 It’s typically presumed that as soon as students have graduated and left their university life behind, they’re filled with excitement about what the ‘real world’ has in store for them. Yet, this isn’t the case for everyone. In fact, some new graduates find it extremely difficult to contemplate their life without the structured education they have always known and are anxious about what comes next.
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 “Our choices and responses are our only responsibility. Choice is the discipline that makes the garden of our lives bloom.” - Stephen Hanselman
The idea of jobs can be depressing, especially with news about the rising age of retirement – the idea that we have to spend the next fifty years (and the prime of our lives) working for other people. Unfortunately, unless you win the lottery - and any Push fans will know how likely that is to happen, we’ve got to work.  Inspirational posters.
You know the type I mean; an ultra-high definition picture of some mist-wreathed mountain peaks, or suspiciously attractive people laughing on a golden beach that’s just out of focus. The text is overlaid in a nice soft font; something like “Happiness comes from within.” It’s easy to look at such a poster, dismiss it as cliched nonsense, and go about your day. But often there’s some truth in these bland sayings. Happiness, or better - satisfaction and contentment - does come from within, and we’re in danger of forgetting that.  Push would like to introduce the not-for-profit organisation, Future Frontline. We strive to give you as much relevant information as possible, be that through us or another extremely useful resource. Future Frontline is one of those resources. Check out their website, or search for ‘Future Frontlines’ in Spotify, Apple podcasts and Google podcasts.
 Happy New Year! 2021, maybe a time to finish that UCAS if you haven’t already and hopefully start receiving some offers. If you haven’t received any, don’t worry, there’s some tips for that later on in the blog. I’ll also talk a bit about the very recent situation, which has caused quite a bit of confusion, the cancellation of GCSEs and A-Levels.
The likelihood is that your uni application is done and dusted. In which case… well done! The UCAS process is hard work, let alone doing it during a global pandemic. Put on top of that all the frustrations caused by multiple lockdowns and you’ve definitely got something to be proud of. I’m sure you get told time and time again, but it has been a mentally and emotionally challenging time so being proud of what you have achieved so far, however small, is the least you can do for yourself. Yes, Shakespeare wrote an entire play during his lockdown in the plague, but, unfortunately, we can’t all be a world famous playwright… so writing a personal statement and sending it off to universities is a perfectly good achievement.  Covid casts a long shadow over lives. As we are discovering, the condition can persist for months or, as we may yet discover, possibly years. It also casts a shadow of grief over those who have lost – or will lose – those they love. But even those who, thankfully, have never been infected may yet find their lives have been blighted for years or even decades by this pandemic’s other long-term wasting effects.
The labour market has rarely looked worse for young people and emerging from education into a recession can handicap a whole career. At first there are no jobs and, by the time there are, there’s another generation coming into bloom, fresh out of school or university, unwilted by months or years of unemployment.  You'd be forgiven for thinking that with around a year to go until your first application deadline looms, you've got time to perfect your Beyonce dance routine. While this is a perfectly legitimate leisure activity and will look fierce when you whip it out at parties, choosing a uni is much easier if you take the time to do it right
 If you’re thinking of going to uni in September 2021 but you haven’t thought about which unis you're going to apply to yet: You’d better level up and get going.
You’ve got until mid-January to complete your application for most courses, but Oxbridge, medicine and veterinary courses have deadlines that are less than a month away (October 15th).  "The standard of the delivery (online) was excellent...pass on my regards and thanks to @AronTennant @mojtaylor. It was definitely useful and I think it will have hit on a number of different levels from being informative of what opportunities they have around them to a more personal level of who they are and can be. It was a pleasure to be part of." - Mike, Bedlington School
Are you heading to university? I'm sure you have a few questions about what awaits you... Push has been flexing our broadband muscles (it's either that or real running) with a host of interactive online sessions for students, over summer term - to 1,000s of young people across the UK. If you missed out, then chill (we mean it, it's baking out there). We've selected some of the most interesting (and useful) questions we've been asked by year 11-13s, regarding the HE Experience...  "The standard of the delivery (online) was excellent...pass on my regards and thanks to @AronTennant @mojtaylor. It was definitely useful and I think it will have hit on a number of different levels from being informative of what opportunities they have around them to a more personal level of who they are and can be. It was a pleasure to be part of." - Mike, Bedlington School
Are you thinking of doing a degree? Well the summer is a great time begin researching courses and universities. Push has been flexing our broadband muscles (it's either that or real running) with a host of interactive online sessions for students, over summer term - to 1,000s of young people across the UK. If you missed out, then chill (we mean it, it's baking out there). We've selected some of the most interesting (and useful) questions we've been asked by year 11-13s, on applying for a degree...  Uni applications have now officially opened for 2021 entry. The virtual floodgates were raised on May 19th, but don’t worry, it always starts with a trickle.
The deadline is still a while away and you can’t actually submit your application until the 8th September at the earliest. But the dogs are now off the leash, the horses are out of the gates and the, erm, hamsters are out of the hutch.  At Push we’re all about making the right choice about your future.
