So you’re about to leave school or college – all you've got to worry about is the prom and a bright new future, right? Well, kind of. We don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade so let’s keep this upbeat and say that now you've left secondary education you’re going to face an array of challenges that you might not have come up against before. Fortunately, we have put together a quick fix for some of the most common post-school problems.Feeling left behind
There’s an annoying thing you’ll find about other people. It’s that they don’t readily express all the fears and worries that are going through their heads. So when you check their Facebook/Twitter profiles or just catch up in real life, it always seems as if they’re not struggling with the same doubts and worries that you feel. The key to understanding this phenomenon is that little word “seems”. Everyone you know is just two really bad days away from a nervous breakdown. That’s life. That’s people. So now you know the secret you can be just as confident as the others because you know that it’s really just pretend. Funnily enough, when you pretend you’re confident it often works that you become confident. Try it out.
No money
Regardless of why you want it there’s no denying that money makes doing things easier. If you’ve got no money and you want to do something then it falls back to you to think of a way around it and we’ll make you this solid gold promise: there is always a way around it. Let’s take travelling. If you’re desperate to do a research and development year but can’t afford it, how on earth can you go? How about volunteering? There are some schemes that pay your travel and accommodation costs in return for your work. Or how about going abroad to work? You can pay your air fare to Australia by fruit-picking when you’re out there. Can’t afford university? How about looking into sponsored degrees? Trust us: there is always a way around it.
I don't know what I want to do!
Great! As frustrated as you are when you’re screaming this well-worn phrase it’s actually very positive. It’s positive because you’re acknowledging that you haven’t yet made a choice about your next step. SO DON’T DO ANYTHING – UNTIL YOU’VE PROPERLY RESEARCHED IT. Don’t just follow the herd, take some time to decide what you want. A couple of weeks research now will save you so much pain and wasted time in the long-run. You might well want to get your hands on a copy of the Not Going To Uni book which guides young people through exactly this process – http://bit.ly/NGTUBOOK
My parents don’t support me
In all likelihood that’s probably not true. If they follow the standard parent format they love you massively and they think they know how to live your life better than you. That’s their job, it’s hard for them when they’ve spent in excess of 16 years looking after you and caring for you. There’s probably some rule of biology that once you’ve cleaned poo off someone else you’re never going to be able to fully accept them as a grown up. It’s your job to prove them wrong, to show them that you can be trusted to make your own decisions – even if they’re the wrong ones. So, instead of arguing (which is always going to convince them that you’re just a brat who can’t be trusted to make their own decision) talk to them. Put together a presentation. Explain to them why you’re making your decision. Explain how you’ve looked at all the options and why this one appeals to you more than any of the others. You will get more respect and buy-in from your folks if you take this method. You might even get their full, unadorned support, but if you don’t take that on the chin and just ask that they accept your decision.
I don’t know how to become a…
That’s an easy one. Name any career you fancy and there will be a blueprint of how to do it on the web. www.prospects.ac.uk has a series of great careers profiles that you can follow for graduate jobs (but there’s plenty you don’t need to be a graduate to get). www.gov.uk can be a massive help and has loads of information to help you choose your job. Don’t forget there’s also some really good advice on www.notgoingtouni.co.uk too. The other thing you can do is to simply steal other people’s career paths. Find someone who does what you would love to do, find out how they got there and just copy it.
I’ve made the wrong choice!
Good. Then you’ve already decided something. The key to solving this is to waste as little time as possible in sorting it out. We all make mistakes and start off down the wrong path sometimes, but the sooner you realise it and do something about it, the less impact it actually has. Never, never, never, never, never, never, never carry on with something you don’t want to do. Never.
Getting fat and unhealthy
Might seem like a funny one to mention but it’s something that affects quite a few school-leavers. This might be because while they live at home someone else looks after their nutrition and when they leave home, they sometimes don’t have the dietary smarts to avoid it. They might also be celebrating their new-found freedom with rather too much junk food and alcohol. Keeping healthy is vital for success and happiness, so make sure you keep an eye on your weight and fitness. If you start putting on weight, do something about it. Ignore it and it will become a problem that will hold you back or knock your confidence and neither is that much fun.
I’m scared
That’s probably very sensible. Doing anything for the first time (like going away from home, or starting a new job) is completely different and challenges us. Fear is really just the body’s way of saying to pay attention, which is useful in these new situations. Don’t let it get out of control though. Channel it into excitement if you can and if you get too nervous then talk to someone about it. You’ll be surprised how sympathetic people can be and there are always resources open to support you – friends, family, even Not Going To Uni.
I Can’t Get A Job
Often the key to getting around this is to try new methods and to persevere. Don’t just keep looking in the paper and being disappointed that your dream job hasn’t appeared. Get out there and find it. Or get out there and create it.
I miss school
You’ve just spent a couple of decades learning to hate the teachers and all that boring learning and now you’ve been out for less then a few months and you already miss it. Well don’t worry, it’s a feeling that many share. When you go from something so familiar to something different then it can lead to feelings of fear and a lack of confidence. If you’re feeling this way then you need to start getting excited about the future. You might not have a fully planned-out future that is driving you wild with excitement. Get those plans and you will soon find that moving on is easier than you think.
