Don’t know what course to pick at uni? Don’t know if you even want to go to uni at all?? Your not alone. 

I’m struggling, I’ll admit. Although I do remain positive, I seriously have no idea what I want to do next with my life!! It feels like there’s 100 things trying to fight for priority in my brain; exams, revising, the blog, starting to learn a new sport, being the best I can be, learn to cook a new dish, pick a course for uni, write my personal statement etc. A mixture of goals and requirements leaves me having to prioritise which is the most important to me.. being happy with my grades or being happy with myself.. 

Luckily, if you are having this issue too, we may be able to work together to reassure ourselves we are not alone in this, and it is not unusual to feel lost after post 16 education. I would deem myself as quite an organised person, therefore I’m going to provide you with all my knowledge so far on trying to figure out what you want to do with your life! 

Think about what you enjoy: 

Do you study a certain subject at alevel that you look forward to attending (heaven forbid)? If you find the content inspiring and enjoyable, perhaps this would be something to look into further?

Think about the long term goal:

This can be a hard one, and sometimes makes you end up contemplating your choices even more. But what do you see yourself doing in 5 years? Or even 10? Would you still like to be in education? Or would you prefer a full time job? Do you want to be guaranteed a job in a certain a profession, or are you willing to take the risk and put in the work to come out on top for an unusual and usually inaccessible job? Your call. 

Think about why you would actually want to go to university: 

Are you going to uni just because everyone else is going and you don’t know what else to do with your life after? One idea I have learnt during the past 2 years is that you need to be your own person in order to fully succeed in life. Do not follow a crowd, be individual and true to yourself. If you want to go into an apprenticeship or take a gap year, you do that! Do not let the thought of other people doing something your not get you down, you never know – they may hate what they are doing but simply don’t want to loose face! 

Think about other options: 

There are hundreds of incredible opportunities for careers out there in the world, just waiting for you to take on the challenge. If uni is defiantly not for you, why not look for an apprenticeship or job in the sector of society you would like to work in? I’ve found a popular apprentice course for the people who left my year in year 11 was some sort of trade, (I.e. electrician, plumber, builder etc) the area of accounting or hairdressing. 

One idea i hope you are able to take away from this post would be the fact that you must be your own person to succeed. Follow your dreams and beliefs, you can’t go wrong if your doing something you love. 

Love Eleanor xx