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Explore comprehensive resources and expert advice to help you navigate the complexities of career planning and development.

Portfolio Career

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Thinking about a career change but don’t know where to start? Like many others, you may be worried about the financial implications of changing your career, the need to train for a new career or the lack of a comprehensive strategy to get you where you need to be in your career.

By the time you’ve reached your 30’s and beyond, you may have established a successful career, but lifestyle and career priorities change as you get older. Your career may feel stale or boring, it might no longer fit into your family life or fail to fulfil your values and interests.

If your career doesn’t motivate you or reflect your ambitions and needs, is it time for a career change? It’s never too late to re-evaluate who you are, what drives you and how a career change can help you accomplish your career dreams.

Author, business coach and speaker Pamela Slim is the creator of the “side hustle”. The premise of this is that, in order to facilitate your change in career direction, you needn’t stop everything and start again. Using your time appropriately to begin a new career in your spare time could be the answer to building up the experience and financial security you need before you make the bigger career changes.

This approach can be seen as realistic, or even pessimistic, but with a bit of careful thought and action, you too could be on your way to a more fulfilling career direction without immediately giving up the career you already have.

As long as you have a passion for your second career, you will be motivated to find the time and energy to start building your new career while holding down your existing day job. Freelance activities like writing, photography, cooking, childcare, design, gardening, personal training and other second careers could all fit around your present career. It will bring in some extra money to start you off.

With this second career you can begin moving to a portfolio career model in which you will control your own time and income to better suit the lifestyle you want now.

Schools don’t take careers advice seriously

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Business leaders are backing an MP’s call for improved careers advice in schools. A letter written to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan by Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holdness, has been co-signed by The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), and EEF, the manufacturers’ organization.

The general feeling amongst business leaders is that current career guidance is too weak. As Martin McTague, policy director at the FSB, said: “Schools are under a lot of pressure to deliver on a wide range of fronts, so it’s not surprising careers advice has slipped down the priority list. But getting good, independent careers advice at the right time can transform a young person’s chances of finding a career they love and fulfilling their career potential. We think this change will provide the nudge schools need to up their game – ultimately leading to better long-term careers advice for young people.”

The letter calls for statutory guidance to be amended so that all schools are required, rather than only recommended, to work to obtain a quality award for careers advice, information, education and guidance that meets an approved standard determined by the Department for Education.

Stuart, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for careers advice, guidance and information, states in his letter:

“The central problem facing careers education is that schools are not incentivised to take careers advice seriously. In our high stakes education system, school leaders will understandably prioritise those issues that will lead to serious consequences if they fail to deliver them. Careers advice does not fall into this category.

“Having made it compulsory for schools to meet an agreed careers advice quality standard, the appetite for high quality career guidance would leap among school leaders.”

Without quality careers advice and guidance in schools, young people end up on the wrong courses and either in the wrong career or not in work at all, leading to a lifetime of unhappiness and big problem for the nation’s economy.

Graduating this year?

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Do you know what to do for a career when you graduate? Don’t worry if you don’t! It’s a common feeling at this time of year, when you leave your student life and out into the career market.

It’s not a time to panic, but to assess who you are, what you enjoy, and what you want to do for your career. There are so many career opportunities and options it can very easily seem overwhelming. There are many important career decisions to be made but if you think logically about your motivations it’s easy to decide what to do for your career.

What career is right for you?

This is the biggest question you can answer, so break it down. Think about what you value in your career. Is it:

  • Helping others?
  • Money
  • Following your passion
  • Life/work balance?
  • Flexibility and freedom over what you do?

Narrowing down what motivates you to work hard will help you to evaluate the best career options for you.

What are your career strengths and weaknesses?

Knowing what you are good at, and what you are bad at, is a key factor in deciding what career is right for you. Be honest with yourself, and try and get unbiased opinions where you can. Don’t rely on family or friends who only want the best for you and may also have their own agenda for your future career! This is where using an independent careers advisor is a great advantage. Using professional tools, such as career tests or career profiling as well as speaking to an experienced, qualified career counselor, will leave you with a better sense of your personality, motivations and skills and a clear idea of what is the best career for you.

What do you enjoy?

You won’t last long in any career if you don’t enjoy what you do. Think about your hobbies and what you have enjoyed studying and doing during your time as a student or any other work, paid or voluntary, that you have undertaken.

Take time to try out different career roles to get a feel for what you like. Work experience in a few different industries can be a real eye opener. You may think you want a career in media, but the realities of that career path may not suit how you work. It’s important to get a feel of the job before you commit and get a career plan in place.

Build up your CV

Now you know a bit more about what you want to do, it’s time to hone your skills to make an impact at job interviews. Gain experience, speak to knowledgeable people in your industry and really get a feel for the career you want to enter.

