Thought about what happens after Year 11?
Map out your next steps to help break it down
Have you thought about what happens after leaving school, and beyond? You’ve read about the different study and pathway options open to you and you’ve seen some tips to help make the process of deciding what’s right for you a little easier. Now put pen to paper and have a go at mapping out your choices on your own Pathways Planner.
Using your Pathway Planner
You can use the Pathways Planner template provided, or make your own, to map out the different study options you’d like to explore.
You can start with where you are now - your current GCSE subjects and your hobbies and interests, and then write down related subjects you’d like to study in the future. Or, if you know what career you’d like, or what degree you want to study, you can start there and work backwards.
Things to remember when thinking about your future choices:
Plans change - and that’s okay
Just because you write something down now, or think you know exactly what you want to do in the future, doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind! Having a few options written down that help you see how you might move from one step to the next is a really great personal planning tool. For example, if you’d like to study any of Computer games, animation, and digital technologies courses at University, what A levels do you need to study?
Give yourself options
Remember, at college you could be studying anywhere between one and four subjects, depending on the type of qualification. At university, although most people study one subject, you’ll have up to five application choices to use when the time comes.
Think about other subjects that hold your interest, or compliment the thing you’re most passionate about. This means that you can be flexible when it comes to applying, and it may open your eyes to other subjects you’d not thought of.
University isn’t for everyone
You might not think you want to go to university. That’s fine, but you will need to check what qualifications different jobs expect you to have. Some will require a university degree. For those that don’t, they might require other qualifications or experiences. You can still use the university section of the Pathways Planner template to record any additional qualifications or experience your dream job requires instead
