first in your family to go to university? don't worry

As we like to say at Push, higher education isn’t for everyone. Different people have different strengths and this means different routes to their ideal careers.

Neither of my parents took academic routes into their jobs; In fact I was the very first member of my family to go to university. This may be the same for you and I agree, at first it may seem quite daunting, but you shouldn’t worry...

Even though your parents won’t know or understand everything about the university process they can help in different areas. The soft (transferable)skills they’ve gained throughout their lives (their careers, dealing with good and bad experiences in life, bridging the gap from school to a job) is something they can share with you if you're willing to ask them. These skills will better equip you for what lies ahead so don’t disregard them. Ask them for tips on writing a cover letter, tips in interviews, living independently and even how to deal with stress. These are all skills that everyone has, regardless of if they chose university as an option or not.

As I said initially the thought of having nobody in your direct family to ask questions to might seem daunting, it did to me initially, but I realised quickly it doesn’t have to be.

We live in an era where information is available to us from the palm of our hands. Quite literally our phones. All the information you could ever need is available on the internet, all it takes is the initiative to look. For help with courses and applications theres places like UCAS, the complete university guide, Which?Uni and of course our lovely student zone here at Push has lots of helpful blogs, advice videos and articles to help you on your journey into higher education - whether that's at a university or a college.

Another reason to not feel daunted is that there is only really one person you should go to for a decision on your future and that’s you. Your friends may be taking different routes. Mine for example went to apprenticeships or straight to work because university wasn’t for them and they’re all doing brilliantly now, earning great money. However I knew this route wouldn’t be right for me personally and opted for university. It’s very important you don’t just follow the crowd, as it were, and take the time to work out what is best for you.

Again there’s only really you who knows what you enjoy doing, what you’re confident in doing and where your skills and talents lie and your instincts are definitely the way you should go.

So while not having parents who are able to answer all your questions may seem scary, it’s not something you should be worried about. Breathe. All this information is available to you, you just have to go out and find it and remember that nobody can tell you what your future is, that’s down to you to shape.

So trust yourself above all others. If you do that you’ll be able to get started on the route you need to be on for your dream career...so you can do what you love and love what you do each day.

Author

ARON TENNANT is one of the Talks and Editorial managers for Push. He is originally from South Yorkshire and has a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Sheffield. He also has an MA in Creative Play and Screenwriting from City, University of London and came runner up in Nickelodeon's international screenwriting competition in 2018. Alongside Push he does screenplay work for independent production companies and is working on his own independent film projects.