Patrick 14 – 12/05/2009

The Career Analytsts experience was valuable in that it helped to resolve GCSE and career choices.

Going on to Study for a Degree – 17/12/2008

Lord Adonis, the schools minister, urged 16-year-olds not to give up on their education, even if the grades they receive today are below expectations. Despite this, one in five is expected to get grade “A” passes. This is 8.4% higher than in 2007.

The government seized on these figures, stating that it proved the introduction of tuition fees had not deterred students from applying. The most popular degree is now Law, followed by Design, Psychology and then English. Despite today’s hype, how can students ensure that their degree will result in a firm job offer and an opportunity to develop their career?

A degree in one of these four subjects – law, design, psychology and English – does not necessarily lead to a subsequent career in the core field. Indeed, less than fifteen percent of psychology graduates go on to practise as a psychologist in any capacity. Like Psychology, Law has transferable skills prized by other industries (e.g. well evidenced research, analytical and problem solving skills, attention to detail, and negotiating and communication skills etc.).

Besides skills, commitment and achievement demonstrated through degree level study, employers look for additional extra-curricular activities and work experience.  For example, if you are serious about entering the legal profession today, it is too competitive to expect to just get a good degree and go on to take your bar exams or qualify as a solicitor. Many students will have gained legal work experience, perhaps organised by the student law society. In addition, informal work experience can often be organised with law centres, citizens’ advice bureaux, in the courts and with legal departments in central/local government, and sometimes with solicitors’ firms. If you intend to work within the legal profession, your future employers will want evidence that you have learned something over and above your curriculum.

When selecting a course to study, you should consider whether you are better off studying something that you will enjoy or something that will provide better job prospects. When considering this question remember that degree courses are three or four years duration and studying for that length of time is going to be very hard work if you hate your subject!

Also the days of a ‘job for life’ are long gone – for many even a ‘career for life’ is not going to work out! Even if you do remain in the same sector, it is unlikely that you will be able to do so without reinforcing and updating your training. Much must depend on your own interests and ambition, and a vocational degree is not going to make you successful in itself.

The following figures regarding graduate unemployment make interesting reading, and while professions fair well, they do not guarantee employment (and Computer Science, which one might have assumed to be a particularly safe bet, fairs particularly poorly):

What to do if your son or daughter got bad news in their examination results. – 12/12/2008

There is a huge amount of pressure on students today to get good grades, but there is also intense pressure on parents as well. You don’t have to sit the course or slog through the revision; you are spared the sitting of the mocks but unfortunately you are not spared the fallout of the examination results. Even if you do not have to open the enveloped when it falls on the mat you are still going to feel as sick as your child.

It is your task to share the disappointment but be objective and have the correct advice at your fingertips. You may be lucky and have some prior warning; it is all too easy within an examination to fail to interpret what a question was asking. Many students do not read what the question is asking but rather what they want to answer. Your child may already realise that they have done that.

All too often there is no prior warning. Assuming that your child has done the course and completed the revision he or she should have attained a pass mark. However there are lots of reasons why children fail. The first step is to have an honest conversation with your child as to the real reasons why they have not got the grades needed.

This conversation may actually yield surprising results: some children will fail because they have done too mush revision. Our brains can cope with an almost infinite amount of knowledge, but unfortunately it has a limited attention span when it is processing information. As humans we assimilate knowledge when it is fed to the brain in small doses. Sitting and studying for twelve straight hours can be counter-productive.

To have studied efficiently it is necessary to have sufficient sleep; the correct food – a balanced diet does not mean a doughnut in each hand. Sometimes information does not go in because the student is blocking it. They are bored, under stimulated or over stimulated. Some aspects of all studying can be boring and seem pointless, your child may hate the statistics elements of a geology course, but that does not mean it is the wrong subject to study.

If the course was too academic it may be that there is a more vocational hands-on approach that would suit your child better. It may be that the results were not good enough for the first choice of higher education, but may meet the requirements of the second choice. Apply to UCAS if you require more options for higher education. Grades simply not good enough will mean either a re-sit available in January or June or a career path rethink. Remember that a re-sit will only postpone the problem if your child is not studying the correct subjects in the first place.

If there are good reasons why your son or daughter has not acquired the necessary grades why not speak directly to the university and see of they are willing to hold the place open. They may offer a conditional place for the following year, (conditional upon certain education requirements being met)

A gap year can provide time to consolidate options. Sometimes a gap year can be used to develop essential life skills. Sometimes opportunities to go to university can be deferred. It is no accident that many distance learning opportunities start their academic years in February.

