To wonder how youngsters decide what they do with the rest of their life after Alevels if they don’t know what degree to do at Uni or field of work to go into.

[P0m3l0]

My son is doing 3 Alevels, bright and should get 3 As,wants to go to Uni so he can leave home but hasn’t got a clue what degree he wants to do or which line of work he wants to go into.

We’ve said not to rush into Uni and to have a year to think if he isn’t sure, look at other next steps eg apprenticeships etc but to be honest we’re not sure what he should do to come to such a big decision. He really hadn’t got a clue and it’s stressing him out.

I'm a sixth form tutor so I know how stressful it can be for some students. His school/college should be able to provide help though. Tell him speak to a careers advisor at his school/college. There's lots of different choices out there now, which can be a good thing but also a bit overwhelming.

I'd definitely recommend not rushing into Uni choices if he isn't sure. But it is often worth putting in an application anyway that he can always decline or defer. Sometimes the actual act of putting together an application can make them think a lot more clearly about what they do or don't want to do.

What about the subjects he currently studies? Does he feel he'd like keep going with one of those?

Why not do some open days (maybe even just your most local universities) and talk to the departments there, for the subjects he is doing ?
When we looked round, we discovered all sorts of subjects and courses that we had not heard of before. Really opened my dcs eyes to find they didn't have to study one of the A level subjects.
He might be inspired, or it might confirm that it isn't for him.

Or (or even better, 'and') go somewhere like the Higher Education Exhibition at the NEC.

Also look at the Not going to Uni website

Or look into what work he could do if he takes a year out.... either working for 6 months then setting off traveling. Or working abroad, or even away from home in this country. Something like working at a Hostel for the YHA in this country, or lifeguarding at a holiday park. Or does he have skills to pick up a job at a ski resort or one friend of dd's went to work in Greece as a sailing instructor. It would enable him to leave home without perhaps using up his one chance of a funded degree before he is sure what he wants to do.

I'd just suggest studying whatever subject he finds most interesting, regardless of where it may lead. He's got to study it for 3 years so it needs to be something he finds interesting.

@P0m3l0
These days with Google, then university rankings for different areas of academic study, then Wikipedia to learn more about x subject, basically all is needed to begin is the internet, then yes advisors can then advise further, but at least you'll have some perspectives of what's what.

I know you’d think Google would help but it doesn’t seem to.

Yeah it can be really hard to decide, potentially, what you want to do for "the rest of your career/life" when you're 17/18 and applying for uni. I'd suggest doing a topic that they're really interested in, because a degree can still lead to a career in a different area later on. They could do a postgraduate course or conversion into a different topic e.g. teaching, law, not sure what else google it

www.ucas.com/apprenticeships/what-you-need-know-about-apprenticeships/degree-apprenticeships-0
He’d be looking for level 6 if he wants to leave with a degree. And they don’t all start in September - they appear throughout the year.
there was one up a few weeks ago that was brilliant. Working for TFL and leading to a degree linked to, I think, Kent university in something like civil engineering. No debt.

If you don't have a career in mind that requires a specific degree subject then study something you love.

Sometimes it does just take a bit longer. I had two gap years after school and by the end of them I still wasn't certain what I wanted to study.

In the end I applied for university in Scotland, because of their more flexible system. I got to study 3 different subjects in first year, narrowed down to 2 in second year, and then the option to continue with just one or with both in years 3 and 4. It gives a bit more time to try out different things. I ended up really enjoying one of the 'extra' subjects I took in first year and ultimately graduated in that subject.

What A levels is he doing? He should at least be able to narrow degree choice down to science, creative, social science, humanity, commerce.

I'd definitely recommend a gap year, just as it gives a bit of extra time to think about the future and also research other options (I changed my mind in the summer after my A levels and was very grateful for that mental space where I could change my mind!)
Also researching new options. Lots of my friends (I'd say nearly all!) who went straight to uni have since returned to do a very expensive second degree or masters in what they've since found out was a better option for them.

