Ive retrained in 4 different career options and done 7 college based course, so i feel educated enough in the subject to be able to forward some advise based on my experience in the field.
Choosing A Career
Wheather you have just left school or want a change the same principles apply, A new career can mean years of study so its important to make the right decision. Different regions may present you with varying chances of success in different careers, this is influenced by the large companies that may reside in a locality. For example an area with a car manufacturer will have a lot of engineering companies who are reliant on the manufacturer and will also be local so that area will have strong engineering possibilities. A rural community is likely to have a strong farming trade and so on. As a result its worth checking out who are the big players in your community then finding out what sort of opportunities may be available.
If you dont have any idea whatsoever as to what career path you want to take then there are few easy things you can do to help you decide. Firstly a careers centre or libraries some times have books listing different jobs. Secondly, look at local papers each week at the job vacancies section, this is a good source for inspiration since it is an acurate reflection of what is actually available in your area. Make a list of anything that catches your attention and the qualifications and experience required. Then you have to anylise yourself and see if you have the right crudentals, such as practical mindedness, eye for detail, good communicator, time keeping are you organised etc.
It possible to turn a hobby into a career, if for example you like drawing then you could become a graphic designer or a sign writer.
An interst can also turn into a career, such for myself i was interested in electronics and took a course out of pure interst without any plans to take it up as a career and now im working in elecctronics. Generally everyone has an interest of some kind, or many interests which may be have the foundations for a specific job which you would enjoy.
Job Satisfaction
It is esensual that you choose a career path that you would enjoy, if you are not happy with the work that you do then stress can come on. If you are after a fulifilling career then try to avoid what i call 'thankless jobs' which have no percievable positive feedback; jobs which are motononous and repetative. There are some people that are happy with a low paid job that has no prospects and others who have carreer goals.
The Ladder
With most jobs you will have to climb the ladder starting out as the so called 'teaboy' maybe as a trainee and then proving your worth and working your way up through the ranks to get where you want to be. As a general rule that i use goes 'if you have to wait more than 4 years for promotion then its not going to happen and its time to move on to a new company and try again', fortunateley ive never had to wait that long. Training can be the key to climbing up a level, aim high and if you fall short then you still maybe be higher than if you aimed lower and got there. A good bit of advise is to forward plan, make say a 10 year plan taking into account of training, plan where you want to be at the end of each year and then make it your career goal each year to achieve what your plan has set out.
A Further education course can last from a few weeks to anything up to 7 years or more, so it can be a big decission, and further education may not be just one course, it may mean doing a number of courses say for example a foundation course then the actual course then a university degree.
Considerations
Firstly and obviously the right course subject is key, and from my experience career success is higher in courses that are job specific an example of a job specific course would be say BTEC in bakery or mechanincs, and non specific examples being say enviromental science or building studies. The down side with job specific is its career limitations but they have a higher chance of success in that career.
Other considerations are what awarding body to choose with the main ones being BTEC, RSA, C&G, NVQ, all of which i have done in some way.
BTEC,s start with
BTEC first cirtificates
BTEC ONC (ordinary national cirtificate)
BTEC national diploma
BTEC HNC (higher national cirtificate)
BTEC HND (higher national diploma)
C&G's RSA's and NVQ's all have various levels of achievment and you stop where you want to. Most RSA's and NVQ's go from a level 1 up to say 4.
If you want to go to university then you will need a BTEC of some kind and varying levels depending on the university degree, most require a BTEC HND. Some NVQ level 4's can get you into uni but these are far and few between so a BTEC is a sound bet. Of course if you have A Levels from school then often these can get you into uni if you have done well in your exams.
Full Or Part Time
Most courses are available part time for 1 or 2 days per week or evenings and even home study, if you do part time study then then course duration is likely to be doubled or be a lower value cirtificate, but it does have the advantage of allowing you to work as you study so you dont have to rely on a low income usually in the form of a college grant or student loan which can leave you in serious debt if you like your social life.
Ive done 3 full time college course and the grants which you are entitled to are only available for 2 years and you are only entitled to them for one course, so if you've been to college once and had a grant you wont be able to get another grant for a second full time course. Training credits can be used to pay for your course but again you only get these once. Ive also done more than 1 part time course, the disadvantage of these is that you may have to pay for your exam and college fee's, but if you work then your employer may pay these for you, and you will have to work out study time around your work since they generally have more course work to complete than a full time course. Im now about to start a home study course, these are great if you are in full time employment and want to study but cant get the time off work to do a part time day release course. The way they work is simple, you are sent your course material to your home address then you work throught the material and complete the assignments which can be posted back to the college or emailed. They also provide recomended reference material avaiable from your library, and you can start the courses at any time there are no terms or exams and you can take as long as you need to complete the course. Tutors are available to help at certain times during the day and evenings. You will probably have to fund the couse yourself or get your employer to pay.