All is not lost because examination results are not up to scratch. What is necessary is to make informed decisions quickly and make the best of different choices.

Psychologically Speaking. – 27/11/2008

A psychology degree or Bachelor of Science in Psychology in itself does not qualify you for anything except the right to apply to the British Psychological Society (BPS) for a “graduate basis for recognition” (GBR). The GBR status is the first step towards achieving status as a chartered psychologist.

However before one can become a chartered psychologist one has to have a field of expertise, psychology is too wide a discipline to encompass all aspects in one qualification. There are opportunities to offer to work as a volunteer in many aspects in psychology because as soon as you have experience you have wider career options.

Areas of interest for a professional psychologist:

Clinical psychology
Clinical neuropsychology
Educational psychology
Counselling psychology
Health psychology
Sports psychology
Forensic psychology
Teaching and research positions in psychology

Other careers open to a Psychology graduate

Only about fifteen percent of psychology graduates go on to work as a chartered psychologist – the other eighty five percent works in other fields.

According to Prospects Directory Salary and Vacancy Survey of 2006, over seventy percent of job opportunities did not need a named degree.

A third of psychology graduates work in the health, education and childcare sectors. Education goes far beyond schools – it takes place in prisons, museums and hospitals. Educational psychologists work in schools and in the private sector. To become an educational psychologist you now need to begin with the GBR Accreditation.

A fifth of all psychological graduates work in the “other section” or careers in all other unnamed sectors. The administrative and management sector employs about twelve percent of psychology graduates. The community and social workers take up a tenth of all those psychology graduates. The social care sector aims to help people overcome difficulties related to physical, mental, environmental or lifestyle problems at any stage in their lives. This work may be in an educational or counselling capacity. It utilises staff in professional roles that assist the vulnerable in both residential care and the community. The remaining ten percent are in the business finance and IT sector.

What is Psychology

Psychology is systematic analysis of the mental processes of humans and the interpretation of those processes in terms of acceptable human behaviour. In simple terms it analyses how and why we become the people we are. The study of psychology involves arts but is has a scientific base as scientific methods are a strong part of the course.

Most of the maths is statistics but today modern computer software does most of the calculations for you. There is however a core element of research methods.

So Your Child’s Exam Results are bad. – 11/11/2008

Many parents think that bad examinations results mean an end to good career prospects. Sometimes nothing could be further from the truth; bad examination results do not mean a lifetime of failure. It may mean an end to university education, but not everyone thrives in a university environment.

President Bush made a speech to Yale graduates and he said “To those of you who received honours, awards and distinctions, I say, well done. And to the C students, I say, you too can be president of the United States.”

Fortunately it is beyond the remit of this article to comment on Bush’s presidency … it may or may not have put him on the wrong course, but what of your child?

Failing examinations can be a great shock, but it can also be a relief and a great motivator. Many a career path has begun on a lowly level. Sometimes the alternatives to a university education can offer more rewarding challenges.

Failing “A” levels does not mean the end to the dream of a university education – in some cases it just means postponing it. Distance learning has become a part of main stream education, to the point that the Open University in Milton Keynes educates more university graduates in psychology than any other university in Europe. Today, according to Prospects UK, psychology is the thirds most popular degree choice, though only fifteen percent go on to become chartered psychologists.

A change of career direction helps some students, although dropping out of the educational system is not always an easy career path. The pressure from family and friends to complete a university education can be overwhelming. However some of the subjects are useless career paths in the real world – not to mention the expense of studying for them.

Leaving school is also an option to embark on the path to independence and some people want that at an earlier age than others. In the business sector a masters in business administration (MBA) is a highly sought after qualification in the business sector, employees love it. However a natural entrepreneurial flair may be more useful to those who wish to embark on a business career.

Irony is not lost on some dropouts; Sir Richard Branson had only three “O” Levels to his name, but at seventeen he had begun a successful student advisory service. Bill Gates never graduated, nor did Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

I went to school with Elkie Brookes who I am personally aware was definitively warned about the pitfalls of show business. No doubt Mick Jagger’s tutors at the LSE warned him that he would never make a success as a rock band. Brian May formerly with Queen was awarded a doctorate in physics in August 2007, thirty six years after beginning his thesis. To say nothing of John Major whose family were circus performers?

