If you’ve read around our site, dipped your toes into our blog posts or attended any of our live sessions, you’ll know we like to harp on about the importance of soft skills.
And that’s because they’re important! They’re a huge slice of the pizza that makes you a rounded person, and they’re exactly what employers are looking for. They’ll help you in all walks of life, from careers to relationship building and hobbies. They are what make you malleable and adaptable, and can help you shine no matter the task or situation, or whether you’ve been exposed to it before. One of the most important career-driven reasons for being adaptable and having strong soft skills is that the future is hurtling towards us at breakneck speed - we’re already moving into a world of AI, VR, driverless cars and space tourism. Just imagine what the next twenty years might hold?
0 Comments
One of the biggest steps when you’re leaving home to go to university is deciding what to take with you. You may find you need to go out and buy a load of new items for your new life! It can feel overwhelming when you’re moving away from home for an extended period of time but there’s definitely no need to panic. With careful planning, you can make sure you’ve got all the essential items you need for your new life! Our ultimate university packing list is here to get you started.
In the world we live in, it’s increasingly more valuable to be as internationally minded as you possibly can.
And no, we don’t mean that you should be mixing up your weekly tikka masala order, and would be better off getting the occasional Chinese or Italian takeaway instead. Being internationally minded - where you’re open to different cultural behaviours and attitudes, and can embrace new ideas from beyond your bubble - is a crucial and invaluable attribute. If you asked a handful of under-10s what they want to be when they grow up, chances are at least one of them is going to say astronaut. You might get a few more who’d come out with YouTube slime reviewer or professional Fortnite dancer, but space explorer is a timeless classic.
We’d be lying if we said it doesn’t still sound like one of the coolest careers out there. But out of everyone who’s ever dreamed of piloting their own rocket, how many people actually ever wind up with the elusive job? Not many – but maybe not for the reasons you might expect. We speak to hundreds, if not thousands of young people every year who start off thinking they have nothing exciting to write about themselves. No excitement factor that might make them stand out from the crowd in a CV for a job, or a uni personal statement.
How wrong they are. Even if you’re not an Olympic medallist, a young Einstein, or the world-record holder for number of bubbles blown with a tarantula in your mouth, you can paint your years of experience in a way to make sure anyone hearing about them is left wanting more. A great place to start? A part-time job. If your plans don't involve uni visits and UCAS forms, there's still loads to do over the Summer to make yourself more employable.
If you don't have any work experience, it can be tough to get your first permanent job. But summer jobs, well, they're easier to get and then, ta-da, you've banked some experience and some cash for later. Studying abroad isn’t for everyone.
For one? It ain’t cheap. There are lots of options to help with the cost, but one way or another you’ll have to be saving your pennies in the summer up to your time away. You’ll really regret it if you don’t. It’s also not easy, and requires a lot of dedication. The process is a little smoother if you want to study in Europe, but places like North America and Asia have strict visa regulations, and that almost certainly means making the trek to London to visit an embassy. Not much fun, there. If you’re anything like the rest of us, it’s not a stretch to say you’ve probably sat around at some point thinking – what makes me unique? How do I stand out from the crowd? These existential questions particularly rear their ugly heads when you’re faced with a personal statement for college or uni, or a cover letter for a job.
And it’s tough. Everyone’s their own biggest critic, but when it comes to singing your own praises, especially as to why you’re a better choice than anyone else, it can feel like an impossible task. Yeah, we know you’re all pretty amazing. But to really stand out from the crowd of other applicants for a job or course, you need to have something else on offer besides the same GCSEs, A-Levels or degree as everyone else you’re up against. We're sure over the past year you’ve heard the abbreviation VR thrown about at just about any announcement of a new tech device. VR stands for Virtual Reality and it’s starting to creep into our lives whether you want it to or not. Now the question is, will virtual reality change how we gain soft skills?
You may want to just get a job right out of school or college.
If your main motivation right now in life is money, then go for it. You'll need to hunt out employers in your area, and there are plenty of job-hunting websites you can do this on. If, however, you want those deeper rewards like respect, creativity, helping people, a love of learning, a feeling of self-worth by working alongside an inspiring person who can help you learn a specific skill or craft, then just rushing into any old job at 18 just for a quick pay packet won't be your best bet. Really don't know what you want to do? Panic not, young Padawan. Life's not a journey on the underground, it's a road trip. It's never just about the destination.
Have a loose idea of where you're going, but enjoy the journey each day. That's much more important in the long run. Remember, your journey has already started. Here's Push speaker Moj Taylor's tips on continuing it in the best way. No idea what to do next? Here's a word from Push speaker Moj Taylor, on the beauty of the unplanned road trip.
"When I was in sixth form, apart from myself and my best friends, it felt like everyone else around me had a good idea of the type of job they wanted to do. So you're thinking of heading across the pond for uni? You wouldn't be the first – many have been drawn in by the glitz and the glam of Hollywood, bright lights of the city that never sleeps, the beaches, deserts, snowy mountains and just about everything in between.
And it's far from impossible to study your undergrad degree in the US, but it's not easy. And it's definitely not cheap. It’s a marathon, not a sprint
Think of life as a marathon. You’re running along a path that leads to the things you’d like, at the times you’d like them. You can stop at any time, rest and reassess your route, and you can use those running ahead of you to inspire you. Just like any race, you’ll see people ahead of you and others behind you. There’ll even be people running right alongside you, perhaps on the exact path you’re on Been canoeing on a school trip and didn't hate it? Got a pretty strong stomach and some sea legs on you? Studied Arts, Languages, Humanities? You might not have thought it, but the Royal Navy could be for you.
Push are always up for introducing you to new ideas and opportunities, and a Navy grad job is as good as any. Apply to become a Royal Navy Officer and you'll get not only a whopping starter salary of £25,000, but private dental care and the chance to travel the world. And that's just the start. A career with the Navy can develop you into a highly skilled manager, and will support you through further MA study if that's something you're interested in. You don't have to worry about your undergraduate degree being unsuitable either, because the scope of backgrounds they hire grads from is as wide as the horizon you'll be chasing. There are 19 different grad roles to choose from, and these fall under:
...and these range from Aircrew Officer Pilot to Logistics Officer Submariner to Royal Marines Officer to Naval Nurse. Go have a look at their job descriptions – there are more options than you can shake a submarine at. If you're looking for a career that pays well, offers extensive training from the get-go, will support your academic and career development at every turn and offers you lifelong friendships, you could do a lot worse than this. Have a look at their website and don't hesitate to get in touch with them if you have any questions – if you're physically fit, pride yourself on your leadership skills, have 5 GCSEs at A-C, 180 UCAS points and a relevant degree (or equivalent) this might be right up your street. And hey, the best of us aren't the Olympians we'd like to be. If this sounds pretty great but you're not sure you could hack the physical side, they have some great training plans to get you fighting fit. International travel, free postgraduate tuition and a six-pack. Who could say no to that? |
This section will not be visible in live published website. Below are your current settings: Current Number Of Columns are = 1 Expand Posts Area = Gap/Space Between Posts = 15px Blog Post Style = card Use of custom card colors instead of default colors = Blog Post Card Background Color = current color Blog Post Card Shadow Color = current color Blog Post Card Border Color = current color Publish the website and visit your blog page to see the results Categories
All
We're always interested to hear from talented young writers, so if you'd like to feature as a guest author then hit us up for more details.
|