My answer changed month by month, much to the amusement of my family. From Vet, Dentist, Airline Pilot to Prime Minister, Zoo Keeper and even Spacewoman, my ambitions were always high! Never in a million years did I think that I’d be doing a Marketing Apprenticeship, but here I am. I’m sure that right now you’re in the same position that I was just 7 months ago, so although you may be looking at all your options, really, University is still at the top of your list. If that doesn’t work out then you’ll just go on a gap year with one of your friends, and reapply next year – that was my second option anyway. To be honest with you, your options in life are endless.
In reality, if you have enough ambition you will get your dream job, it’s just a question of where you’ll be working and how old you’ll be when you get there. At the moment, you’re probably either finishing your GCSE’s or A-Levels and have been plonked at a crossroads. Do I go to University? Maybe I should do a gap year to give me a break from education? An apprenticeship might be the best option for me? I’ll just wait until I get some inspiration, something will come round the corner… All of these options have their benefits, and I can guarantee you that you and your best friend will dream about where your gap year will take you, you’ll go to University open days, probably apply for a few apprenticeships while still hoping that there’s the possibility that you can just sofa surf for the rest of your life.
The plan for my future changed monthly, but I’m so happy I didn’t follow the crowd – I made a more educated choice at the end of the day.
I’m going to start with the obvious choice – University
Everyone applies to University – there’s no doubt about it. Whether you’re at Sixth Form or College, you’ll probably be made to make an application through UCAS – and pay for it! £24 – what a cheek, as if University isn’t expensive enough as it is? You’ll drag your parents to a few open days, probably taking them hundreds of miles across the country in the process. They’ll definitely be a force behind your decision to go to University, I definitely wanted to make my parents proud and get offered a place by a prestigious University, and I did – University of Bath. I was going to study Psychology and at the time, Bath was higher than Oxbridge on the league tables, so I was so happy with the offer.
On results day, I found out I missed the offer by two marks on one of my papers! I was so in love with the University I didn’t want to go through clearing, I didn’t want all of that extra stress. Throughout the process I didn’t know where a psychology degree would take me, so I started to look more seriously into my other options after that. All of my close friends have gone to university and are scattered across the country, and they are all enjoying their experience so much, and as much as I hate to admit it, I am jealous! They are learning a lot, making life long friends and living independently for the first time in their lives – what’s not to love? Other than the paperwork, the expense, the stress and not knowing where it will actually take you…
One of my friends, who started University 6 months ago already wishes she had gone down the apprenticeship route, after reading Laura’s Story. Don’t get me wrong, she doesn’t regret her choice, but she wishes she had looked more deeply into her other options at a younger age. I wouldn’t want to put anybody off of University, as the experience is unlike any other, and what you learn is second to none. I think you just need to be 100% clear that you know where your degree will take you and you’re confident it’s worth the cost. If you want to go to University, the easiest way to apply and track your application is with UCAS.
Now let’s talk about everybody’s dream – A Gap Year
Even thinking about it, makes me want to drop everything and travel across the world! My best friend and I had planned where we’d go on a gap year if we didn’t get into the Universities we wanted, and it sounded amazing. We were going to go to Thailand, China, India, Bali and even Cambodia – anywhere and everywhere. If you want to go on a gap year, unless you have a lot of savings, you’ll probably have to spend about 6 months working solid hours to try and get enough money to afford to go where you want and make the most of your time travelling. But once you’re out there, pfft, you’ll probably never want to come home.
A friend of mine is planning on travelling in a months time, as a bit of a break before starting her University degree – architecture which is likely to take around 7 years! Everyone needs a break of education before starting on that! Now, I’m sure you’re thinking – what on earth happened with you and your friend not to go on the wildest of adventures? Neither of us got into the Unis we wanted, she ended up going to her second option, mainly due to her parents pressure and I’ve got my apprenticeship.
Although she hasn’t had the option to travel yet, and probably won’t with the debt that she’ll end up getting (I’m not bitter) I have had the opportunity and continue to travel as much as I can. However, I broke the rule – mates before dates! My boyfriend and I have gone on a number of city breaks, which have been absolutely amazing, read more about affordable city breaks. We’re also planning on going to Reykjavik, spending three weeks in Thailand next Summer and interrailing across Italy – we just don’t have enough holiday to do everything we want... On the plus side our apprenticeships have given us the money to be able to afford travel wherever we want.
What about where the money is – Apprenticeships
One of the biggest stats out there at the moment, is that apprentices can earn £150,000 more in their lifetime than their peers.
How amazing is that? That’s enough to buy you the Worlds First Commercial JetPack! Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to earn the same qualifications as peers at College or University, whilst getting experience in the workplace and earning a wage. It is the whole shebang. I never really considered apprenticeships at the end of my GCSEs – even then I thought they were just for engineers, plumbers and hair and beauty. It wasn’t until my boyfriend got his apprenticeship and I could see the benefits he was getting from it, that I looked into them further. These days you can get apprenticeships in everything. In the apprenticeship that I am now in, I have had the opportunity to go to events across the country, including one hosted by the BBC earlier in the year. Organisations as big as the BBC offer apprenticeships in lots of different sectors – from business management, journalism to law. Opportunities are everywhere, you’ve just got to search, some companies, such as the BBC only post their vacancies on their website for example.
In my marketing apprenticeship, I have had so many opportunities and have learnt so much. Before starting my apprenticeship, I didn’t know how Adobe Packages like Photoshop and InDesign worked, and now I use them daily with confidence and have even used packages such as AfterEffects to edit training videos that our customers rely on. On my first day, I was even let loose on the company’s social pages, making my own graphics to use alongside tweets that I put out to hundreds of our followers! I’ve even had to copy write for magazines that we have had sections in that have gone to every school in the country… Even still, there is a lot of stigma that comes from doing an apprenticeship, it’s harsh but you need to face the facts. People think you’ll be cheap labour, making cups of tea and not progressing in your career. Unfortunately, some people do have experiences like that, but that is so rare nowadays. In reality, what you learn on an apprenticeship, graduates won’t learn until they get their first job – I’m learning things that a graduate in the same team as me is learning. But I’m only 19!
You can read experiences from real people in all sorts of industries on Apprenticeship Stories.
What if I don’t know what I want to do yet?
A lot of people will be embarrassed to say that they don’t know what they want to do, but they are the vast majority of people. It’s better to get a part time job while you’re thinking about your options rather than spend thousands of pounds for a year at University that you regret! It’s important to make sure that you keep your options open, don’t close one door. It is completely understandable that you’re going to be stuck at that crossroads to your future for some time, it does take time for you to truly know what you want to do after GCSEs or A-Levels. So you need to make sure that you make your choice wisely, and are clear about the positives and negatives about all of your options.
I’ve just got one tip for you – do what you want to do, for you, make your own choices. Don’t be a sheep, be a wolf.
Forge your own future, the option you think makes sense now may in fact be the entirely wrong option for you.
