do your 15yr olds have a clue what they are going to do

[2shoes]

when they leave school?

Mine didn't at all, and went through "A" levels with still no ideas. They have now been or are at university - the eldest, who already has her degree, still didn't know what to do even when she'd finished. She is now working in a job that needed a graduate, but no specific degree.

We gave our children options - you study or you get a job. You cannot sit around at home doing nothing.

MIne wants some sort of business career after going to university. He did some work experience in a building society and thought that was quite interesting (the talking about money and investing part of it).

what about if they are not going to university

I got my 14 tear old DSD a book (the Tijes A-Z of jobs and careers) and she appears to be making a list. However, much of it seems pretty unrealistic to me ("novelist", "film producer"). I am sure she will come more down to earth later.

I knew what I wanted to do when I was ten, but not everyone is that lucky.

Should have read the TIMES A-Z of Jobs and Careers

DS is 15, just finished GCSEs. Thinks he fancies being a writer. If I ask what sort of writer, he just sort of shrugs. I think he fancies himself as a kind of Jeremy Clarkson macho-type humour person.

Well that's this week anyway.

So do they get career talks at school? I remember mine back in the old days, woman asked me what I wanted to do, I told her - she looked at my grade C in the subject I was talking about and said forget it, next please. Great help.

dd wants to be a music journalist - i think she sees it as a ticket to all gigs. Failing that a photogtapher. Im afraid im encouragin g her to think of something a littl more professional

ds wants to join the army - am trying to sway him into something engineer-y

not that im a control freak or anything of course

DS1 has only just decided what he thinks he wants to do for A level. He has no idea re his career!

But then, neither did I at his age (after I'd gone through wanting to be an air stewardess, a doctor, etc!)

ds 13 wants to be famous cricketer

ds1 want to be a policeman from about age 12.He is now 22 and loves it.He was in the police cadets and then a special and now he is a policeman and loving it.My other 3 don't really know what they want to do yet.(14,13 and 7)

I just did a talk at a History for Schools conference for Year Tens. I chatted to loads of them and only about 1 in 10 had any idea what they wanted to do (other than A-Levels/not A-Levels).

15yo DD has no idea. She has been to some connexions meetings at school and says she wants to do something to do with art, computers and office work.

www.connexions-direct.com/

yes.

ds wants to be a chippy.

dd. wants to be a computer programmer

I still don't!

see my thread on whether to return to teaching!

you have all made me feel better. ds is now thinking of college and maybe something with wood........

oooh yes a chippy - send him round here when he's qualified I need a new bespoke kitchen!

hasn't got a mate who is a plasterer has he?

No
but funnily enough he knows what kind of car he wants when he's 18

Mine had no idea at all. Ds1 is now 32 and studying for a PhD in order to become an academic in the US.

Ds2, aged 27, is almost at the end of a psychology PhD and has just put off the decision of whether to remain in academia or venture into the outside world for another year.

Dd1 (20) wants to be a frontline reporter. Hope she changes her mind.

11yo dd2, meanwhile, wants to be a vet and a teacher and a doctor.

We didn't insist our children went to university - they decided it for themselves when given the options I said earlier - "study or get a job. You cannot sit around at home doing nothing."

Their school had this constant expectation that they should decide their entire futures from the age of about 12, and they felt very pressured to do this. I don't think many children can decide this so young!

DD (now 16) had a careers day and they did some personality tests:

She should be a lawyer/politician/journalist, which actually quite matches her.

She would like to be a travel journalist doing the holiday programmes!! Or a diplomat or similar, travelling & using languages.

Milliways - my DS1 (and most of his school year) did the ISCO administered tests and virtually all were recommended to be lawyers/journalists on the basis of their scores in the literacy part of the test. In fact, his school is noted for science, and the majority of pupils go on to study science/engineering/medicine/economics at university.

No, not at all!

Oh lord, those careers tests. Ds1 was, apparently, suited to being a fashion designer while ds2 had the makings of a building society or insurance manager. Dd1 tells me her tests suggested a journalist (not too far from the mark) or a high-ranking army officer, though it failed to explain how she should avoid being low-ranked, at the start!

Dss (14.5) wants to be in the police