Choice,choices,choices....

I have been watching the news and seeing either the teenage faces of adulation or disappointment has made me reminisce. It was six years ago that I received my GCSE results! I have been reading how teenagers feel the pressure of having to choose a certain career path. I feel like this at 22! I have things that I am good at, things that I enjoy, but is there a graduate job (or even job) that encompasses all of this? With competition for graduate jobs at its highest, students are always striving for the best. What subjects do I need to take at A-level to get into a top university? Which then leads to which course do I need to do to get into this specific company or job? Only then at the end to realise that the job is not what you thought it would be! I think this comes from two avenues. Not having enough careers information to realise all the options that are open to you, or continuing on a path because a teacher or parent has told you that you would be good at it. This is me. I am the first in my family to attend university and I have been told that I should aim for the top. Many people don't know that before I attended the University of Worcester I went to the University of Birmingham to study Law with Business Studies. Why? I thought that it would make me money and give me prestige. This was not a good decision basis for the next three years of my life! My advice would be to meet as many people as possible and talk to them. I bet you that what they do now is not what they wanted to do at eighteen. I would also advise visiting the careers service at the earliest opportunity. I have read that the majority of university students don't seek out advice from their careers service until the last term of their third year. This is a mistake as you may miss an opportunity as the deadline for applications has already passed. My one pointer for university is to take advantage of all the opportunities on offer to you and to visit the careers service in the Pearson Building on St John's Campus at the first opportunity!