Not only will it confirm your goals (or alternatively show you that it may not be the right career path for you before you go too far down that route!) but such experience bolsters your CV giving you a greater advantage in any of the career paths you might apply for.

This can also apply to activities outside of your career. When you’re in a quiet period between studies and work, use your time productively to show your future employers your drive, transferable skills and personality. Now is the time to consider some volunteering, join a community group or work on a blog or website. Good luck!

What if your child gets bad examination results

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There is huge pressure on students these days to get good GCSE and A level grades in order to give them the best chance of getting a great career in the future, but the pressure on parents can also be intense. You don’t have to sit the course personally or slog through the revision; you are spared the sitting of the mocks and exams themselves but unfortunately, you are not spared the fallout from the examination results. Even if you do not have to open the envelope when it falls on the mat you are still going to feel as sick as your child if the results are less than expected or hoped for. You need serious careers advice. You have to share the disappointment, but be objective and have the correct careers advice at your fingertips.

You may be lucky and have some prior warning; it is all too easy in an examination to fail to interpret what a question was asking. Many students do not read what the question is asking but rather what they want to answer. Your child may already realise that they have done that.

But all too often there is no warning. Assuming that your child has done the course and completed the revision he or she should have attained a pass mark. However, there are lots of reasons why they might fail. The first step is to have an honest conversation with your child as to the real reasons why they have not got the grades expected.

This conversation may actually yield surprising results: some children will fail because they have done too mush revision. Our brains can cope with a great deal of knowledge, but unfortunately it has a limited attention span when it is processing information. Sitting and studying for twelve straight hours can be counter-productive.

To have studied efficiently, it is necessary to have enough sleep and a balanced diet. Some aspects of studying can be boring and seem pointless.

If the course was too academic, it may be that there is a more vocational hands-on approach that would suit your child better.

It may be that the exam results were not good enough for their first choice for higher education, but may meet the requirements of the second choice. Refer to UCAS if you require more options for higher education. Grades simply not good enough will mean either a re-sit in January or June or a career path rethink. Remember that a re-sit will only postpone the problem if your child is not studying the right subjects in the first place. Speak to Career Analysts if your child needs help in picking the right subjects.

If there are good reasons why your son or daughter has not acquired the necessary grades at A level, why not speak directly to the university and see if they are willing to hold the place open. They may offer a conditional place for the following year (conditional upon certain education requirements being met)

A gap year can provide time to consolidate options and develop essential life skills. Sometimes opportunities to go to university can be deferred. It is no accident that many distance learning opportunities start their academic years in February.

All is not lost because examination results are not up to scratch. What is necessary is to make informed decisions quickly and make the best of different education or career choices.

Your child has their GCSE results

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It’s time for career and education decisions

So, your child has received their GCSE results – Good? Bad? Indifferent? However they are taking it, you must be thinking about their future career and what education possibilities there for them. Whether or not they got the grades they wanted, or know what they want to do for their career, professional careers advice can smooth this process.

Talking to a professional career counselling service, even at this young age, can really help your teenagers pick their way through the overwhelming amount of careers advice they will get. Our expert careers advisors have worked with tens of thousands of teenagers to assist them in uncovering their strengths, weaknesses, skills and goals, what A levels and degree choices would suit them best and what career they should aim for.

During student years, young people need to make important education and career decisions. Their A level, degree and career choices will have long-term effects on personal happiness and long-term financial success, so it is crucial that career decisions are made rationally, and with full reference to their interests, personality and abilities. We can help them identify these specific factors and apply them to potential career paths.

Making decisions post-GCSEs, with a specific career path in mind, can smooth the process of successfully completing A levels and university, and move them forward into their dream career.

However, not every teenager will automatically want to go on to pursue further education, A levels and degree. Depending on your child’s skills and interests, they may want to follow a more vocational path, rather than a more academic one. Your child will gain more confidence and motivation pursuing a route that most suits their abilities, personality and career goals.

Our careers advice programme for teenagers considers what career would suit your child, their personality, skills and strengths. All teenagers are different, and our Occupational Psychologists have many years of experience working with many thousands of teenagers, including those with special needs, such as Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. Our careers advice programme takes all circumstances into account.

We can help your teenager decide on suitable and fulfilling career pathways after their GCSE results, and involve you in the process. Find out more about our careers advice for teenagers programme here https://careeranalysts.co.uk/careers-advice-teenagers.php

Bad exam results

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Parents can think that bad examinations results mean the end to good career prospects. This is far from the truth; bad exam results do not mean a lifetime of failure. They may mean an end to a university education, but not everyone thrives working towards a degree in a university environment. Sometimes the perfect career for you is sitting in front of you now, without taking further education.

