a Therapist... but if it all goes belly up, I have my NVQ 2 to rely on to find a job, and plenty of options, which college will help me through from the beginning!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    just like to add that my sister (before she had a baby) was earning around £26k as an immigration officer - and that's all with GCSEs. she tried college and uni but left both. other than that she had jobs. so sometimes it can be about work experience and proving yourself at an interview.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    For me it wasn't really an option i'd always assumed i would go to university just in the same way i always knew i'd have a gap year and i also pretty much knew I would do history and geography from the age of about 11 onwards as well. I went to quite and academic school where if you wern't up to scratch or didn't want to go to university you were asked to leave and go to somewhere more "suitable".

    For me the harder decision was what I would do at A-Level as i knew i'd do well in geography and it was more of a decision about what would go with it, but I dont' think my parents presurised me in any way. However at school the teacher were really adament about what I could and couldn't do - i wasn't allowed to do science at A-Level because i wasn't good enough dispite having got an A for GCSE (and i now have an MSc from Imperial which is probably one of the best places in the country to do science), my history teacher realllllly wanted me to do government and politics as he thought i would be really good at it - when in reality I wasn't really that intersted and only got a C and I wasn't allowed to do English A-level because i was dyslexic - however I got an A at GCSE and made them let me do it - err though i got a D at A-level so maybe they were right about that one. Also the school really wanted me to take economics which I didnt' want to do but probably should have done as i got a first for the economics course at uni - hummmmmm.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well i didn't want to/was too lazy to work, all my friends were going to uni, my older sister went to uni, i knew i was clever enough, it was just the done thing.........parents were also getting on my tits at that point and i knew i had to leave home but was a bit scared to step out in the big wide world, so i guess uni was the easy option........oh and it was always implied in school/college that if you want to be successful and have loadsa money then you needed to get a fancy degree, so that might have had something to do with it.......of course that's bollocks because education doesn't teach you how to make money or work the system, it just teaches you to get a job and pay your tax like everyone else.......still uni was good fun i spose.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote:
    Well these days you don't really have a choice. It's usually higher education or dead end job - unless you're super lucky.

    When you leave school you'll realise that is far from the truth.

    My teachers and my school. Turned me off education for life.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    Ballerina wrote:
    Well these days you don't really have a choice. It's usually higher education or dead end job - unless you're super lucky.

    That's not true though. Out of all my cousins (I have a few) the most successful one dropped out at 16. He joined a bank who put him through his accountancy exams and is now a high flying accountant in the City earning over 70k.

    A lot of professions you don't need to go to uni for. Take teaching for example. You can do the RTP without a degree and you will come out qualified.

    However, they do try and drum in the above when you are at school. It sucks though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote:
    Well these days you don't really have a choice. It's usually higher education or dead end job - unless you're super lucky.

    I think that's a load of bollocks.

    I gave up college after a year because I hated it. I never bothered with uni even though I got a place. But now I'm working in a job with brilliant career prospects in one of the best companies in it's league and a starting salary of £18,000.

    My brother never went to college and is now studying for his Cemap mortagage qualifications in a job earning a salary of £19,000.

    My best friend went to college and did a year of uni before deciding it wasn't for her... she is now working for Virgin Altantic as Cabin Crew, earning loads of money whilst seeing the world.

    Another friend of mine works part time in a pharmacy while she does an English degree. She is now completeing her qualifications to become a dispencer which carries a starting salary of around £25,000 so she won't even get to use her degree, because she has a career waiting for her.

    Need a I go on? I am a firm, FIRM believer that University isn't for eveyone - and to be honest, everyone I know with a degree has walked into dead end jobs on £13,000 a year.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think that's a load of bollocks.

    I was gonna say that, but I didn't have the examples to back it up so I decided not to bother, heh.

    But I think Ballerina saying that shows how it's just drilled subliminally into you at school, that if you don't go to college then you'll be working on a checkout for the rest of your life.

    I went to college because it was expected of me, by friends, family, teachers, etc. I got fed up of it sometimes but I think it was the right thing for me to do, because at the time I wanted to go to uni and it was the easiest route. It was also a good experience for me, I (eventually) learnt to enjoy education again.

    I went to uni, again because it was what everyone expected. I had a few doubts before I went about whether I was doing the right course, whether I should have taken a gap year, etc, but I went to give it a go - I knew I'd regret not going if I didn't.

    So I went, and I didn't like it, and it was so, so difficult for me to admit to myself, my friends, my family that I was going against what everyone expected and leaving.

    So I left, and now I'm going back forme. I'm doing a course I want to do, for my own reasons, and I'm much more secure about it. I'm not naive about it like I used to be - I know I won't walk straight into a job paying me £30,000 a year. I know I'm going to have a load of debt. I know I could well have mates or collegues without degrees doing just as well or better than me financially, but I feel like I'm making a much more informed decision about what's best for me.

    But I'm with Claire in that university isn't for everyone at all, and I know how miserable it is to be stuck there when your heart's not in it. A degree won't make you successful - drive, ambition, determination, experience will, a degree might just open up a few more doors.

    If you're gonna be successful, then you will be. With or without a degree. And in fact, I believe that's what Claire herself said to me a few months back.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Need a I go on? I am a firm, FIRM believer that University isn't for eveyone - and to be honest, everyone I know with a degree has walked into dead end jobs on £13,000 a year.

    To be honest, while I agree you don't need uni to go somewhere if you've got talent, I think it's just as unfair to suggest uni doesn't get you somewhere. My mates get more than that on a placement, and one of my Part 1 architecture mates got a 2:2 and walked into £16,000. I think it probably depends a lot on your degree, naturally if you do social psycology you'd better have a plan, or plan to work for MccyD's for the rest of your life.

    Getting ahead and going somewhere is all about who you are and how much effort you're going to put it. Uni is essential in some cases, periferal in others.
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