This post is the first advice post of mine (wooo hello rookie counsellor over here), and I'm writing it because last week I got my A Level results and whad'ya know, turns out I'm going to university come September to study Speech & Language Therapy and interestingly enough I've already found a flatmate (one of seven). And the occurrence of this rather monumental event in my life (going to uni, not finding a flatmate although that is pretty cool too), got me thinking about the rollercoaster journey I've been on these last few years to get to the point I'm at right now. And with that, it made me think that if I share my own journey with you, all the wonderful ups and frightening downs, I might just be able to help you, or someone else, especially if you're age seventeen or younger, with facing the giant mysterious void that is the future.
So this is my story, hopefully stuffed silly with little nuggets of advice and re-assurance that will make you feel a little bit better about things.
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GCSE's
Facing the future normally begins as soon as you enter yr 10, ie. the beginning of those wonderful pain in the arses that are GCSE's. All of a sudden, all the teachers are banging on about getting good grades, or at least enough to get into further education, and the future seems a whole lot nearer than it did before summer in yr 9. You start getting told about college websites, career websites, being made appointments with the careers adviser (ie. free pass out of Maths class) and unless you're one of those lucky people who has always known what they've wanted to do, then this is normally the point when it all begins to get a little bit scary and a whole lot confusing.
All my life I was told by people that I would end up in the creative industry. I would endlessly be asked if I was going to be an artist and sell my work for a living (answer: kind of). The people around me always associated me with being good at art, and to everyone else it seemed logical that I would follow a nice, simple, uncomplicated path into the creative industry and end up with my work in the Tate Modern and me painting a portrait of the Queen.
Now as you can rightly guess, that didn't happen.
Whilst I was in yr 10 I was still protected by the bubble of innocence and naivety, the one that protects you from the hardships and harsh realities of the grown up world and makes you feel like you can do and be absolutely anything. Therefore I began to actually believe that I would pursue a career in the creative industry like everybody said I would, and so I started to research it. However to my dismay I began to realise that the creative industry in particular is a rather tough nut to crack, not too dissimilar to the industrial strength of a Terry's Chocolate Orange, one might add. I read of poor starting salaries, the intense competitiveness, the tough job market, the need to move to London to stand a chance, not to mention the highly likely possibility of being cast aside on the scrap heap, deemed past my sell by date, by the age of 40.
Ouch.
Now if you're reading this and you want to go into the creative industry, then I imagine you're only too aware of all these harsh facts, but don't let them put you off. If you're 100% passionate and devoted to your creative outlet(s), whether it be illustration, film making, dancing, and you prepare yourself well (ie. getting work experience, a shed load of practice, doing relevant research, speaking to professionals in the industry, and most importantly believing yourself and your capabilities), then there's a real strong chance that your dream will come true and that you'll reach that final destination.
-Even if you aren't interested in the creative industry, lots of that advice is relevant to you too (yay), and even if you still don't know what you want to do, which is 100% OK, repeat 100% OK, or you do, in which case yay for you, one of the most important pieces of advice I can give you is try your hardest to get the best grades you can in your GCSE's, because it gives you so many more opportunities and chances to pursue a whole roost of different careers, which is kind of awesome (woop).
However back to the story, for me the harsh realization that the creative industry was so tough coincided with the beginning of what would be a major love for science, biology in particular. This then lead to me and my careers adviser (y'alright Dee) wandering down the whole healthcare industry path, and exploring what different careers science could lead to. I didn't abandon my dream of cracking the creative industry completely, but I put it to one side and began to seriously focus on the possibility of doing something science related, especially careers that focused on working with people- something that I realised I loved doing and was good at, around the same time. Yay.
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A Levels
Now the inner biology nerd that crept out during my GCSE years was the main reason I ended up choosing to do biology at A Level. However all the way up till when I actually started my course I was convinced I wouldn't be able to do it and that I would be the runt of the class, but upon beginning the course I found that I was actually quite good at biology and that I actually really, really liked it, like to the point of telling my family all about the stages of digestion and what not at the dinner table. Fun times.
The thing with A Levels is that they're 1) insanely daunting until you start them and 2) you stand the best chance of succeeding if you choose subjects that you actually enjoy or ones that interest you and you think you will enjoy, likewise if you don't do A-Levels but another qualification instead. Choose what interests you most, because more often then not that's the thing that gets you through it all in the end, and hopefully they'll be in line with what you might want to do in the future too eg. sciences if you want to be a doctor. If you're about to start A Levels, don't worry, I repeat don't worry. Just get yourself some ring binders and nice notebooks, concentrate in class, make as many notes as you can, check with the teacher when you're stuck with something, explore the online resources available to you, believe in yourself and do past papers as well as your homework,even when you'd rather watch Big Bang Theory or spend all night on Tumblr. Because if you do that, then you'll be just fine. Trust me, and again aim as high as you possibly can although don't over do it!
For my A Levels I picked Art, English Lit, Spanish and Biology, after realising how much I enjoyed them all when I did the taster sessions on induction day. This little indicator turned out to be correct for me, and even though there were some dud moments and times when I wanted to bury my head in a pile of sand, I actually mostly enjoyed them all throughout my time at college and ended up carrying on all four in A2 (something that I'd defo recommend doing if you can, as it's just like AS and not as hard as you might think). For me when choosing my subjects it was important to me that I kept my options open, which is why I squeezed in a science along with the more creative and languagy subjects, and choosing a mix of subjects is extremely helpful if you're still unsure about what to do with your life.
