subjects of death for chosen careers

[Appletrees]

Inspired by the English bacc thread I would like to know subjects would be advised AGAINST for particular careers.

Given that schools are encouraging children to take subjects that will boost league tables A-C results rather than into the unis/training colleges/courses the students actually need.

So I am starting with journalism after a great post from Basildon Bond on the bacc thread.

For journalism, don't take media studies.

Any more?

I mean, from workign women who know about their careers.

I worked in television and anyone who had media studies degrees or qualifications or couldn't spell or be bothered to check their CV/letter for spelling went straight in the bin.

Also as I was on the Graphic Design side anyone who didn't have a proper art or design background went in the bin.

For Law, don't take law A level.

For a legal career, don't take law.

brilliant

how about music/music technology -- anyone know about that?

For a business career, don't take business studies GCSE, A level or a degree.

To be an accountant, don't take Accountancy A Level.

Don't take law or psychology A levels.

am finding this pretty shocking

students should be told, why aren't they?

IT/computer studies is certainly not wanted for IT careers. My engineers are very scathing about it

I find the plethora of media studies courses absolutely baffling - there is no career, other than teaching media studies, for which a media studies graduate is suited.

It might be a pleasant enough way of spending three years, but as far as helping to launch a career goes, uh=oh no ...

even computer studies?

my duaghter just asked about ict yesterday -- i told her so long as she had pc/word etc skills she didn't need to

thank goodness i did

For Accountancy don't take Accountancy GCSE, A-Level or Degree. A 2.1 from a good university in an academic subject is what is required by most accountancy firms to train as a Chartered Accountant.

agree about maths, it always looks good

But why is an A-level in the very thing you wish to study further such a disadvantage? Do they teach you a load of rubbish laws in law A-level, or some strange single-entry bookkeeping in accountancy A-level..?

Do not under any circumstances consider a degree in Forensic Science. It is not proper science, and will not get you a job on CSI.

If you want to do science, do proper science. If you want so fossic around at murder scenes, join the police.

Eye thang yew.

Fascinating thread! Do schools no longer have careers guidance? Kind of the thing you might expect careers advisors to know, not the subject teachers (or parents for that matter).
Re Maths, I have a Maths A level, and it was always noted from my CV in interviews, even tho' nothing to to with any job.
(I had chosen to do it as bit of light relief from my other essay intensive A levels - not sure I would get away with that type of dilettancy these days...)
I briefly considered doing a PGCE (French, Secondary) and at BOTH of the interviews I had at differnt universities they were more interested in my Maths A level than my French degree, and tried to persuade me to specialise in Maths teaching

Disappointing about Forensic Science - I've always fancied having a go at at that...

choccyp1g subjects are split into those that constantly build from the bottom with a continuous increase in knowledge such as Maths and those that can be accessed at a higher level as a follow on from other subjects such as Psychology or Law.

So for a psychology degree a good grounding in English, Maths and Science is needed to understand the concepts dealt with and to be able to write up and analyse practical investigations. Taking Psychology at a lower level means an introduction is given to the topics in Psychology but it means less time spent on building up the other skills that may be more useful. So there is nothing wrong with Psychology A level per se but if you want to study Psychology at a higher level then Maths or Biology may prove to be more useful.

is my child doomed to failure because he cannot do a modern foreign language? He is perfectly bright but has dyslexia and so was pulled out of french in yr 8 because it was causing him and his teacher horrendous problems and trauma.

He will be taking 10 or so gcses, (in middle of choosing as we speak) including triple science but alas, no MFL...

DD is taking A level modules at the moment, and has applied to UCAS. She has had three offers, all at the top end of what she might achieve.

She took PE, Business Studies, Biology and Maths at AS, really struggled with Maths and Biology, and dropped Maths to continue to A2.

The offers that she has had would accept any A level to make up the points, but she did two 'sensible' ones, because we all thought that would be a 'good thing'.

Obviously she won't be taking a highly academic course at Uni, but one that appeals to her, and she's done well to get the offers. But if she'd taken less academic subjects at A2, it would not have been detrimental.

Just thought this experience might help someone currently deciding - dd's life could have been a lot less stressful than at present.

Don't do health and social care if you want to do medicine/nursing.

MrsGuy, I've met a lot of students who've been given terrible careers advice. I recently spoke to a year 11 boy who wants to study Law at Oxbridge; he'd been told to take Law, Government&Politics and Geography at A Level (Geography because he likes it). It's a terrible set of A Levels to take for Law, I had a tough time trying to convince him though, and in the end should him a list from a Cambridge college ranking A Levels, he was horrified, the poor thing.

It seems to be increasingly common.

I teach Latin part time at a local secondary and have had lots of students (including those who don't study Latin) ask me about A Level choices. I was a bit worried about advising (I'm not a careers advisor) so asked the HoY for Yr 11, who said I knew better than any of them and should help them I don't particularly want to, it's a lot of responsibility, OTOH they're getting bad advice elsewhere.

Sorry to ramble, it's a bugbear of mine.

If you want to do Forensic science, at least the Chemistry side, do make sure that any Chemistry degree involves Analytical Chemistry (a lot don't).
I told my son not to bother with ICT GCSE even though he is considering some kind of programming career, as MAths and Physics are more important to get onto a good Computer Science degree etc. ICT is a test of Word, Excel etc. and can you evaluate and argue why you did something.

BTW with MFL even UCL does have a route around it if you don't have the relevant qualification; but it will be additional work during the degree.

My dd will be gutted about the Forensic Science thing too! She will just have to do a traditional science degree instead!