To be a bit worried my year 12 DS doesn’t know what degree/job he wants to do?

[Billfortune]

Is it normal for them to not really know what career they want at this stage of year 12. DS is 17 and not sure but also doesn’t really want to talk about or explore options. He’s doing A’levels and wants to go to university so doesn’t he need to be thinking about this now? Feel like I’m being a bit pushy asking him about it when he’s clearly not keen to discuss it at the moment.

My Year 13 DS doesn't know either. I don't think he's unusual. Many of his year are planning to university, but in most cases it's just to study something they are good at/interested in. Unless you are studying something like engineering or medicine, going to university is partly just a way of putting off the decision about what to do for another 3 years.

I personally think that we'll see the push to get higher and higher numbers going to university reversed and this has been increased by Covid. DS is certainly seeing many of his friends, who 2 years ago would have planned for university, looking at different options. Taking a gap year to consider options is definitely a better plan than doing a degree "just because".

I think 17 is still young but I guess I have a slightly different take on it in that I really wish I’d had a bit more guidance from my parents! I did an arts degree which was enjoyable but useless for getting a job, and with hindsight I wish I had thought a bit more about my career options.

DD is only Y11, but as she is choosing her A level subjects I’ve been encouraging her to have a bit of a think about it. The National Careers Service website has loads of jobs listed with routes into, qualifications needed, average salary etc. She said it was useful, as she likes computer science but doesn’t want to be a programmer (which is what the GCSE mostly consists of) but from looking at the careers websites she realised that there’s a lot of other jobs in computing which aren’t about programming. But I am not pushing her down any particular route and am well aware she will most likely change her mind.

I think at that age they have no idea how wide ranging jobs can be - DD thinks office jobs are just boring staring at a screen all day!

Hopefully there will be careers fairs taking place this year - the last couple of years they’ve been online only, which isn’t as good.

Lots of kids that age have no clue what they want to do. Give him time. Lots of time. Remember their life expectancy will be late 80's.
Time for more than one career. Time to change their minds and retrain.

One of ours decided his future career at age 8 and it stuck like glue.
One of the others didn't make his mind up until after he'd graduated from his first degree. "The wrong one, Mum. So I'm starting again".
Then he did the right degree and has a very satisfying career from it.

As teens we encouraged them to develop lots of other interests and skills. At school, to keep a broad spread of subjects for maximum flexibility in future. To get as much and as wide work experience as possible in any weekend/holiday job they could find; a great way to explore other worlds, meet new people, and find out which fields and careers hold no appeal whatsoever.

@Chikapu

Blimey I'm 52 and still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up! He has time to decide.

I was about to post the same! I often keep looking for the grown ups in the room and I'm 50 😂

I’d say if he doesn’t know what to do then encourage him not to go to uni yet. Once he’s used his student finance he’ll not get funding if he decides on a career that needs a different degree….

I'm 43 and I don't know what I want to do when I grow up

Poor kids. They're under so much pressure at an early age.

I wonder if some posters knew what they'd become or how they'd turn out at 12 themselves.

I know I didn't have a clue but it didn't stop me when I was ready and it was time for me to know.

I'm 55 and I don't know what I want to do when I grow up. Good grief they're only a kid.

From age 12 to 23 I wanted to be a pharmaceutical chemist. I therefore have an MSci and a PhD in organic chemistry. And am a 10 year post qualified accountant specialising in financial services. (Probably better paid than I would have been as a chemist).

So long as the degree is a decent one and he comes out with a decent grade then see it as facilitating whatever he wants to do later.

@ComeOnSpringtime

Poor kids. They're under so much pressure at an early age.

I wonder if some posters knew what they'd become or how they'd turn out at 12 themselves.

I know I didn't have a clue but it didn't stop me when I was ready and it was time for me to know.

Year 12 = 17 or 18. For a very long time, kids WERE expected to have a fair idea of what kind of work they'd be getting into at that age (or even younger). It's not a recent thing.

Thanks, I read that wrong as 12 years, not year 12. Thought it was ridiculous.

Still not a huge deal for 17 to 18 year old to not know for sure, since some will only be saying what they're expected to say but yes a different story at that age than 12 as I thought.

What A levels is he doing, and does he have any idea what degree subject?

I don't think he needs to have his career planned out yet though.