If you enjoyed A-Levels or a specific subject and want to explore this in more depth, then university may be for you. University is a unique way of learning and researching and having a degree can be extremely attractive to future employers. Some jobs may also require you to have a degree in certain areas, with graduate jobs and schemes also being available which are typically paid more than entry-level jobs. However, if you feel university is not right for you, it is important to remember that you can always enter university at a later stage in life or on a part-time basis.

This stage, like starting your own business is often overlooked, especially by careers services in sixth forms or colleges who can often lean towards university. Starting out in an entry-level job can have many benefits and may be the right for you, especially if you have an interest in the area applying to. These will pay a real wage and employee benefits as opposed to apprenticeship wages, as well as the opportunity of quick promotion opportunities should you demonstrate the ability and enthusiasm.

This may sound daunting, but being self employed hosts a range of benefits. When you are young you have little personal responsibility, so this may be the perfect time for you to embark on becoming an Entrepreneur!

You also have a lot of energy and motivation when young, so you can use your passion and innovation to make money. There are also plenty of start-up support organisations and government initiatives that can assist with advice, guidance and evening funding.

Although not a specific pathway in its own right, work experience and volunteering can certainly lead you to your desired destination, or if you don’t know where that is yet, open more doors for you. No amount of qualifications can make up for real-life experience; and volunteering can give you the edge over another individual with the same qualifications as you.

If you find the idea of volunteering boring, tailor it to your personal interests. If you love animals, contact your local zoo or animal charity and ask to get involved, or if you are interested in politics, email your local MP and work in the Houses of Parliament.

Whatever your interests or desired destination, volunteering and work experience should not be over-looked, with experience being vital for potential employers.

This is a great time to start forming and collating your ideas to start that business innovation of yours!

Use this time to effectively plan, create or develop your idea in order to pursue it fully once you have finished your compulsory education.

These are schools that specialise in a certain element, such as the performing arts. If music, art, drama or dance are your thing then this certainly could be your thing.

There are many specialist schools, but the most well known ones such as Laine Theatre Arts and the Brit School, which features alumni of Amy Winehouse and Jessie J, can be extremely difficult to get into, as well as costly.

If you would like to carry on learning but also want to enter the world of work as opposed to school, then an apprenticeship may be the right pathway for you.

Apprenticeships offer training for a particular job, alongside studying for an associated qualification. You get paid as you learn! Apprenticeships can be a great choice if you have a particular job sector or career in mind, and can often lead to a full-time job upon the completion of your training.

Linked closely to vocational qualifications are studio and tech schools. These are a relatively new concept in education and designed to prepare you with important work related skills as well as knowledge.

They operate as more of a work environment as opposed to that of a school or college, by typically running from 9-5. This can be a great avenue for you if you prefer a more hands on approach to learning.

Increasingly vocational courses are being offered in schools as recognition that not everybody wishes to do A-Levels – but the type of vocational courses offered at technical schools and colleges are still usually more varied.

Unlike A-Levels, vocational courses incorporate more practical elements as opposed to theory-based learning. Vocational qualifications can be useful if you have a certain job sector in mind, as they can provide valuable work experience in these roles through the practical elements.

Courses can include hairdressing, plumbing and veterinary assistant, with vocational subjects ranging from Health and Social Care to engineering.

When reaching level 3, these qualifications are considered the same level as A-Levels and can be considered as adequate entry requirements for higher education.

A-Levels can certainly be a good choice in Post-16 education, particularly if you are looking at the future pathway of university. However, A-Levels are not exclusively useful for this. They can be highly attractive to potential employers and give you the edge over someone who does not have these extra qualifications.

Subjects are also vast, with standard extensions of the core curriculum subjects, to those more obscure such as Government and Politics or Law. There are even A-Levels in the more creative subjects such as Art, Music and Drama.

A-Levels can be taken either at a sixth form or college, so if your school also has a sixth form you may want to stay where you are familiar, or if you fancy a change, a different sixth form or college may be the option for you.

If you find it difficult to obtain part-time work, then it is never too early to embrace your entrepreneurial spirit. Hand car washes, gardening and car-boot sales can be a great way to get both experience of working environments, as well as extra money in your pocket!

School is the best time to undertake extra-curricular activities that can help you build upon your existing skills. Schools offer a whole host of awards, sports clubs, societies and volunterring opportunities. Whether this means becoming a sports leader, a school prefect or captain of the football team, this can improve your ability to work with and talk to others in addition to getting you those added qualifications for your CV. Leadership awards are particularly beneficial as they show initiative and ability to lead, so a sports leader award or the duke of Edinburgh award are great ways to boost your employability at a young age.

This is the perfect time to get your first job, whether it is a weekend job, an evening job or perhaps even a morning paper round. Your first job is essential in building those crucial work skills so the earlier you start, the more skills you are likely to gain. This can help increase your confidence, particularly if the role is in customer services. Also, a part-time job will give you that little bit of extra money which can help you gain independence.

If you enjoyed A-Levels or a specific subject and want to explore this in more depth, then university may be for you. University is a unique way of learning and researching and having a degree can be extremely attractive to future employers. Some jobs may also require you to have a degree in certain areas, with graduate jobs and schemes also being available which are typically paid more than entry-level jobs. However, if you feel university is not right for you, it is important to remember that you can always enter university at a later stage in life or on a part-time basis.

This stage, like starting your own business is often overlooked, especially by careers services in sixth forms or colleges who can often lean towards university. Starting out in an entry-level job can have many benefits and may be the right for you, especially if you have an interest in the area applying to. These will pay a real wage and employee benefits as opposed to apprenticeship wages, as well as the opportunity of quick promotion opportunities should you demonstrate the ability and enthusiasm.

