Advice on A level choices. How are children supposed to know at 15 what career?

@Spamfrit The advice about maths is poor. If he likes it, it’s great for any degree. I’m sure he’s not interested, but Cambridge list it for ALL their degrees - stem or humanities. So take it if he gets an 8 or 9 in it.

Economics is a subject that’s more about concepts and business studies is more about how a business is run. If he wants an economics degree, take economics. Product design is best with maths. Art not necessary and very time consuming. Bus studies would be fine as a 3rd with product design and maths.

I would go for a management or business degree over marketing. Marketing is too narrow. Go broad for degree and then specialise. Much better to look at all business jobs and he might find careers he’s not thought of.

OP I'd suggest picking the subjects he enjoys. Is his school not doing taster lessons for Y11? It's not necessary to do business A Level if you want to study it later at uni. It is also helpful to look at the UCAS website and Unifrog is also a good starting point to look at what you may need to study for certain degree/career choices

I have a business studies student who has applied for Architecture. He is also doing Art but I can't remember what his last subject is. I've had other students in the past who also applied for Architecture so its still possible with Business A Level

Re business a-level
My DD has taken business, economics and politics and has offers to do Economics at Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and York. She is predicted an A star in business which I think has helped, but that's because she finds it interesting. She got a 7 in maths gcse so didn't want to take it for a level, but the universities seem happy with that!

I always think looking at revision guides can give a good clue,as to whether the course will be interesting.

My main consideration and advice would be to consider the impact of AI on the future career.

Lots.

it’s quite common.

(ex teacher at a school with a sixth form).

most colleges/sixth forms will let you swop until the October half term as well.

it’s very very common for students to start and then realise within the first week even that the subject isn’t what they thought.

Most 15 year olds do not have a good sense of what career they want and a lot of the ones that do change their mind.

what they usually do have is a good sense of what they don’t like.

it can be easier to start from that.

so look at what he doesn’t want to do.

i get the sense from what you are writing that he is not interested in sciences. In which case you can rule those out.

there is genuinely not much point doing a level maths if you are not looking at a maths or science degree. It is also a big step up from gcse. If he really really wants to keep maths on core maths can be a good option.

beyond that, you are looking at languages/humanities split. Languages a level should generally only be done if you’ve done the gcse so that forces certain choices.

if a dc is talking about running their own business or being self employed in future a school will often suggest business as while it’s a less academic a level it does give you a lot of useful background.

I'd think carefully about maths, DS got a 9 at GCSE, did A-level maths, worked hard, got 70% overall and got a B.
I don't think I would do DT and art because the amount of coursework is likely to be huge.
I'd probably go DT, English and Business/Economics depending on maths grade. Then maybe core maths if offered or an EPQ (especially if he wants to do a degree apprenticeship/the uni he wants offers a grade reduction).

Whatever degree he doess encourage him to have a number of other CV worthy things going on ie getting involved in running a relevant society, a year in industry, his own side hustle ie making and selling 3D printed models, a GitHub account with his designs on, part time job, relevant volunteering. I think these things are as important than the degree tbh.

If he wants to do a degree apprenticeship then I'd be looking at doing as many of these things as he can starting now. DS got his degree apprenticeship (software engineering) because he had taught himself a few programming languages and had a github account of games he'd made, had got relevant work experience with a company (only a week though), had volunteered at school's computer club, relevant EPQ, and was involved with the a school comp sci project. You have to have a really good CV and lots to talk about at interview including examples of working as a team (he found).

I think another thing to consider is that if a young person is keen on STEM/engineering, and they have okay, but not super high grades then there are courses out there. They may not be RG/the most selective but they can have decent employment prospects. For example, if a young person was interested in engineering, but they are looking at a C in maths A level then Coventry is a possibility.

Mumsnet often focuses on more selective courses, but there are alternatives. If they want to do maths A level from a 7 at GCSE and work hard and get a C there will be STEM and engineering options. They wont be at the most selective universities though. It is thinking about what pathway is best for them.

https://www.coventry.ac.uk/course-structure/ug/eec/mechanical-engineering-mengbeng-hons/

On MN people will often give advice based on the most selective universities. People will talk about what is needed for Oxbridge, LSE etc. Even at these most selective universities the subjects required are often not quite as restrictive as is suggested. For example, 2 from a preferred list + one other is often fine. People will also suggest that in some sectors there is prejudice against particular types of degrees. This is doubtless true in some organisations, but there are also lots of recruiters who wont care. I have a family member who has a degree that many would scoff at yet they are a high earner. It is often the whole package that matters (experience, intiative, interpersonal skills ...)
It is great to be aspirational, but the reality is that most students are unlikely to be able to meet the entrance requirements for the most selective universities. Basing subject choices on the preferences of a handful of elite institions can be unwise. You have to be realistic about likely pathways for a student based on their GCSE profile.

