what to think about if you're in y12

So, you're settled into the swing of sixth form. In the not so distant future is Christmas and your next proper break. Sadly, that’s not all the future holds: the future’s creeping up on you like a scary clown. The difference is your future's not a goofy fourteen-year-old in Joker face paint.

No your future is very real but it doesn't have to be scary. As long as you start to think about exactly what it is YOU WANT from your future, you can start planning now on how you can achieve that.

Maybe you've already got a career in mind, but you don't know what you need to do to get there. Perhaps you know what subject you love, but don't know what kind of job it can lead to.

Well think about the skills you already have and how this might relate to what you want to do. Research the best routes into this that work for you. Maybe it's university, maybe it's a school leaver scheme or maybe it's an apprenticeship. Maybe it's a mixture of these. With new routes such as degree apprenticeships available there's bound to be a way that works for you and the skills you already have.

A lot of job roles have multiple ways into them in order to attract people with all sorts of different skills regardless if they came from a university or have built their skills up in a company instead so take a look if this something that your dream career allows. Of course if it is something like a Doctor, this may not be the case.

If university may be the option, one idea is to take a peek at our friends over at Discover Uni — which is the closest thing you will find to a university road map.

If you're further down the road and you're already looking at universities, then the choice can be brain-freezing. With over 140 different universities offering thousands of different degrees, it's difficult to know where to start, or what to look for. Remember: every uni is different, and just like you and your mates aren't exactly the same, the right uni won't be the same for both of you either.

Author

ARON TENNANT is  the Talks and Editorial manager 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.