As a Sixth Form student in Year 13, I know first-hand how stressful and worrying about figuring out your life can be, or at least the next step; in today’s post I thought I’d give you some tips and tricks that I’ve learned from the GetMyFirstJob website and my experience so far.

Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional/trained careers’ advisor; all opinions and suggestions are my own and I am using what I know as a student to pass on what I have learnt so far!

A lot of people assume that University is the next step to get anywhere, especially if you want a career. However, this is completely false! For the first time there are apprenticeship schemes, as well as simply getting a job and working after Sixth Form being accepted more but can also allow you to build up your dream job. The main thing is, do your research! Sometimes going to Uni and getting a degree is essential for the career of your dreams, although, some companies and industries would prefer to for you to have work experience and a passion for the job.

You can achieve this with an apprenticeship; for those who are unsure, with an apprenticeship, you work a certain amount of days, while earning a salary and going to college or doing a course online to get a qualification. This all depends on the company and the contract of your apprenticeship, meaning that you don’t get into a large amount of debt, you get paid, work experience, the education and sometimes even a job after your apprenticeship ends! it all depends on what your employers wants and what you want to study/do because not all careers have apprenticeship options. Click here to learn about apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships.

Furthermore, not all career options require you to have further education, they may just want someone who has experience. Volunteering at your school or local community can really help with this – if you have the opportunity to do NCS, do it! In all honesty, I couldn’t recommend it enough! However, if you’re older than the age you can participate in it, you can always apply for a summer job there. Find out more about NCS (National Citizen Service).

If you are in the position of not knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life, don’t worry, it’s not just you. Everyone around you is stressed out about exams, the next step, grades etc. You have plenty of options (especially if you still live at home, you don’t have to worry about paying the rent and bills). To help you become a bit clearer, why not try career quizzes? You could download Pinnacle Valley on the App Store or on Google Play store. It’s a game-based assessment that suggests what career you’d be good at based on your game results! Don’t fancy this? Ok… let me think, answer these few questions these could get you thinking outside the box.

1)    What are your hobbies?

For me personally, I love blogging and creating YouTube videos, I love the creativity, the honesty and originality that it can bring. I know you have to be extremely lucky to become a full-time Blogger and YouTuber, I acknowledged this (even though this is still the dream, I need a backup) so I plan on creating promotional videos for schools, charity events and companies etc. It may not be the ideal, I will still be doing tasks similar to what I love to do.

So ask yourself, “what do I like to do in my spare time, can it become a career in some form or another?” because most of the time, it can become a career.

2)    What makes you happy?

This one links back to my previous point, but it’s one I really want to stress. Sometimes people do something or go somewhere just “because”, or maybe have pressure from friends and/or family members, it’s your life, you are in control of it. If it’ll take you time to get there (especially if it’s based on a hobby) why not get a part-time job so you can paid doing something but have the time to build up your dream career? The experience part-time working also gives you more experience which helps build up your CV and your future. (GetMyFirstJob have many of these articles on their blog too – click here to read them).

3)    Remember it takes time and hard work!

You hear these success stories all the time. It takes time and hard work, don’t let this knock your confidence because just remember it will pay off eventually. Believe in yourself because if you’re passionate about what you want to do, you’ll get there.

I hope you have enjoyed what I’ve written for you today and that you’ve found what I’ve shared is useful. Thanks for reading!

This blog was written by Annie. This is some more about her:

Hi, my name is Annie Basson. I’m 18 years old, a Sixth Form student from Kent with a passion for blogging, creating videos and, most of all, making a difference and helping/inspiring people. On my blog you’ll find a range of topics, from advice to my experiences/life story, lifestyle to DIY, anything that I feel inspired to write about, you’ll see on my blog or my social media. I’ll really appreciate it if you read what I have to offer on my blog and that you have enjoyed what I’ve talked about on here today.
Instagram & twitter: @itsannieblog

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