Blog: Your Future, Your Choice
If you think back over the last two years, how many times have parents, teachers, uncles, aunts, friends, grandparents, great-grandparents, the neighbours, the neighbours’ cat, asked: what are you going to do now?
Oh, if you had a penny for every time you’d been asked about what the future holds… Sixth-form or College? A-levels or an Apprenticeship? Cats or dogs? Coffee or tea?
It all gets a bit confusing…
In the midst of all this confusion, the good news is that it is YOUR choice to make.
So… How do you choose between cats and dogs, coffee and tea, Sixth-form and College? Let’s find out…
What can we learn from The Backstreet Boys?
Throughout your everyday life you are constantly making choices. Some choices are small and easy, like deciding what to eat or what music to listen to. Others take a bit more time, like which shoes to buy or what to watch on Netflix.
When it comes to preference it is difficult to say why we choose spaghetti bolognese over beans on toast, Lewis Capaldi over The Arctic Monkeys or the new Air Forces over Converse. All we know, is what the Backstreet Boys taught us: I want it that way. If you don’t know who the Backstreet Boys are… that’s your first piece of homework!
So when it comes to your future, what are your preferences? What way do you want it? To help you answer this, try writing down a list of things that you enjoy doing and ways that you like doing these things – Do you like to work with others in groups or would you rather explore your own mind and work alone? Do you enjoy being creative with clothes, music or food? Does the idea of working with technology and machinery excite you?
The answers to these questions tend to take a bit of time for most of us to answer. So don’t panic and if you find yourself stuck, try to ask yourself: what sort of things excite you to learn more about? Here it is also key to ask yourself, how do I want to learn? Do you learn best by being told how to do something, shown how to do something or reading how to do something?
Looking at what gives you joy, and what environment is best for your interests, can help you unlock your dream future. If you need help finding the answers to these questions, we have a designated team ready to guide you and help you find your best fit.
The Mystical Researcher
Once you know what sort of things interest you and how you like to engage with these interests, the hardest part of your future choice is done. Now you need to let your interests guide you.
As mystical as that sounds, it’s actually very easy. By finding out what careers are connected to your interests, you can start to build a few different paths and see which one excites you the most. Here it is important to talk to individuals who work in the career you’re interested in. The simplest way to do this is to go onto a company website and reach out via email or phone them up for a quick chat – you’d be surprised by how much people love talking about their careers.
The lessons which can be learnt from doing your research and talking to experts from fields that interest you could help you ensure that it’s the right course for you, or steer you in a different direction.
Learning from our experts
Real-world expertise, having the chance to learn from experts and experienced professionals within your field may be an important factor before choosing your next steps after school. If you are interested in Arts, Graphic Design, Business, Childcare, Computing and Digital, Construction, Engineering, Motor Vehicle, Hair and Beauty or Sport, then you can not only learn from the experts, but actually work with them every day.
Technical courses at North Notts College, such as the ones listed above, combine theoretical learning with hands-on experience, taught by people who have worked in the real world within your interest area. Their knowledge and expertise will equip you with the skills and behaviours you need to succeed in your chosen career.
As well as being taught by experienced teachers, the environment at North Notts College is also often adapted to your interests and your future career path. These environments are designed to help prepare you for the future YOU want. By using industry-standard equipment you develop real-world skills within your chosen industry giving you the head start right from the moment you leave us.
If you want to find out more about our courses, or just have a general chat about YOUR choice of future, please feel free to call us on 01909 504500 or explore our full range of courses.