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What To Do Next Year?

BillieTheBotBillieTheBot Posts: 8,721 Bot
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Currently I'm doing CACHE Foundation Award. Since I started my course in September, I decided that next year I want to get work based training or something similar.

The thing is now, I'm struggling with the course I'm doing because of my mental health problems. - I'm never happy, not always in the mood for doing anything and I can't concentrate. I also self harm.

The problem here is that my parents aren't aware of what's going on so I can't just spend the year doing nothing. Even if they did know, I can't do that, because it may make everything worse for me.

So what do I do? Apart from talking to my parents that is.
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Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I don't know where CACHE Foundation Awards lie in the grand scale of things, so excuse my knowledge if it is a bit poor ...

    What about a training based NVQ award? You do something childcare based at the moment, right? Where I work, there are a number of teaching assistants training whilst on the job and go to college one day a week. You can do this through various schools and nurseries. You can work your way up through the levels, ending with Level 4(?) where you then become a Higher Level Teaching Assistant and can take the class whilst the teacher is doing planning time or whatever. This can all be done through a school.

    However, I am not sure if this is a step up or down from your CACHE award.

    Do you have any careers advice people at college? They may be able to give you more insight into your options. I'm only telling you what I am aware of.

    However, if you have no motivation or concentration at the moment because of mental health problems, then your first priority is to sort them out rather than make plans to do further education / training. But you know that already ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The award I'm doing now is basically NVQ Level one. I have considered before what you said and I know I want to do that. But I think I may struggle a bit because of my mental health.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What kind of areas are you interested in? Do you want to stay working with children or try something different? I realise you probably don't know a definite answer but a vague idea would help us come up with suggestions.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Your course at the moment is mainly classroom based isn't it?

    Something more work based may appeal more and thus you could find it easier to motivate yourself. Alternatively it may not help at all, but it's worth considering.

    Don't forget that you'll get a good break over the summer between finishing this course and starting the next one, hopefully that time will help.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I do want to carrying on working with children. The main problem here is my inability to concentrate and the fact that I have no motivation whatsoever.

    My course is basically 2 days in a classroom, 2 days at my placement and 3 hours on the other day doing Key Skills.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    Something more work based may appeal more and thus you could find it easier to motivate yourself. Alternatively it may not help at all, but it's worth considering.

    Just to clarify, what do you mean by more work based? I work in a classroom. It is definitely work. Very hard work. Or do you mean more office based?

    Sofie, if you feel you are not able to do that, then what about taking a year out, work in a mundane job for a year but volunteer in a school one or two days a week? That way, you are taking time out of your studies but also keeping your foot in the door with regards to education and schools.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just to clarify, what do you mean by more work based? I work in a classroom. It is definitely work. Very hard work. Or do you mean more office based?

    I think Scary Monster means more days working with children in a nursery and less days doing work in school?
    Sofie, if you feel you are not able to do that, then what about taking a year out, work in a mundane job for a year but volunteer in a school one or two days a week? That way, you are taking time out of your studies but also keeping your foot in the door with regards to education and schools.

    Will think about this, thanks.:)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I meant more work based as in more time spent in the job rather than in a classroom.

    So rather than basically 3 days of classroom (where you're the pupil)like Sofie is doing at the moment, instead doing 4 days of work where you could feel more involved and see your achievements more easily, and one day on day release to do study yourself.

    I'm very aware that you don't have to be at a desk to work!

    How old are you? Not that it really matters, just helps to put things in perspective.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I meant more work based as in more time spent in the job rather than in a classroom.

    Ah, yes. That makes sense. I missed the part where Sofie said she was 2 days in classroom and 2 days at work. Sorry.

    If you do the NVQ as I mentioned above through a school rather than through a college, then you will be in school 4 out of the 5 days. So something else to think about.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know everyone is different, but one of my school friends has lots of problems with mental health, and motivation at school, and her attendance was atrocious.

    She's training on the job to be an electrician, works 4 days a week and does evening classes and day release and has found that having a 'proper job' with motivation to achieve (and earn) and a higher level of involvement helped her a lot. It's something to think about.

    One thing though, whatever you do, don't take a year out with no plans other than trying to improve your health. Your mental health will suffer, you'll go insane and it's a general disaster.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    One thing though, whatever you do, don't take a year out with no plans other than trying to improve your health. Your mental health will suffer, you'll go insane and it's a general disaster.


    But taking a year out to do something to focus on your mental health with plans in place for the following year can be a sensible thing to do. It varies from person to person.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    But taking a year out to do something to focus on your mental health with plans in place for the following year can be a sensible thing to do. It varies from person to person.

    Not and do absolutely nothing else. Well, certainly all the advice I got said that planning nothing else other than recovering for my year out would do me no good at all, and that applied to everyone.

    It doesn't have to be a lot necessarily, but something to give your life a purpose beyond existence.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    Not and do absolutely nothing else. Well, certainly all the advice I got said that planning nothing else other than recovering for my year out would do me no good at all, and that applied to everyone.

    It doesn't have to be a lot necessarily, but something to give your life a purpose beyond existence.


    Well, yes, obviously. And the advice I have given in this thread doesn't reflect the 'take a year out and do nowt' attitude.

    However, by taking a year out and doing something fairly quiet, like as I suggested - getting a fairly mundane job and volunteering in a school or whatever - is an alright way of spending a year out when you are focussing on helping your mental health. When I was suffering from depression whilst at university, it was an option that was presented to me by various people. I chose not to take it. And you should always have a 'plan' too, otherwise you may never go back to what you want to achieve.

    In Sofie's case, it may not be the best option, I don't know. But it is an option that could be considered nonetheless.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wasn't suggesting for a moment that you were, in fact like you've said depending on the circumstances having a quiet year with a few things planned may work well.

    I've had time out due to ill health, and no one told me until someone handily noticed I was driving myself around the bend. You need some kind of plan and something to do, no matter how small it may be. In my case I promised myself I'd make 3 bracelets a week (not a lot I know).

    A quiet year is well worth considering as one of the options, a year with nothing planned other than getting better should be scrubbed from the list right now.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I've had time out due to ill health, and no one told me until someone handily noticed I was driving myself around the bend. You need some kind of plan and something to do, no matter how small it may be. In my case I promised myself I'd make 3 bracelets a week (not a lot I know).

    A quiet year is well worth considering as one of the options, a year with nothing planned other than getting better should be scrubbed from the list right now.


    Oh God, definitely.

    I think, when I was quite ill, if I took time out and did nowt, I would've ended up with more problems than if I carried on. It isn't the best thing to do in any situation, tbh, and should be avoided at all costs.
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