When is the right age to decide our future careers?

Source - Unsplash Danielle MacInnes

In the UK, we pick our GCSEs at ages 13-14. Our A levels can be chosen at ages 15-16. At age 18, we can go off to University where we study a course which is supposed to lead us into our careers. As a society, this is normalised, but should we be asking ourselves if people these ages are too young to plan out their lives?

Teenagers and young people are still figuring out who they are when they’re supposed to be making choices for their future careers. As we get older, we change, and decisions and aspirations might differ. But when is the right time to decide on a career? Young people are likely to move out in their 20’s and need money to do so, meaning that choosing a career at a young age could be important as some careers need years of training for.

The daily mail reported in 2018 that in the UK, a person has 6 jobs on average in their lifetime. Should we be deciding on specific careers so young? I asked people if they had any experiences or anything to say relating to this. Here are some of the responses that I got.

Anonymous, studying a journalism degree in their second year at University, said “I was really good with media, photography and writing at school so I just stuck with it and ran with it, that’s what my teachers told me anyway. Fast forward to now, I work part time in the hospital and during all of this with COVID-19, it’s really opened my eyes to what I want to do. So, all being well, I will be starting my nursing degree in the near future.” They also said “I do think we’re being forced into what we want to do far too young.”

Chloé Bishop (age 19) explained that when choosing A levels, she envisioned a career in law, and chose History, Law and English Literature. “I ended up feeling very anxious and it affected my mental health as I was still not sure 100% I wanted to carry on,” she said. “I finally worked out that I wanted to study in media or Journalism and switched two of my A levels to photography and sociology, still keeping English Lit as I wanted to go into the creative side of work.”

Hannah Townsend (age 18) chose A levels which she was interested in because she was unsure about what she wanted to do. She now works at a coffee shop which she enjoys. “I had no idea I’d be doing this when I chose my GCSEs,” she said. “We are too young to decide, we change so much at this age.”

William Preece (age 15) is currently in year 11 and is planning what he wants to do next. “I don’t know what I want to do. I wish I had more time,” he said. He wishes that instead of qualifications, there was something more about creativity. He can’t get into certain places such as Sixth Form as it’s too academic for him.

Amy Berry (age 18) “In year 9, we are meant to choose our GCSE subjects, most of these we have never done or even heard of,” she said. She was given her reserved subject option at GCSE which was French, and she didn’t enjoy it. She doesn’t feel like it’s helped her at all in choosing a career.

Joe Manton (age 19) remembers picking his GCSEs that he thought would be good for university, only to discover that he didn’t want to go to university after sitting his GCSEs. “I personally believe there should be an in between period, where you focus on core subjects and then take those exams. And after that, make more specific choices,” he suggested.

Megan Griffiths (age 20): “I think we’re pushed into careers too early simply so the school can meet the goals. Some kids might not work best at university, but they’re told to apply anyway,” she said.  

I did research into what other countries do in terms of exams and I discovered that many take them around the same time that we do in the UK, and some even younger. What I found interesting however, is that in New Zealand, they do an NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement.) This involves in school marking (internal assessments) as well as end of year assessments (external assessments).

Each subject is split into standards, which are specific areas of that subject. In each of these standards, you can earn credits, which count towards the final qualification. These are a lot more specific than GCSE’s and A level results and show which areas in each subject you’re particularly good at. After receiving results, you’re given Vocational Pathways Awards which show what skills you’re good at. This can help guide students into career choices and also looks good to employers.

I personally think this way of marking seems really useful. I’ve always thought there’re flaws in the UK education system and these flaws can let people down when they’re looking for careers. I believe that so many young people are forced to decide their careers at such a young age. But what is the right age?

What do you think?