Failing examinations can be a shock, but it can also be a relief and a fantastic motivator. Many a career path has begun at a low level. Sometimes the alternatives to a university education can offer even greater rewards from career challenges. When some of the career options are removed, it can clarify the mind on what is actually possible for a career path.

Failing exams does not mean the end to the dream of a university education – in some cases it can mean postponing it. Distance learning has now become a part of mainstream education, to the point that the Open University in Milton Keynes educates more university graduates in psychology than any other university in Europe. Brian May, formerly with Queen, was awarded a doctorate in physics in August 2007, thirty-six years after leaving school.

Today, according to Prospects UK, psychology is the third most popular degree choice, though achieving that degree holds many career opportunities and only fifteen percent go on to become chartered psychologists.

Leaving school can also an opportunity to embark on the path to independence and some people want that at an earlier age than others. In the business sector a masters in business administration (MBA) is a highly sought after qualification, employers love it. However, a natural entrepreneurial flair may be more useful to those who wish to embark on a career in their own business. Sir Richard Branson had only three “O” Levels to his name, but at seventeen he had begun a successful student advisory service – and look what he did after that! Bill Gates never graduated, nor did Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

For help in making the right career choices and deciding whether A levels and/or a degree would suit you call us for careers advice on 0800 999 7778.

Exam Results – What are the next steps?

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The arrival of GCSE and A-Level results is a testing time for families. The pressure on your child to do well, and give them the best chance of starting their career positively, can cause major stress for them and you! So what can you do to lighten the load? Here are our top tips:

1) Talk to your teenager

Keep communication open by discussing their future.

Ask them to think about these questions:

  • What career would suit me?
  • What career am I able to do?
  • What do I want to achieve in my career?
  • What are my career goals?
  • What career path should I follow?

Listen to what they say and attempt to offer objective career guidance. This is difficult for parents as naturally your hopes for your child are high. Most teenagers would benefit from speaking to a careers advisor – their neutrality allows the teen to speak freely and so opens up constructive discussions about their career path.

2) Keep Calm

Emotions can run high in teenage years and tempers can flare. Understand that your son or daughter may be apprehensive about their capabilities and worried about what their future career path will hold. Try not to fix on exactly what your child’s career will be, but think about their strengths and weaknesses, and what would be a good fit for their personality and interests. This will help them make a final choice about their career path and further education, if relevant.

3) Get professional careers advice

Getting professional career guidance at this point for your teenager can be very rewarding. Our experienced careers advisors – who are all fully qualified Occupational Psychologists – are trained to help and support, even if your child has little or no idea of what career they would like to do.

We also understand that you may wish to be involved in your teenager’s new career choice too, so we offer Parent and Guardian Extension sessions – https://careeranalysts.co.uk/parents-and-guardians.php In the teenager’s session on their own, they will focus on careers advice and you can use the extension to explore the outcomes of their consultation and talk about their career choice with the career counsellor. We find this is the perfect opportunity to discuss career recommendations in an objective and professional manner and it really does add value to the careers advice programme.

Want to find out more about our careers advice and career guidance for teenagers? Read more here about our programme https://careeranalysts.co.uk/careers-advice-teenagers.php

Parent worried about your child’s exam results?

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The arrival of GCSE and A-Level results is a testing time for families. The pressure on your child to do well, and give them the best chance of starting their career positively, can cause major stress for them and you! So what can you do to lighten the load? Here are our top tips:

1) Talk to your teenager

Keep communication open by discussing their future.

Ask them to think about these questions:

  • What career would suit me?
  • What career am I able to do?
  • What do I want to achieve in my career?
  • What are my career goals?
  • What career path should I follow?

Listen to what they say and attempt to offer objective career guidance. This is difficult for parents as naturally your hopes for your child are high. Most teenagers would benefit from speaking to a careers advisor – their neutrality allows the teen to speak freely and so opens up constructive discussions about their career path.

2) Keep Calm

Emotions can run high in teenage years and tempers can flare. Understand that your son or daughter may be apprehensive about their capabilities and worried about what their future career path will hold. Try not to fix on exactly what your child’s career will be, but think about their strengths and weaknesses, and what would be a good fit for their personality and interests. This will help them make a final choice about their career path and further education, if relevant.

3) Get professional careers advice

Getting professional career guidance at this point for your teenager can be very rewarding. Our experienced careers advisors – who are all fully qualified Occupational Psychologists – are trained to help and support, even if your child has little or no idea of what career they would like to do.