This may sound daunting, but being self employed hosts a range of benefits. When you are young you have little personal responsibility, so this may be the perfect time for you to embark on becoming an Entrepreneur!

You also have a lot of energy and motivation when young, so you can use your passion and innovation to make money. There are also plenty of start-up support organisations and government initiatives that can assist with advice, guidance and evening funding.

Although not a specific pathway in its own right, work experience and volunteering can certainly lead you to your desired destination, or if you don’t know where that is yet, open more doors for you. No amount of qualifications can make up for real-life experience; and volunteering can give you the edge over another individual with the same qualifications as you.

If you find the idea of volunteering boring, tailor it to your personal interests. If you love animals, contact your local zoo or animal charity and ask to get involved, or if you are interested in politics, email your local MP and work in the Houses of Parliament.

Whatever your interests or desired destination, volunteering and work experience should not be over-looked, with experience being vital for potential employers.

This is a great time to start forming and collating your ideas to start that business innovation of yours!

Use this time to effectively plan, create or develop your idea in order to pursue it fully once you have finished your compulsory education.

These are schools that specialise in a certain element, such as the performing arts. If music, art, drama or dance are your thing then this certainly could be your thing.

There are many specialist schools, but the most well known ones such as Laine Theatre Arts and the Brit School, which features alumni of Amy Winehouse and Jessie J, can be extremely difficult to get into, as well as costly.

If you would like to carry on learning but also want to enter the world of work as opposed to school, then an apprenticeship may be the right pathway for you.

Apprenticeships offer training for a particular job, alongside studying for an associated qualification. You get paid as you learn! Apprenticeships can be a great choice if you have a particular job sector or career in mind, and can often lead to a full-time job upon the completion of your training.

Linked closely to vocational qualifications are studio and tech schools. These are a relatively new concept in education and designed to prepare you with important work related skills as well as knowledge.

They operate as more of a work environment as opposed to that of a school or college, by typically running from 9-5. This can be a great avenue for you if you prefer a more hands on approach to learning.

Increasingly vocational courses are being offered in schools as recognition that not everybody wishes to do A-Levels – but the type of vocational courses offered at technical schools and colleges are still usually more varied.

Unlike A-Levels, vocational courses incorporate more practical elements as opposed to theory-based learning. Vocational qualifications can be useful if you have a certain job sector in mind, as they can provide valuable work experience in these roles through the practical elements.

Courses can include hairdressing, plumbing and veterinary assistant, with vocational subjects ranging from Health and Social Care to engineering.

When reaching level 3, these qualifications are considered the same level as A-Levels and can be considered as adequate entry requirements for higher education.

A-Levels can certainly be a good choice in Post-16 education, particularly if you are looking at the future pathway of university. However, A-Levels are not exclusively useful for this. They can be highly attractive to potential employers and give you the edge over someone who does not have these extra qualifications.

Subjects are also vast, with standard extensions of the core curriculum subjects, to those more obscure such as Government and Politics or Law. There are even A-Levels in the more creative subjects such as Art, Music and Drama.

A-Levels can be taken either at a sixth form or college, so if your school also has a sixth form you may want to stay where you are familiar, or if you fancy a change, a different sixth form or college may be the option for you.

If you find it difficult to obtain part-time work, then it is never too early to embrace your entrepreneurial spirit. Hand car washes, gardening and car-boot sales can be a great way to get both experience of working environments, as well as extra money in your pocket!

School is the best time to undertake extra-curricular activities that can help you build upon your existing skills. Schools offer a whole host of awards, sports clubs, societies and volunterring opportunities. Whether this means becoming a sports leader, a school prefect or captain of the football team, this can improve your ability to work with and talk to others in addition to getting you those added qualifications for your CV. Leadership awards are particularly beneficial as they show initiative and ability to lead, so a sports leader award or the duke of Edinburgh award are great ways to boost your employability at a young age.

This is the perfect time to get your first job, whether it is a weekend job, an evening job or perhaps even a morning paper round. Your first job is essential in building those crucial work skills so the earlier you start, the more skills you are likely to gain. This can help increase your confidence, particularly if the role is in customer services. Also, a part-time job will give you that little bit of extra money which can help you gain independence.

Bagging the dream graduate job can be difficult and can take time, with both graduate jobs and schemes being extremely competitive (this is where there voluntary work experience discussed earlier can set you apart from other applicants).

Graduate jobs can be a great path as they often have higher salaries than entry levels jobs, which can add to this competitiveness. On the other hand, graduate schemes can offer even higher salaries and perks, sometimes even company cars and incorporate training and often exams to propel you towards being a manager of the future.

Internships are temporary positions for recent graduates to gain experience within an organisation, usually lasting from 6 months to a year. Internships can be in a range of sectors and can look great on a C.V as they demonstrate working in that particular sector. Some internships are even paid, but like graduate schemes, these opportunities can be highly competitive. However, some internship employers may cover travel and expenses for unpaid internships which should not be ignored due to the experience they can bring and the possibility of a job arising from them.

A further option, should the thought of leaving university be too much for you is to return at postgraduate level! However, this should not be your sole reason for embarking on this additional study.
Postgraduate study is hard and expensive work, so you should really only be taking this option if you have a passion for your subject and wish to learn more or because you require the extra qualification to enable you to enter the career of your choice. Nevertheless, a Masters qualification is highly desirable for potential employers and can even further enhance your prospects for the future.

This can also be a great stage of your career to embrace your inner entrepreneurial spirit! Use the experience and knowledge you have gained over the years, be it from school, college, university or your job to break away and start your own company or service!