cant decide on what career i would like?

Question

i am in yr 9 and i will be choosing my options soon, but i dont know what i would like to be (as in career). My parents have high expectations of me but i dont want to be a dentist and i cant be a doctor because im not good at science although im good in math and english do you have any ideas for a career that pays well and that woudn't dissapoint my parents.

thank you for the answers so far, but im looking for jobs that pay well that i may not be aware of that i could do with my abilities e.g im good at math and english

Answer 1

Do what you want its your life!
You are still young dont limit yourself im sure you could be anything you wanted. Do somthing you enjoy doing.
Im sure your parents just want you to be healthy and happy anyway.

Answer 2

I'm 19 now and have only just decided what path I want to take. After college I was lucky enough to take a gap year in the field I was planning on entering and that showed me what sort of career I would like, so work experience always helps. (I'm now entering into a completely different Field of work!)

As for year 9 options, don't worry about it too much, do what you think you will enjoy. It's A-Levels that you need to put the real thought into. (I haven't been able to do my first subject choice at uni because I had the 'wrong' A levels) If you roughly know what career path you may take, Artistic, technical, scientific, mechanical etc... then choose your options around useful subjects, but the choice of GCSE's you do are not important, it's the grades at the end that are! You've got two years to decide what to do after school - use every resource your school has whilst you can! I've put a couple of good links below that I found useful:

http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/ - somewhere on this site is a database of careers, I also found the connexions service very useful http://www.connexions.gov.uk/

At the end of the day, do what you think you will enjoy, after school you could go to college to do A-levels, an apprenticeship or learn a trade, whilst at college you may decide uni is for you and you want to try a specific career. Connexions are brilliant for helping you think through the various options you have as well.

Answer 3

Are your parents pressuring you into leaving school and going straight to university? It might be a good idea to discuss this with them, as you are very young to be making such life changing decisions. Maybe it would be a good idea to get your a levels etc then take a year out to decide what you want to do. As long as you get good grades then the options open to you are very wide, and there are so many subjects you can study that you probably haven't even heard of yet. I left school with good highers, but had no idea what I wanted to do. I started uni at 24, am in my 2nd year now, and having a great time. I know for a fact that had I gone to uni at 17 or 18 I would not have been doing the right course, probably would have screwed it up. But having the time to decide what I really wanted to to, and the maturity to go to classes and get the work don without being told to, I am doing really well and am happy with my choice. Try to speak to your parents and convince them to give you the time you need to decide what issues you really care about and find a subject that you are really interested in. Don't just choose any old thing and go for it - if you are not fully interested it won't work. As for getting ideas, start off by thinking about the issues in life that are important to you and the things you enjoy doing. Look at lists of courses and see if anything fits in with your interests - take your time and choose something that is important to you as a person, not just because it will 'do'.

Answer 4

What choices do you have to make yet? As I remember it, in year 9 we only had to choose between a language (if its french or german, german might be a better language- if uglier- because its an international business language) and then choose between history or geography.

At this age, none of these decisions will have a massive affect on future careers!! You still have AGES before it even becomes vaguely important!

However: choose what you enjoy and are good at!! It means you will perform better because you enjoy it. As a rule, most parents have high hopes for their children but deep down just want to see them happy.

They also dont want them to have to struggle financially so hope (and maybe push!) the child chooses a wellpaid career.... but at the end of the day, a job you enjoy thats poorly paid is a million times better than one that pays VERY well but sucks the soul out of you!

Keep working at school- forget the subjects specifically and just have fun. At, what, 14 (?) you do NOT have to decide what you want to do with your life!! I always went with what i enjoyed, had a ball, made life long friends and explained to my parents that i'd rather be happy with less money than rich and sad....

Good luck and dont worry too much, you have plenty of time to do that when you're much older!