We also understand that you may wish to be involved in your teenager’s new career choice too, so we offer Parent and Guardian Extension sessions – https://careeranalysts.co.uk/parents-and-guardians.php In the teenager’s session on their own, they will focus on careers advice and you can use the extension to explore the outcomes of their consultation and talk about their career choice with the career counsellor. We find this is the perfect opportunity to discuss career recommendations in an objective and professional manner and it really does add value to the careers advice programme.

Want to find out more about our careers advice and career guidance for teenagers? Read more here about our programme https://careeranalysts.co.uk/careers-advice-teenagers.php

 

Disappointed with exam results?

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If or your son or daughter didn’t get the exam results they wanted, don’t panic. Professional career guidance specifically aimed at teenagers can help you and your child can survive the results and still find out what career is right for them – even if it isn’t the ideal career they imagined. It may be that now the education path you had planned is no longer possible, but there are still plenty of education and career opportunities open to them.

Whether it is a rethink of potential career paths, or route to study, our extensively trained and vastly experienced career advisors are here to provide objective and coherent careers advice and career guidance.

We have formulated a suite of career programmes that will help you and your teenager pass through this testing time, especially if they didn’t get the exam results you expected.

Are you experiencing any of these?

Your child doesn’t know what to do for a career:

Teenagers can be non-committal at best, and this time of their lives is filled with hormones and change; this can be unhelpful in getting them to commit to a career path! So instead of being preoccupied with what career they should do, focus on their personality, strengths and weaknesses. What do they like to do? What are they good at? Use this as a guide for study and exploring what career is right for them.

How do they learn?

You may think that your teenager should go to university, but will that really be right for them? What is their learning process? What is the right career path for them? Our career advisors have worked with thousands of teenagers and all of them are different. Our Occupational Psychologists have decades of experience working with teenagers with special needs, such as Dyslexia or Dyspraxia and the careers advice programme takes all circumstances into account. We can help your teenager decide on a suitable and fulfilling career path and show what qualifications they will need to achieve in order to get to their ideal career.

They won’t talk to you!

Teenage years may not ideal in which to help your child in choosing a career! You may be just too close to help them make those objective decisions – you want the best for them in their career, but are you really knowledgeable enough to provide the most realistic careers advice? Talking to a professional careers adviser who is also an Occupational Psychologist will give the most realistic view of what career will make the most of their potential.

Our in-depth psychometric tests https://careeranalysts.co.uk/psychometric-testing.php reveal a true, holistic profile of your teenager, and the consultation with the Occupational Psychologist will help them make concrete decisions about the education and career choices they are faced with, whatever their exam results.

Want to find out more about our careers advice and guidance for teenagers? Read more about our programme https://careeranalysts.co.uk/careers-advice-teenagers.php , including our insightful videos and resources!

Studying for a Degree

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One in five pupils is expected to get grade “A” passes this year. This is 8.4% higher than in 2015. However, students should not give up on their education goals, even if the grades they receive do not live up to expectations.

The government has seized on this statistic, saying that it proved the introduction of tuition fees had not deterred students from applying. The most popular degree is now Law, followed by Design, Psychology and then English. Despite today’s hype, how can students ensure that their degree will result in a firm job offer and an opportunity to develop their career?

A degree in one of these four subjects – law, design, psychology and English – does not necessarily lead to a subsequent career in the core field. Indeed, less than fifteen percent of psychology graduates go on to practise as a psychologist in any capacity. Like Psychology, Law has transferable skills prized in other career paths (e.g. well evidenced research, analytical and problem solving skills, attention to detail, and negotiating and communication skills etc.).

Besides skills, commitment and achievement demonstrated through degree level study, employers look for additional extra-curricular activities and work experience. For example, if you are serious about entering the legal profession today, it is too competitive to expect to get just a good degree and go on to take your bar exams or qualify as a solicitor. Many students will have gained legal work experience, perhaps organised by the student law society.

In addition, informal work experience can often be organised with law centres, citizens’ advice bureaux, in the courts and with legal departments in central/local government, and sometimes with solicitors’ firms. If you intend to work within the legal profession, your future employers will want evidence that you have learned something over and above your curriculum. Volunteer prospects can be researched here according to your skills and local area.

When selecting a course to study, you should consider whether you are better off studying something that you will enjoy or something that will provide better career prospects. When considering this question remember that degree courses are three to five years duration and studying for that length of time is going to be very hard work if you hate your subject!

Also the days of a ‘job for life’ are long gone – for many even a ‘career for life’ is not going to work out! Even if you do remain in the same sector, it is unlikely that you will be able to do so without reinforcing and updating your training. Much must depend on your own interests and ambition, and a vocational degree is not going to make you successful in itself.

Figures regarding graduate unemployment make interesting reading, and while professions fair well, they do not guarantee employment (and Computer Science, which one might have assumed to be a particularly safe bet, fares particularly poorly).