Apprenticeship or university?
All planned out? Take at look at the previous page for ways to map out and chart pathways to the decision. (Sometimes it's also a good idea to 'sleep on it' if making a choice is proving difficult.) If the answers to those questions, and more, weigh heavily in one direction or another, then you might be close to a decision... either way, you will still benefit a great deal from the advice within the pages of Options. So read on before drawing any conclusions, as you will find a lot of useful information on both university and apprenticeships in the following chapters.
Further information Other vital platforms are the events – What University? & What Career? Live – held across the UK throughout the year. With hundreds of opportunities, plus advice theatres, panels and clinics for both parents and school leavers, these are an essential part of your journey. In the meantime, check out
whatcareerlive.co.uk – where you’ll find plenty of information and tips on how to help prepare for the next step. l
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Gaining the smallest amount of real-life experience from even a Saturday job cannot be underestimated in terms of useful skills it will transfer
long term, and both your ultimate fantasy goals and perhaps some more realistic aims!
Remember, though, this isn’t an application form, so it needn’t be a document that only highlights all your fantastic achievements… the aim here is to take into account what will suit your personality and ambitions as well as other circumstances.
'Pros and cons' This good old standby is a very effective method of weighing the
good and bad in black and white! So, if it’s a close-run thing between choosing whether to go to university or to enter the workplace, make a list for each option, with pros and cons entered. The results could be revealing!
Spider diagrams You might have used these as a revision or essay planning aid, they're a useful tool for plotting out all the areas that will be affected by your decision and how important each one is. Start off with the most important factor in the middle –
whether it's making (or not spending too much) money, getting into a profession you're interested in or passion for a subject. As you do this, other, smaller elements will begin to spin out. Sometimes, factors that are quite important to the decision-making process, that you may not have previously considered, will emerge.
Plan B (and C and D) It’s also a good idea to have some realistic backup options in place (and how to reach these), as well as charting the route to Plan A.
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