And to finish: good grades in ANY subject demonstrates skills that can be applied to ANYTHING. It shows you can apply yourself to a subject and do it to the bet of your ability..... Most subjects require communication (of ideas), analysis (of evidence, be it historical or scientific) etc etc

Answer 5

I'm a decade further on, doing an MA, and I still get asked what I'm going to do when I grow up. If you can't think of anything right now, so? But bear in mind that a great pay doesn't equal great happiness. Think about what really gets your interest (music, horses, cars, whatever) and look for jobs where you can do that. You're more likely to do well in a job you like, even if the pay isn't spectacular, and since your job is where you'll be spending the majority of your life, it'd be pretty crap if you just chose it for the pay and then hated every second of it.

Answer 6

k first off take a chill pill you do not have to decide yet im a high school graduate i just graduated in june yes i have my major decided but i decided a month before graduating most people actually change their minds while in college and a lot of people start college undecided and then take the first year of the requirements basic math science english etc that everyone takes and then decide where to go from there transfer to another school or if they still dont know they go off into a couple of subjects at once your what like 16 its too soon to say "im 100% going to be a _____" relax you still have time meanwhile try to think about what you see yourself doing 5 yrs down the road what jobs will be available and what wont will change from what it is right now so think ahead dont go into something where the job opportunities are fading from for know make sure you just keep your grades up and do sports and clubs to make yourself look better for colleges

Answer 7

You are in yr 9 - you can't possibly make this kind of decision at this stage of your life. I changed my mind countless times whilst at University. I bet your parents understand this - but they just want to see that you are committed to your studies and are at least thinking about the future. The only real advice I can give you is to take the subjects you really enjoy and in which you do best. The rest will follow on from that. Try not to be so career focused right now - focus more on where your heart and passion lies. Good luck.

Answer 8

Do not choose a career based on what your parents want. You will never be happy. Do you want to spend your life making choices based on what others want of you or of what you want for yourself?? You will not enjoy your career if you aren't doing what you love. Sometimes it takes awhile to decide, but it will come. I changed my major in college from Psychology to English after realizing English is what I really love even though it might be harder to find a job, and definitely wouldn't pay as highly. You might want to see a guidance counselor or take some career aptitude tests to get ideas. Good luck!

Answer 9

Pay may be important, but it isn't everything - you spend most of your life at work, so you need to enjoy it.

Ask yourself what you enjoy. Are you good at making things? Are you artistic? Are you really sure that your English is good? (Read your question again!) Do you have a head for business?

I am an engineer and I still love my job after 40 years - I like making things, designing things, writing about things, using my creativity, solving problems.

Don't think just about 'glamour' jobs shown on telly - they are not a realistic portrayal, just a dramatisation. Ask your uncles and older family friends. They probably know more about you than you realise.

Answer 10

If you're good at English and Maths and you want a highly paid job, how about being an estate agent, banker, solictor. But at the end of the day it's up to you, not me, ur parents or anybody else so do what you want to do and i'm sure this sounds cheesy but your parents won't be disappointed with you.

Answer 11

If your primary objective is making your parents happy, then you're not living your life for YOU. Only you know what career you would like, and whether it makes your parents proud is more of a reflection on them than on you. You have to live your life your way - that's the biggest part of being an adult - and if they're decent parents, they'll be happy as long as you're happy, and proud of you no matter what you choose to do. If they're not, then you have to be firm with them (and yourself) and do what you want to do. You don't live your life for your parents, and you have to cut the apron strings at some stage. Once you're at University everything will change (believe me!) and you'll learn independence, you'll find out who you are on your own terms, not in their eyes, and you'll grow up fast. If they can't accept your choice of direction in life, you can't just change it for them - you need to make your own decisions, no matter what reasons they give you for doing what they want. At this stage of your life, you have to show them that your decisions are non-negotiable. They'll come round eventually, if they care about you. Your criteria for deciding on your career shouldn't include making them happy. Talk to your careers advisor about it. They'll be able to help - it's their job to help people in your position!

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you the best of luck, and hope that you make your career choice for yourself, not for others.