Finding the right career

GaryBC

Hi all 

Daughter (23) has got to a decision point and wants guidance on career paths. 

All the online questionnaires discovered so far require upfront payment - before we even know what we're getting. 

Anybody know where to get some decent advice?

Ta lots. 

GaryBC

She's been in retail since graduating but doesn't see it as a lifetime career!
She's unfortunately of the cohort that had their transition from uni to work wrecked by Covid - so missed out on all the career fairs and networking that would have helped get her going. 

Savvy_Sue

If she went to uni, she can still get help from the careers office there. Also look at the National Career Service.

DullGreyGuy

Ignore all of them, they tell you what you want to hear and its damned obvious from the questions what they will suggest... plus most have a very finite number of suggestions despite the thousands of careers out there.

Did one when at school (they paid) and my intent was to become a doctor, possibly a medical officer... mine came back say 1) Doctor, 2) Medical officer 3) Nurse 4) Midwife and 5) Occupational Therapist. 

flea72

What is her degree in.  Does it have linked career pathways?  What does she enjoy most about any jobs she was worked til now

Careers fairs are starting up again, so keep an eye out in local papers, job centre, large employers websites (eg nhs, government agencies, etc) for details.  Contact companies she knows of, and might like to work at, for some work experience.

GaryBC

She has a psychology degree and yes, there are linked pathways but none that interest her.
Work experience isn't an issue as she's already on the lower rungs of the management ladder in retail. 
The difficulty is not knowing what options there are out there!

flea72

When i said work experience, i didnt mean having work history/skills, it was more try before you buy.  Some employers offer schemes where you get a snapshot of all areas of their business to see what interests you most.

 I work for the nhs.we have so many career pathways that are not medical based, but people discount us, because they “dont want to be a nurse”.  

The only way to know what options are out there, are to speak to people, carry out research, linkedin, or just get out there and try whatever presents itself.

A quick google gives this https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/psychology and https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/whichcareer/health/optionspsych/ Its a starting point that could open up other avenues for research.  I know the directly linked pathways dont interest her, but the skills she has from attaining the qualification are transferable to so many other professions/fields

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue said:

If she went to uni, she can still get help from the careers office there. Also look at the National Career Service.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ - link now I'm not on my phone ... 

GaryBC

Ah, sorry. The only problem with the 'try before you buy' is that, as she's now firmly into the working life, she'd have to resign from a perfectly good job first. 

We've tried to get across the point many times that big, institutional employers (NHS, police, construction) comprise far more than the obvious (nurse, copper, builder) but it's not sunk in yet! 

Thanks for the links, I'll take a look. 

GaryBC

Savvy_Sue said:

Savvy_Sue said:

If she went to uni, she can still get help from the careers office there. Also look at the National Career Service.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ - link now I'm not on my phone ... 

Thanks.... 

theoretica

As mentioned above - her university should have a careers service.  I am confident they will have a lot of written material available, they may well also offer consultations after graduation.