Hi
I'm a Careers Adviser and I agree too! Careers Advice is in a really shocking state in the UK at the moment due to the removal of all funding via the Education Act 2011. I could write a dissertation on this but won’t bore everyone!
It’s not clear from your post if he is going into year 1 or year 2 at college?
Ideas to help your son
Aiming high: first of all, 3 sciences and Maths AS – you have not mentioned Russell Groups or Oxbridge- if he is likely to gain top scores (around A*As) I’m sure you will be keeping these in the mix. You have not mentioned Medicine – I’m assuming this has been mooted and discarded.
Review A levels: first job is to ask him which overall A level(s) is he enjoying more and why? Which modules of the courses have been most enjoyable so far? Are there any in year 2 he is particularly looking forward to? Whatever the title of these enjoyed modules, are there any degrees in this specific area –that could really interest him? Search on www.ucas.com
Research: he needs to really research the different degrees to understand the differences/the overall careers they might lead on to. Medical Physics - this could lead on to many areas, including interpreting data, medical images, diagnostics. Is he ready to specialise into something like this- most importantly- has he done any work experience in it? If not, it could be a gamble to select a degree with no work experience to check he loves it first.
So which careers link to which degree subjects? I’d recommend he spends some time on www.prospects.ac.uk (go to 'career advice', then 'what can I do with my degree') and click on different degrees to see jobs linked to degrees such as sports science, biology, physics. See how a degree in a broad area such as Chemistry, Natural Sciences or Physics can keep open many, many areas. NB he will pick the modules on these courses, each year, that interest him so he can tailor his degree as his new interests emerge! Each degree will offer different module choices. (He will need to check these out on UCAS before finalising his 5 courses).
Love your degree subject: students should only do subjects they love – taking subjects just as they feel these will be useful would be very dull and hard to keep up.
Overall advice: students do not need to define an exact career to aim for from academic degrees like STEM. They can do, if they wish to of course but it is such a broad field it would be really hard at age 18. NB They will always be trained as graduates! All he needs just enough self-understanding and degree research to be able to pick 5 uni options that really interest him. Research tools below.
Rationale: if he does choose to go more niche/specialised, be sure why he is doing this – i.e. based on work experience he has enjoyed, self-knowledge and good careers research. However many STEM students go with a pure subject e.g. Chemistry as they find loads of interesting modules they want to study on this for the 3 years. Or as they run out of time before applications to research specialised areas thoroughly first and try them out!! If in total doubt, consider a gap year to really fine tune.
Internships: if he does go with a pure degree in say Chemistry (as he loves it) - to reassure you - students usually will apply for paid summer holiday internships (with big brands) during their 3-year course. This helps them fine tune thoughts on actual careers ready for graduation and job search. Also taking a 4-year course with a placement year is also a great option. He might have to find this placement (which means he can plan this around his current interests) Check that all his uni choices have good links with local or national firms in pharma/hospitals etc. (Look at where their 3rd year students have their placements currently!!)
University Taster Days/Residentials: has he been on any university taster days for any subjects during summer term year 1? Or Uni Open Days - to hear lectures in diverse subjects? If he is going into year 2, he is possibly already too late for residential tasters - but there will be lots of open days still available early autumn term.
Work Experience during year 2 at college could help him to understand his interests; lab work commercial, sports etc. He can find contacts already working in different fields via Linked In or by Googling. Find people working in different aspects of STEM/sports/sports business/sports science locally. He’ll need to write a letter explaining why he wants to work shadow x person, stating aspects of their role he finds interesting. Or write to major pharmaceuticals in the area – HR team- and see if they might talk him through what science graduates do in their businesses. Linked In Biographies are excellent to see what graduates did post their degree!
Working Environment? If he does wish to think more closely about specific STEM careers at this stage – rather than staying broad- he might like to start with considering working environment... NHS, labs or wards, commercial pharmaceutical companies lab or corporate offices, sports facility, university research lab/dept? It’s very hard to figure this out age 18, hence why most don’t, so early.
Psychometric Evaluations: online careers psychometric evaluations are really useful tools for students to understand their personality, which skills they might enjoy using, some initial careers areas. Any based on Myers Briggs, or Holland will be good. Please note the usually used ‘Buzz Quiz’ is a bit lightweight for an 18 year-old and the National Careers Service one is dull and very long!! Good (free) options here:
www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
openpsychometrics.org/tests/RIASEC/
www.123test.com/work-values-test/
Labour Market Info: perhaps go onto job sites (indeed, monster, graduate recruitment sites) and key in 'sports science' and see the current roles that come up - where are they, which companies or uni research teams hire them- do any of the jobs sound interesting? What do they earn? Overall is sports science or sports related work interesting and well paid enough to be of real interest?
Role Models: he could identify role models doing jobs (any linked to sports science?) he might be interested in one day. Use Google and maybe read a couple of STEM public body sites there will be info on their corporate members- and use LI to find employees. Any publications or press on the pharma industry/fitness/science publications all might reveal exciting projects that might inspire him. Could he be interested in using science to create new nutritional products, new sports equipment, new limbs for those affected by illness/accidents....(biomechanics or bioengineering)...His uni personal statement will expect him to have 'read around the subject' he is applying for- so this will all be helpful if he chooses to go into this detail!
Get organised: get him to create a box file called 'careers ideas' and put all his thoughts/research in here. Articles that inspire him, and all his printed-out research. Keeping it all in one place means students can go back over their findings and see how their interest has changed - and how they are hopefully getting closer to what might really interest them.
OR he could consider a STEM gap year - there are such things as a 'STEM year in industry' - Google it – there are GREAT opportunities for students interested in STEM - but not sure what to do with it. A gap year could really assist him to pin point his interest areas and the environment he'd like to work in - in sport, in a field of medicine, in a hospital environment, or a commercial one. Then, with this renewed self-knowledge and some great commercial experience - he could then pick a degree area really close to any newly found STEM passions.
Degree Level Apprenticeships in STEM are out there if students prefer this route. Also NHS sponsored areas too!
Sorry – very, very long but hopefully gives you some pointers. We Careers Advisers really do care, honest! Feel free to pm me for more support. x