What career advice did you get at school?

[TazzyDrunk]

I honestly don't remember getting that much just wondering how much you got?

They asked if I wanted to work in tourism or with sheep only in rural New Zealand

did an online test which gave me a few options, none of which interested me. and told me how to write a cv.. that's about it!

I liked cookery and was good at science so I was told I should be a nutritionist. Makes sense to me now but I thought it was useless advice at 16.

I was considered a bright kid, so mostly my advice was to go to uni and get a good job. No advice as to what to study or what areas of employment were out there. When people found out I wanted to study geography over law, they said at least I could be a teacher instead of a lawyer, even though I didn’t want to be either of those things.

The problem is, careers are so varied. Nobody is ever going to be given my career as an example of what they can do and the various routes into it because it’s not really a clear cut job like teacher, accountant, nurse, lawyer.

I vaguely remember doing something called Jobcal or Jigcal...? I think it was a very primitive computer program that asked dozens of questions then whittled my answers down and suggested I might become a hairdresser or a locksmith.

I wanted to be a journalist and got told there wasn’t much call for that in our (very rural and far from any civilisation) area. Told to look into hotel management. I pointed out that I couldn’t wait to leave the area so it wasn’t a problem!

My friend wanted to be a brain surgeon. Every reason why she could be at the time and she did go on to be a Doctor. However, she was told it was a bit ambitious and to look at paper manufacturing. Because there was such a company locally!

He clearly thought none of us would leave the area. Most of us planned to escape!

We did a test called Kudos I think plus CV advice. It was interesting but I can't remember the jobs I got as suggestions. I do remember my friend had the option of prison guard and later did actually become one.

None of any use no.

We had a careers advisor visit the school & talk to us individually. She advised I become a secretary because I had nice nails 🤦‍♀️

University was frowned upon in rural Ireland back then!

It was a private school. There was the option to do some sort of paid for testing to indicate what sort of careers would suit you. I didn't do it because I knew what I wanted to do and had known since I was 3 years old. There was a careers evening where former pupils and parents of current pupils talked about their jobs and how to get into them. I think it was compulsory, but didn't really work for me because I wanted to be a nurse and the school wanted us all to get into high-powered jobs like medicine and law. Probably no one had ever gone on to do a nursing degree from that school before.

There was software which quizzed you on various things. Mine said I should be a blacksmith or a riding instructor (I like horses). Didn't think it was very helpful tbh! This was 10 years ago.

I was in a private school and got none.
It was a crap private school.

I wanted to be a physiotherapist but was told I wasn't "that type" and that I should get a job in an office. I'm a charge nurse and happy with my lot but wish I'd had to confidence to stop the career advisor's words ringing in my ear for years to come!

None. I wasn't one of the people given an appointment to see the careers adviser.

Nothing at all.
In the nearest town there were two big employers. Both came in and gave us a talk about going to work for them.
That was it.

Well I did get a weird tap-on-the-shoulder type thing from Military representatives and invited for a chat.

I grew up in an area with various Military bases and they attended our career day at secondary. I guess our grades and such like where passed onto them to decide which teenagers they wanted to gather up!

Was pretty intimidating, I remember discussion of things like weapon and vehicle design. It really wasn't something I was considering.

None whatsoever

Didn’t even get advice on writing a CV

Forgot we did get a nurse coming in to talk to us about nursing, a teacher gave a talk on getting into teaching and an environmental health officer (I think they were parents)
But nothing personalised

We did get told during lessons that we could do anything we wanted but nothing of any practical use

I did a career matching profile- i think my parents had to pay for it
Vintner
Boat builder were the 2 that I recall

None at all, they thought I was a hopeless case :-).

We did some multiple choice thing that came back weeks later. It said I should be a prison governor. Which is totally not me.

I told them i wanted to be a social worker, they said there are some good jobs with the post office. Terrible school in poor neighbourhood. I went on eventually to earn a degree and a subsquent masters. I Never worked at the post office but wouldn't say no if i the right job came up

We all had to do a douchey computer questionnaire that told us what career we were suited to. We recognised that it was bollocks 20-odd years ago...

Nothing. A male friend was told that as he was tall he should apply to a Guards Regiment!

I did the same as @AhoyMrBeaver, and after asking loads if questions, said I should be a lawyer, translator or architect. None of those even remotely appealed to me. we had a careers room that had lots of prospectuses and job fact sheets but you had to go yourself, it wasnt timetabled.