Is a Gap Year Right For Me? – 03/11/2008

A gap year is a period of time between two life changing experiences: between school and university or between full-time education and full-time employment. It has the potential to be a life changing experience itself but that change is not always for the good.  It can be used to greatly increase skills and experience making you more employable or it can make you so restless and focused on fun that you don’t easily adapt to employment.

Psychologically, how a person uses their gap year makes a big difference to their long term prospects. It can consolidate learning and help to create a positive career path. Years ago gap years between university and full time employment were hidden and the resulting “hole in the résumé” fudged over. These days many companies regard a gap year as a very positive experience when hiring graduates; it is viewed as a time of personal enrichment.

Today the gap year is not the prerogative of the wealthy; British studies have shown that in the last five years the practice has become more mainstream. In a world where the costs of education are rising it makes a great deal of sense for someone to understand and consolidate their interests. A gap year can be cheaper than changing courses.

A gap year is not simply “time off”, it is not separated from formal education but a part of it; it is not intended to be an extended vacation.

A well planned gap year can offer more challenges than a first year at university. For instance using a gap year to study a language will bring a culture to life, and create different perceptions about the world in which we live in. it can create or ignite a passion that will ultimately lead to a more fulfilling career.

Advantages of a gap year

Ø Creating a deeper self awareness that can be exploited in the future.
Ø New surroundings can offer new challenges and dealing with those challenges positively promotes inner strength.
Ø A gap year offers a time of reflection; a time when the purpose of your studies can be put in a new perspective.
Ø Your career goals become clearer.
Ø As a person you can become braver as a result of being challenged; obstacles look less fearful.

Disadvantages of a gap year

Ø Bad planning may mean future debt.
Ø Change is not necessarily productive; a badly planned gap year will not aid future career prospects.
Ø It may be a wasted year, leading to a wasted future as you drop out of everything and can’t find a way back.

What constitutes a good gap year?

Ø Living abroad and teach English.
Ø Learn a language.
Ø Become a volunteer.
Ø Gain work experience in a possible future career.
Ø A gap year should increase life skills.

How to Make a Career Move – 31/10/2008

Deciding to actually make the move is perhaps the most important part of the process but once your mind is made up the mechanics of getting a job can also be a minefield.

Job Hunting Essentials

Planning is the key to any manoeuvre in a career path – the moves you carry out should be meticulously researched and executed. Attack the planning stage as if it was your most important project to date; treat your career with the care it needs to develop your full potential. Nothing in the planning stage should be rushed or left to chance. Create a job history file and record all the steps that you have taken with each prospective employer so that a quick glance will enable you to refresh your memory at every stage of the process.

Responding to advertisements

The Press

This can be a hugely disappointing task even if you have researched where your job is likely to be advertised. The nets are very wide for this type of advertisement and it can be a very time consuming process for all parties. If a job is advertised locally it may be perfect for you, but it may well take a long time for the perfect position to present itself. Executive positions are found in the national press both in the online and print editions

Internet Job Sites

Internet job sites tend to have specialists job boards for each industry, but again they are very numerous. Before you change you job keep abreast with the most suitable sites for your personal needs.

Trade journals

Trade journals are published in print and online and allow you to conduct a narrower research; more focused to your specific needs. Check with your local library and online to ensure you are aware of all the relevant titles to assist in your job search. Draw up a Personal Job search calendar with Google or Yahoo. Mark the days that they publish jobs in your job sector.

Recruitment Agencies

Junior positions are likely to be advertised in your local High Street and they will have excellent local contacts for local work, but less for specific specialised industries. It may be worth giving them details of your job search but the chance of them finding more senior or specialised work opportunities is not high.

Research the specialist head-hunters in your field. Make a list of all agencies that will benefit you and the type of roles they specialise in.

Networking

Senior level professionals will find that this method works well. Making people aware that you are in the job market is important. Networking can be done face to face or online. To check networking opportunities connect with your local trade associations or chamber of commerce. Business relationships can be fostered online. Business development networking is a means of being part of a community all the time not just when you are looking for a job.

Get proactive

When and how you approach a job vacancy will be taken into account at your interview. If you have been proactive to unearth the vacancy your future employer will assume that you will have a proactive and positive approach to your career.

Identify a list of companies that may be interested in your qualifications and then make a short list of those that you would be particularly interested to work for in descending order. Research the companies online if you are not sure. Make sure that the company’s values are compatible with your core beliefs. Once your list is complete approach them and ascertain the name of the person who is the HR manager or the senior recruiting officer. If you get this information online it is worth checking by making a phone call. An approach addressed to the incorrect person is likely to be ignored because the appropriate person will never see it and if they do it doesn’t look good.