Don’t forget there’s so many different options for you right now, arguably more than any generation before you. It’s all about sitting down to think, how you learn best and what it is you want from life. While some really specialised careers may have one particular pathway, such as obtaining a medical degree to become a doctor, it isn’t the case with a lot of careers now and some are opening their metaphorical doors to allow other routes into them that aren’t just university. For example the College of Policing is now offering Police Constable degree apprenticeships. Meaning you can now get a degree in professional policing practice while getting paid and receiving the practical on-the-job training for the role eradicating the need to get involved with any of that pesky student finance stuff. Fantastic!  You might have heard the Prince’s Trust’s name thrown about before, but who are they and what do they do?
According to their website, the Prince’s Trust is a charity set up by Prince Charles over 40 years ago with the mission ‘to help young people transform their lives by developing the confidence and skills to live, learn and earn.’. The charity helps school leavers and young people to develop their soft skills, get additional training and provides tips and resources on getting a job. For the budding entrepreneurs among us, they also offer training, mentoring and funding to help you start your own business.  Wherever you are on your journey, whether you’re in Year 11 and starting to think about what lies ahead or in Year 13 with big decisions knocking at your door, it can be difficult to know what’s the right path for you.
Especially when there are so many options. We’re talking work, apprenticeships, uni, degree apprenticeships, diplomas, gap year and travel, volunteering, internships… The list seems pretty endless, but that shouldn’t be a bad thing. There are so many different pathways out there that it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find something perfect for you.  If your plan for next year is university then you’re already submitted your application, right? If not, then get a move on. The UCAS deadline (January 15th) may be the official cut-off, but a lot of places will have been filled already. We know how fab you are, but that doesn’t mean the unis are holding a space specially for you. Get your application in before the end of this month.
 Think about it. In a world of self-service checkouts, virtual personal assistants, driverless cars and automated factories, job security is looking like a thing of the past.
Are you going to be spending years studying and training for a job that Wall-E will be doing by the time you’re thirty? The Guardian are a bit concerned that lecturers in financially struggling unis will soon be replaced by AI technology in digital classrooms. That’s not all, a BBC article back in June came out with the shocking statistic that, by 2030, 20 million factory jobs alone will have been taken over by robots.  Nothing is safe in the digital age, and recruitment is no exception. Gone are the days where employers rely solely on face-to-face traditional interviews.
Now you’ve got phone interviews, conference calls, Skype interviews, online or virtual aptitude tests and cognitive tasks. So, how do you prepare?  90% of apprentices in England stayed on in employment after completing their qualification; 71% with the same employer (so says the Government). That's great news, but if you're considering degree-level apprenticeships at a college or a university (yes really), you'll need to know the realities of them. In short, they are just like level 3 (advanced) apprenticeships: quality of skills on offer, healthy balance between course/work, wage paid and no guarantee of a full-time job at the end of the course.
There's 3 other factors that are huge, which the company funding the apprenticeship will rarely mention, particularly for apprenticeships at degree level: the brutal level of competition, the ease of access from you geographically, and most importantly of all: your genuine level of passion for what they offer (a mix of your curiosity, attitude, what you want from life, and your motivation).  Uni, uni, uni. Might seem like that’s all we (or anyone around you for that matter) are talking about right now is going to uni. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right answer.
There’s no one post-18 path to rule them all. Think apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships, work and jetsetting, for starters. We’re not saying you can blow the next three months on Netflix binges and house parties though. Put your hands in the air and step away from the aux.  Never heard of the Access to HE Diploma? It’s a Level 4 HND qualification specifically designed to help students who don’t have traditional qualifications like A Levels or Scottish Highers to get into university or other higher education.
 A paid contribution by our friends over at Stitch the creative clothing company offering innovative clothing for the made-to-order, retail and b2b markets. We think this is a useful and interesting article for all our readers and are happy to publish.
After completing my studies at university this year, I sat down to tackle what every new graduate dreads - applying for my first ‘real’ job and dusting off my CV. I began with the qualifications and previous work experience which I thought was the most relevant, and then moved onto extracurricular activities that demonstrated organisation and initiative - something all companies look for in an employee. This proved to be initially daunting, as the job in mind was for an account manager role at Stitch, a company that creates custom clothing. This role was new territory for me as my past work experience was predominantly practical creative work, and I feared I lacked too much in office practise to successfully apply for an administrative position.  A paid contribution by our friends over at Future Fit Training the leading training provider of Personal Trainers, Nutrition Advisers and Pilates Instructors in the UK. We think this is a useful and interesting article for all our readers and are happy to publish.
The numbers tell the story:
And with the demand for personal trainers and weight loss consultants outweighing the supply, there are plenty of opportunities out there for those looking to become a personal trainer.  So it seems like everyone and their mums are talking about uni, but what if that’s not for you?
Apprenticeships are a great route for those who prefer a little more flexibility and practical learning, but there are some common myths around them that might be putting people off.  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?  School and college is pretty heavy going. You start when you can barely walk or talk, then it’s full-throttle all the way until you hit 18, and are set free into the big bad world.
For lots of people, it makes sense and feels right to go straight into university once A-Levels or Highers are finished. For others, it doesn’t. And that’s just as groovy. Maybe uni is on the cards, or you fancy the idea of some sort of higher education in the future, but now’s the time to take a break and try something different. And why not? |
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