During my first year of college I was still torn between art and science with two not being the most compatible of subjects. I therefore began seeing the careers adviser relatively early in the year, as the whole not knowing what to do with my life when everyone else around me seemed to know saga was kind of stressing me out. She was so helpful and we discussed my interests and the kind of things that I wanted to do or was looking for in a career, and she gave me links to websites and quizzes that helped me gain a better idea of what would work for me. On the side I still kept up my art and took part in other volunteering opportunities, eg. at a local photography festival, and looking for work experience. I would recommend getting as much experience, paid or voluntary, as you can during college in the subjects that interest you, as it all helps, whether that be with making up your mind, leading to a paid job or giving you lots to write on your CV or personal statement.
For me it was a chance occurrence, when I went along with my friend to a meeting one lunchtime about volunteering with autistic children, that all the pieces in my rather complicated, confusing and stressful puzzle began to fall together and take shape. I had already stumbled across speech and language therapy, which looked promising as it combined everything I loved, was interested in and wanted from a career in one, however volunteering with the children, as well as with stroke patients and reading up on the career made me certain that it was what I wanted to do. Therefore come September, and after the fun and excitement of travelling up and down the country scouring universities, I prepared to apply on UCAS...
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Now this last stage of my journey was actually probably the toughest for me, because even though I had found what I was 99% sure I wanted to do, I really struggled with the idea of committing to it fully and writing off all the other things that I'd ever wanted to do in my life, which is kind of daunting when you're someone that wants to do and be everything. Even in the process of applying to UCAS I was still having nervous panics about what I was choosing to do with my life, if it was the right decision, and a couple of the open days had me almost breaking down by the end I was so terrified about what I was doing with my life.
However lo and behold I continued my application anyway and did the personal statement, which wasn't as bad as I was expecting, and you too will be fine if you do any work experience, volunteering, extra curricular activities etc. that can be linked to your subject in some way (and trust me everything can) and if you show an evident passion and interest in the course and subject. It wasn't long before I was going to interviews at my top five universities and having to push away any feelings of doubt or fear in order to convince the university to offer me a place. Getting an offer was the best feeling ever and it helped squish the voices of doubt in my mind, however it didn't make them go away entirely and I still found myself searching for other courses in the creative industry, and after one particular interview that actually went quite well I just came home and cried my heart out for well over an hour.
That day happened to also be the deadline for the 2014 entry on UCAS and there I was feeling like my whole life was well and truly doomed. I wanted to withdraw my application and yet I didn't, and I couldn't switch courses as my chance at doing so had literally just gone. I wanted to quit pursuing my chosen career path entirely, as I was convinced I'd be no good at it, and yet the thought of having absolutely nothing, no end goal, no direction, no clear future scared me more than anything ever has done in my whole entire life. I wanted to be sick I was so afraid, I wanted to hide under a rock and never come out, I felt so messed up and useless. It was such a horrible feeling and I wanted to share it with you because you too may be approaching the stage when you have to narrow your life to just one pathway and make some important life decisions, or be feeling that devastating worry that you have no idea what your future is; it's just a big, black void. And I want you to know that 1) you're not alone and please, please, please talk to someone about how you feel, and 2) it really does get better.
If you don't end up feeling that worry or fear about committing to one pathway then that is wonderful to hear and I'll be so, so happy for you, but if you do end up feeling similar to how I felt, then don't despair. The most important thing to do is figure out why you're feeling that way, because there almost always is a trigger behind it that more often than not can be dealt with. For me it all linked back to my dream of entering the creative industry, and the difficulty of transitioning from one industry to another that couldn't be more different, and that I was only just beginning to find my feet in. It was also the fear of turning my back on something that seemed like such a big part of who I was and am and closing the door for good on something I hadn't even tried to pursue.
It took a while to get over all of my insecurities and deal with them, but by the time I left college in May I was there. I think a lot of the time any fear you'll feel during this whole process stems from a lack of self belief, self esteem and self confidence. As young people we always seem to doubt ourselves and put ourselves down, we let ourselves worry far too much about the things at hand, and if it turns out we end up pursuing something we never thought we would do then we freak ourselves out by thinking that we can't actually do it.
Therefore whatever you choose to do in life, whether it be something you've always dreamed of doing, or it's something you never thought you'd ever end up doing ever, like me, just remember that 1) you really can do it, despite all those niggling embers of self doubt, and that you're doing whatever you're doing for a reason, and 2) you always have options, and although it feels like you're closing all these doors, sure you may be closing a couple but there are still so many that will never close to you entirely, and will still be there should you choose to open them at some point down the line.
For me, I finally figured out that I would have Speech & Language Therapy be my main career, and on the side I would continue with my artwork, art business, blogging and whatever other ventures I happen across on the side, so that I get the best of both worlds. I also ended up chosing the university that gave me the best feeling and made me feel most excited about doing the course and not so nervous.
So I figured it all out in the end, and it's a truly wonderful feeling and I can't wait for the next phase of my life to begin, and I hope that you, that's if you've read all the way to this point (good on ya!) to actually see this, figure it all out in the end and find what works best for you too, and remember don't stress out or be too hard on yourself, and do what makes you happy, because that's the most important thing of all :)
If you want to message me any questions or you want any advice, please comment and I would be happy to help you out!
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