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What Career Is Right For Me?
Curious about Careers? Where to start?
It's often difficult knowing where to start when thinking about your future, but It's important to know it is what we are interested in and what we are good at that leads us to our dream jobs.
Step 1- explore your interests
- Clubs and hobby's
- School subjects
- TV programmes, books, games or anything else you really enjoy.
Are any of the above you'd like to look into further?
Step 2- Link your interests to careers you may enjoy
How to Register on Careers Pilot Video
Now you have begun to make a list of the careers you may enjoy, the next part is knowing how to get there.
Step 3- Careers Management
- Know Yourself
- Do Stuff
- Know Your Options
- Use Your Supporters
Getting Ready For Your Career Video
Know Yourself
To make the right careers choices, it is important to begin to gain a good understanding of who your are as these factors will shape your career choices.
Ask yourself what are your:
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Values
- Likes and dislikes
- Motivations
Strengths can be linked to careers you'd be good at. Jobs and courses, need a variety of skills so you will need to develop your weaknesses.
Values, also play an important role in deciding careers. If you are caring, working with children, elderly or vunerable adults may come naturally to you. If you are honest, you may make a great lawyer, accountant or police officer.
You may like to work outside, or dislike working unsocialble hours. This is how your likes and dislikes shape careers choice.
What motivates you to work hard and succeed? You may have ambitions or goals in life, and the factors motivating you such as may be money, making a difference, or travelling with your job may also shape your careers choices.
Do Stuff
Doing stuff can help prepare you for future courses, university, employment or exploring which careers is right for you.
Doing stuff may include:
- Research into careers, watching careers videos
- Taking skills or job quizes
- Work experience and personal development
- Courses and qualifactions
Quiz: Which animal personality do you have?
Know Your Options
To make the best decision about your next steps or exploring your future, knowing your all your options is a good start.
- Options for qualifactions and training
- What jobs you can do with your qualifactions, skills and experience
Labour market information (LMI) Can help you explore what you need to work towards your dream career.
LMI give you information on job and salary details, what qualifaction and skills you'd need.
Use Your Supporters
Who can support you through your journey to success? They can discuss your plans with you, go to open events with you or help you complete applicaiton forms.
- Family/ carers and friends
- School staff and the Careers Adviser
- Agencies and organisations who can help:
For immediate support talk to RAS Careers Adviser Miss Taylor in Z4 Monday- Thursday breaktimes or email e.taylor@palladianacademytrust.com
Careers Terminology
What is a career?
Career actually has two definitions. The word career is often used to refer to a profession, occupation, trade or vocation. A career could define what you do for a living and range from those that require extensive training and education to those you can perform with only secondary school qualifactions and a willingness to learn.
A career could mean working as a doctor, lawyer, teacher, carpenter, veterinary assistant, electrician, cashier, teacher or hairstylist.
What is a careers sector?
Careers or job sectors are are similar jobs put into groups. For example, the following are examples of job sectors:
retail, construction, healthcare, Information Technology (IT), sports and leisure and the creative industry.
What is a skill?
A skill is a talent or something you are good at.
What is a labour larket?
It's a job market, the availablity of jobs currenlty in the UK for example.
What is employment?
Having paid work or a job.
What is a wage?
A wage is the money paid to a person with a job. This person will get paid for the work by the hour, so if they have worked 30 hours that week, they will be paid 30 hours work.
What is employability?
Employability refers to the attributes of a person (skills and personal qualities) that make that person able to gain and maintain employment or a job..
This could be developing their skills and knowledge through education, training and work experience.
What is enterprise and entrepreneurship?
Enterprise is another word for a business or company that makes profit.
Entrepreneurship, is setting up a business or businesses and taking on financial risks in hope of making profit
What is Post 16 or Further Education?
It is a term used for education and training after secondary for 16 to 19 year olds.
What is Post 18 or HIgher Education?
This is a term used for education or training available for 18/19 year olds after completing post 16.
Post 18 or higher education, is usually university, higher or degree apprenticeships or a job with training.
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is gaining a qualifaction in a job. This will involve 4 days a week in your job and one day a week in a college, training provider or university.
You can start an apprenticeship straight after secondary school, after Post 16, or even after university.
The great thing about apprenticeships is you get paid and the qualifaction is paid for as well.
What is university?
Is a high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees and where academic research is done.
You may go to university to work towards being a Doctor or Nurse, Lawyer or police officer, Teacher, Manager, Engineer or an area of beauty, media and fashion. Or you may want to study a subject you really enjoy, such as geography, computer science or mathematics.
You can also gain a degree through the apprenticeship scheme and you won't have to pay for this qualifaction!
For more information on university and undergradguate study, please visit the UCAS website by clicking here.
For information on apprenticeships and the types of apprenticeships currently available in the UK, click on the following links.