This blog was written by Jenna, who is doing her work experience with us, so can tell you all about the pain of choosing your GCSEs. Here's her wise advice for those of you who are currently going through the decision process.

In year 9 and 10 we're expected to decide what we want to do with our lives. Choosing our GCSEs is a big decision to make at a young age, and we get the impression that it'll be what we have to focus on for the rest of our lives. We have to choose where we want to go for work experience, something we can put on our CV's; we even have to start looking into sixth forms or colleges. So, what happens if you don't particularly like your GCSE options and it's too late to change them?

You get told "you should've thought harder about it", or "live with it, it was your decision and there's nothing we can do", or maybe even "we told you so" from your parents. Either way, we're expected to act like adults, and make decisions like them, but be treated like children. So, what happens next? What happens if we leave school and want to do something totally different than what we thought in year 9?

Now, obviously it helps to begin work in an industry you've already studied for several years, but it's okay to choose not to do that. Without studying a subject at GCSE, you could go into an apprenticeship or study it in college, it's never too late. And yes, while it may be too late to change your GCSE options, you can focus on the core subjects, like English, Math's and Science – three subjects that can get you pretty much anywhere. I'm not saying you shouldn't work hard on the options you're not interested in anymore, but maybe start looking into colleges and apprenticeships, and the requirements for the courses you may now be interested in.

Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about your choices once you've selected them and they've been confirmed. You might have a year and a half left of school, or even just a couple of months, but all you can do is work hard and do well in what you've chosen. Don't slack off just because you don't like the subject. Yes, it might be dull, but just wait until you've finished your GCSEs and then you'll be out of there and free to enter a new industry, study a new subject, learn a different way in a different environment – anything you want.

So, don't worry about the present, whether you're studying something you absolutely despise in school or you're just curious about if you'd be able to try something different in the future, just work hard and stay optimistic.

Written by Jenna Bailey, Marketing Work Experience Intern

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