Sending your CV

Start by sending your CV to all the individuals and companies on your list, record the day that you sent it. This ensures that you can send a timely follow up letter and also that you know where you are. Make a note of every job that you applied for and make a record for each job and each progressive stage.

Post your CV online

The internet job boards will all provide a facility to upload your CV; this enable recruiters and prospective future employers to contact you directly. Ensure that your CV has the correct keywords because the content is reads by a search engine and not by a human. If you are unsure that your keywords are current then research them before sending in a CV. An ignored CV is a dead CV and will achieve nothing in your job quest. Again be proactive – contact companies who have rejected your application and ask for feedback.

Maintain a positive proactive attitude which will keep you upbeat and positive because applying for positions can be time consuming.  Persevere and carry through each step of the process meticulously and you will find a new job. A negative attitude will produce a negative feedback; your future employee will respond to your state of mind and a sense of failure will ensure just that failure. Career management like any other life skill is a learned experience. Making an odd career mistake is rarely fatal.

Have I got what it takes to be a Veterinary Surgeon? – 17/10/2008

A Veterinary Surgeon looks after the physical and psychological welfare of animals. In practice this means the prevention and cure of diseases in animals. This can be pets, farm animals, zoological park animals or wild animals. As the practise is very wide most veterinarians specialise in types of animals and that dictates how they practice.

Veterinarians tend not to choose a single type of animal; there is no such thing as a cat vet. They specialise either in domestic which will include the cats as well as gerbils, dogs, hamsters, parrots etc; or they will specialise in wildlife or farm animals. In other words the work is defined as urban or rural.

Vets are normally self-employed in private practise diagnosing and treating illness, prescribing medication, carrying out surgery, administering anaesthetics or taking an X ray. Veterinary surgeons can work in their clients’ homes, farms, barns, stables, wildlife parks or in any environment where animals are found. As an alternative to self-employment they work in the public sector for charities, research centres, pharmaceutical companies or government agencies.

Often they are asked for holistic advice on nutrition, breeding and psychological health. Obviously while skills with animals are important and stem from a love of animals, people skills are also important. A lot of the work may be reassuring anxious owners, dealing with clients in the middle of the night – the timing of animal medical emergencies cannot  be controlled. People skills can be important in dealing with other members of staff such as veterinary nurses or receptionists. There is a certain amount of paperwork involved such as pet passports, records regarding immunisation and controlling and managing infectious outbreaks.

Whatever their level of experience veterinary surgeons rarely live and work a nine to five existence. Many farm vets work in cold wet conditions, lying on cold barn floors helping a calf to be delivered. Exceptional social skills can be called upon especially when a client is upset and stressed because a pet or an investment is at risk. The hours of work especially for a young vet often seriously curtail a social life. Some practices mean a fair amount of travelling

Standard university entrance requirements mean good “A” level grades usually in chemistry backed by a secondary science subject usually biology, physics or maths. Most universities demand work experience with animals. Experience on farms is an added advantage especially with lambing or calving. It is not enough to love animals – vets must also understand that commercial priorities can over rule sentiment. Sentiment does not cure animals and often gets in the way of the healing process.

Normally vets work as assistants when starting their practical careers, which allows for a period of adjustment for career development. This covers areas of people skills, management skills and also areas of specialisation.

Can women make it as a chef? – 08/10/2008

Women were once cooks and men chefs, and never the twain would meet. Anyone over forty will remember that women were told that they did not have the temperament to be chefs, or that they could not deal with the pressure.

Today there is more interest in becoming a chef than at almost any other time; it is now viewed as a glamorous career option. However despite fifty years of feminism women like Rachel Ray and Nigella Lawson are more TV personalities than chefs. Neither would be capable of serving over two hundred covers on a hot sweaty night in a Paris, New York or London kitchen.

Women are reluctant to blame sexism as the reason why they do not get on in the professional kitchen yet the barriers appear to be slowly coming down.

Gordon Ramsey seems an unlikely champion of female chefs but the first British woman to gain a Michelin star is Angela Hartnett who trained in his kitchen. Angela was the first female head chef at the Connaught ending over a century of male domination. Hélène Darroze, a leading chef in Paris, has recently opened her first restaurant in the UK at the Connaught. She was trained by Alain Ducasse and is widely acknowledged as one of the top female chefs in the world.