And remind him that the majority of grad jobs don't specify a particular degree so it's not a decision that will necessarily determine the path of his entire life!

I think framing it as deciding 'the rest of your life' is putting too much pressure on. I studied a subject at uni, then changed my mind and restarted a different course. Worked in a related profession for a decade, then changed tack completely and did a masters in another different subject. I now do something somewhere in between that utilises aspects of all the things I've done in the past.

The vast majority of careers don't require a specific degree. He should do something he enjoys and is interested in and can do well in, and see where it takes him.

What subjects are his A-levels?

A few temp jobs to decide what he wants? One idea I’ve heard is to think about what sort of people you want to work with and where they might be - sort of ‘find your tribe’.

Uni is a particularly expensive way of leaving home. I think Kite22’s suggestions are excellent.

My godson opted for a one-year Art Foundation Course, and spent a year working out what he didn't want to do; this sounds negative, but it wasn't. He gave a lot of things a good go, and discovered a real interest in interior design and architecture.
It made committing to a course slightly less pressured, as he went into interviews able to give details of the A-level grades he had gained, and , interestingly, when he began his course, he found that many of his fellow students had similarly taken a short "break".

Most jobs don't require a specific degree, just "a degree"...what A-Levels is he studying?

A degree in a traditional subject like Maths/History/English can lead to lots of different careers.

At 18 my son had no idea what he wanted to do, and at that point was adamant that he didn't want to go to uni. At this point he had been working part time in Mc Donald's and decided to go full time there until he worked out his career path.

Two years down the line he decided that he wanted to do a degree at uni. applied and got in. He is now about to go into his third year and really enjoying uni life.

It is sometimes good for them to take time away from studying instead of going straight to uni with no clear idea as to what they want to do. They get more life experience and more time to work out what they want from their future life.

DD and her friends in 6th form used to play 'The Future Game'. Pick an institution and course at random then map out your future!

Lighthearted but fun!

DD's advice is to focus on the subjects he really gets. This is not necessarily his favourite subject.

Really read the course descriptions. Many courses have the same name but can be substantially different.

A core academic degree is unlikely to limit career options.

He diesnt need to decide rest of life.
He can devide
Uni or not?
If uni
A subject he likes or scan the a to z list of degree subjects and see something he never thought of before

Online career quizzes

brainmanager.co.uk/career-test?gclid=CjwKCAjw6MKXBhA5EiwANWLODPzdjPiPafLWcDq1n0ix2CMB59h3pzpMHyWQ95XXTX7GI0wVtZLAWBoCObgQAvD_BwE

Goigle
Free online career quiz

If he really doesn't know but wants to go to Uni, he would be better doing a degree that would apply to a number of roles and/or would be accepted for a Master's.

Anything business or Finance, Maths, Psychology can be later used as a strength for many careers. If he then does a Master's that specialises in what he wants to do, his undergraduate degree won't really matter.

@Kite22 a bit pointless suggesting the casual jobs abroad. Brexit has put paid to those opportunities I'm afraid unless he goes somewhere like the US and can get sponsorship. In the EU you have to prove you can't get an EU person to do that role. My son did an apprenticeship in IT and networks rather than Uni and at 24 is way ahead skills and salary wise of his friends who went to Uni.

The best option for kids right now are the apprentiship schemes with companies like Barclays/KPMG etc. It's not all finance-business, IT, risk etc-but they take kids from school and have them work alongside funding degree.
If they're still going when DD is finished school, it's the route I'll be encouraging if she doesn't know what to do. Saves huge debt and earning while giving her a taste of work and uni.
If she hates it, then it will give her clear indication of exactly what she doesn't want to do. Sometimes it takes doing something you hate to figure out what it is you actually want to do!

Start stacking skills and gaining experience with interesting temporary roles, jump around a bit whilst young. Don't look at jobs or fields, look at organisations and go and work some stuff at the bottom and then use it to say 'experience of large and complex organisations and their baseline operational activities' and such like.

Join somewhere and start inputting ideas, ask for a meeting with the boss, share them, dazzle people and see what sticks.