OMG! My 15 DS doesn't know what to do with the rest of his life!

[selwynsmith]

My son is getting depressed and anxious as he doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up. What college should he go to, what A levels to take. I know I know he's only 15! I tell him do what your good at! Do what you enjoy! (Huge eye roll !!)
Problem is ever since he was knee high he has wanted to be a tree surgeon. Then his big brother went to uni, DS2 went to stay with him, and now he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life! No amount of me saying he's got plenty of time helps.(Eye roll thing again.)
I suppose it doesn't when he's got to choose A levels. Oh now I'm worrying! He's 15 he'd better make his mind up fast!

He's 15. He'll only just be beginning to think about picking his knuckles up from the floor. :D He's got to have something to be miserable about, he's a teenage grumpy boy!

How about looking round a few horticultural colleges? - to see what sort of courses they offer

tell him to choose the subjects he finds easiest to apply himself to. tell him, he will change and grow so much in the next few years that whatever he chooses now at 15 may not be remotely coneected to what he wants to do at 21, and tell him that's ok. tell him he may change direction 10 times in his working life and he will still be a valid and valued member of society tell him, tell him you love him and support him and want him to be happy, tell him to relax, tell him that stressing wont make the decision happen for him, tell him a woman on MN is 24 and doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, but it has been fun trying different things so far.

tell him to choose the subjects he enjoys most, NOT the ones he thinks he should do.

I don't think he's unusual in not having a clear plan - 15yo boys are not known for being that clear about this sort of stuff!

For A levels, he should either carry on with whatever he likes and is good at - because that'll help him stay focussed. Or, as Rusty suggests, take a look at some college courses and university courses that sound like they might interest him, and see what subjects they ask for. It doesn't pin him down to those courses, but at least you'd both know he's getting qualifications which fit with something afterwards!

Thx mum

Look at this Ecology at Hull ,includes Canopy Science
www2.hull.ac.uk/ug/11/biological_and_biomedical_sci/ecology_scarborough.aspx

i didnt no what i wanted to do untill very recently, i am now 16 and only just figured it out. i went to the library and took out a careers dictionary. it was huge and i spent ages flicking through looking and different jobs. it stated subjects required and qaulifications, good uni's and salaries. accountancy caught my eye as i love maths :P now although im not sure if thats exactly what i want to do, i have some direction. i have applied to a firm of accountants to gain work experience and see what its actually like; chosen my a levels, physics maths economics and history, but kept a variety of subjects so there is room to change my mind :)

hope this helps :)

I think 15 is an age for keeping one's options open really, doing the subjects you enjoy as colditz says.

Agree with avsbavs, he should choose a variety of a level subjects to keep his options open (e.g. not all arts or all sciences). The vast majority of courses don't require specific a levels unless he plans on going into secondary teaching or engineering. Even these can usually be got around through access / conversion courses etc. I ended up in law having done physics, maths and history a levels and then an anthropology degree! Only took a year longer than if I'd done a law degree.

Just try to take the pressure off and tell him to do the subjects he finds most interesting so that whatever he ends up doing, it will be something he enjoys!

Think back to when you were 15 - is there anyone out there doing what they envisaged when they were 15?

As has been said already, do what you're good at or what you most enjoy (not always the same subjects)

My DH is 66 this year and still doesn't know what he wants to do!

Most 15 year olds don't know what to do with thier lives. My DH whose 50 says he doesn't know what to do with his life!

Choose subjects at A level he's good at and enjoys, unless he has a very specific career in sight. Even then, options can be changed....its not the be all and end all.

At 15, my ds decided he wanted to be a doctor. From what I can make out this was entirely based on watching Scrubs. . Fair enough, he's a bright lad, gets As in sciences etc.

Now he's 16 and taking GCSEs next week and he's decided that actually, Chemistry is really boring and maybe he doesn't want to do medicine after all

Problem is, he hasn't a clue what he does want to do, but luckily has chosen 2 sciences and 2 art sbjects for A level.
I recognise what you say, OP about your ds feeling anxious about not knowing what to do, it's a very stressful time with the amount of academic pressure they're put under at school (at ds's last meeting with his head of year he was told that a B was a failure .

I agree with what other posters have said about your ds choosing A level options which give him a broad base rather than tying himself down to Arts OR Sciences.

And what BooeyFuckingHoo said, which I'm going to memorise

There are more people who don't know what to do than those who do.

I should think he should choose which A Levels to do based on the subjects he enjoys and is good at and in the holidays, try to get some (paid or unpaid) work helping out someone who is already a tree surgeon.

That way, he has his options open and can still think about what to do. But he mustn't feel bad about not knowing because plenty of us still don't know!