It is difficult when decisions have to be taken so young, but to make an informed choice you really need to look at the entrance requirements for a range of possible degrees at a range of universities. If you are interested in architecture, biochemistry, business, economics or whatever you need to look at what subjects and what grades are required at different universities. Then think about how likely getting those grades in those subjects would be. One of the good things about the internet is that you can google entrance requirements really quickly. It doesnt take that long & you can look at a range of institutions and a range of possible subjects.

STEM degrees often have better employment prospects, but equally some people have great careers with non-STEM degrees. Interest and aptitude matter. Grinding through a degree you hate to do a job you dont enjoy can be pretty miserable. If the career is lucrative it might be worth it, but then again it might not.

Remember that they’re not stuck from 15… I did all arts and humanities at A level, two arts degrees, worked in the arts.

Now I’m 30 and doing a science degree.

Otoh, doing Core Maths as a 4th could be an idea if offered?

From what I have seen at 6th form/college it's better for him to do something he loves and obtain good grades in to a better uni over lower grades in things he has been pushed in too. Due to 16yrs olds having to stay in school until they are 18yrs, the dropout rate or those repeating yr 12 was higher at our school than I thought it would be given our school is a good school offering a mixed pathway.
A lot of degrees now only get your foot in the door and depend entirely on how your child applies themself. At the fts 250 company I work for we have a wide range of graduates who go straight in to entry customer service roles before progressing anywhere else, what helps them the most is work in experience in customer services (part time jobs in retail, coffee shops etc) alongside their academic qualifications and interview skills.
I'm currently in a position where I have no idea what my yr10 will do but I don't think A Levels or uni are right for him.

Did he ask the people he worked under during his WE?

That may seem weird but my experience is the same actually. More traditionally academic degree subjects are seen by some organisations as providing evidence of the necessary critical/strategic thinking skills which other courses (like marketing..) don't. I remember an intern proudly telling a marketing director that he was doing a degree in marketing and was scoffed at! Harsh. Almost any degree can lead to a career in marketing - there's absolutely no need for a business A level or a related degree. Graduate schemes are usually looking at calibre of degree and Uni and then have their own inhouse test/interview process. Just aim for the best results in the subjects they'll enjoy most and look for relevant part time jobs, work experience and volunteering - showing an interest via extra stuff often matters most.

Your colleagues are weird.

There’s no reason why someone with a marketing degree can’t be taught the right skills in the workplace, but someone with a languages degree can.

Cambridge and Oxford are certainly not the best place for all students top tier or not.
My daughter is off to do Business Management, she has all unconditional offers but her preferred places are Exeter and Durham. Of course I don't imagine that she will go straight in to the workplace as some sort of business guru, but I would hope that it would give her some framework/inspiration/ideas on how to do the best job she can that contributes to the success of whoever she is working for which will help boost her in to taking promotions.
TBH I work for a ftse 250 company, I definitely think some of our managers need some more training in how to run a business........ 😬

I work with Marketing colleagues (Finance) and they say they would never employ someone with a marketing degree. Economics, Business, Languages, Accounting, Social Policy, Psychology, English etc. They just don’t think a marketing degree provides the right skills. Seems a bit odd to me.

I wouldn't do maths unless very good at it. If an 8 is coming quite easily then he might be ok to get a decent grade, but it's very difficult and very competitive.

DT is good if you can do it in your school. I have twins in Y12 and encouraged them to do what they enjoy and where their skills are. Unless you have a very clear idea, like wanting to be a doctor or dentist or vet, or work in finance, it's difficult to decide. I also encouraged them to start with 4 A levels. DD quickly dropped politics, even though she thought she'd really like it. DS is dropping geography even though it was one of his favourite GCSEs and he's loving chemistry which he just did as a fourth to try it out.