Twenty years ago the kitchen was regarded as a macho place with highly strung chefs flinging knives at unsuspecting sous chefs. Women were not attracted to the highly unstable atmosphere prevalent in a kitchen; Fanny Craddock was hardly the ideal role model. Nowadays although that image is maintained by Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre White, most people regard that image as being in the realms of entertainment rather than in the real world.

Women do face disadvantages in the kitchen; the hours are long, hard and antisocial especially when they are first starting out. However they have some advantages – successful women do stand out in a male dominated world. “Cheffing” is a job in which you never stop learning, but it is a job for life. The career objectives may change but you will never have to retrain.

A chef is now a respectable profession and it is attracting new recruits in droves and many of those have a university degree. The days when chefs could cook but went bankrupt for lack of business acumen is diminishing. Hélène Darroze graduated from university with a business degree before joining Alain Ducasse’s Michelin starred restaurant in Monte Carlo.

For those who want to cook and cannot imagine ever doing anything else, it has never been a better time to don the white toque. Shifts are still long and dedication and commitment are necessary to succeed, but if you can’t stand the heat……………..

Self-Employment – an attitude test. – 26/09/2008

Self-employment is a career goal and there may be better methods of achieving your objective. A career plan is necessary even for the self-employed. If you think that being self employed means having less structure and more free time then self employment is probably not for you. Self employment means being self-motivated and making things happen.

Achievers among the self-employed are no different to the achievers in life. They pursue their goals relentlessly, but they maintain a level of flexibility as they are aware that changing conditions means that the plan has to evolve as well. Even the best plans need to have a plan “b” to fall back on.

Being able to prioritise and concentrate on the job in hand is an important aptitude particularly when you are just starting out as a self-employed person. Making things happen does not come out of a box of magic tricks; it comes out of determination and focus.

Having people skills is important in life – perhaps even more so to the self-employed. The most successful achievers have an empathy with people; they foster relationships. This is important not least because bad news travels fast and a first hand recommendation is better that any advertisement.

Self-employment can look attractive especially when you have been made redundant. Indeed there are many advantages to being self-employed but there is also a downside and if you are not a natural entrepreneur then the risks of self employment can be high. The plus side is that, if you are successful, you can earn a great deal more than is possible by working for someone else and you do get to make your own decisions - for which you have to take the responsibility.

The benefits of self employment

• Self-fulfilment
• Independence
• You’re in control
• A passion that overrides anything else
• It can be better rewarded financially

Disadvantages of self employment

• Not every venture is profitable, the reward is not always commensurate with the effort.
• It can be highly stressful taking on the responsibility – there’s no-one else to blame when things go wrong
• It can be lonely being the boss
• The hours can be very long

To be truly successful in self-employment you need a clear vision of what you hope to achieve. Self-employment can and does take over your life. This should not be an encumbrance, but a liberating force. To be self-employed can be an obsession and everything else takes second place. Make sure your family understand what you want to achieve and that you have their backing, otherwise you could put the two on a collision course.

The drive and passion that you put into your business may never be equalled in anything else that you do. This level of passion and commitment is not necessarily permanent but most successful entrepreneurs come to realise that self-employment changes their lives irrevocably.

Embarking on the path of self employment without research into the consequences is a very risky undertaking. So before you start your business plan make sure that your character rises to the challenge.

What to Do When You Are You Fed Up With Your Job? – 18/09/2008

“Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.”
Richard Hooker, English Theologian, Author and Preacher, 1554-1600)

Most people at one time or another are fed up with their jobs. However, understanding what is really wrong is crucial because if you don’t you may end up throwing the baby out with the bath water. Has your job burned you out, or are you bored because you do not face enough challenges? Both of these are good reasons to consider a change; but if you are avoiding personal issues then they will follow you wherever you go.

Usually it is ill-advised to leave your job until you have found another one; the grass may look greener in a new pasture but often that is an illusion. Finding a job when you are employed is a great deal easier than when you are unemployed. Change for its own sake is not necessarily progress and it may even be detrimental.

Consider that you may not need a new job, just a new challenge. Speak to your boss and let it be known that you are up for additional responsibilities or a more challenging role. People tend to be promoted into a position with some duties they are already fulfilling. Your personal career goals are important; most good bosses will try and accommodate your needs. At the same time don’t let your current position be jeopardised; never let it be known that you are fed up with your work, but let the right people know you are ready to advance your career.

A complete career change is a radical step, but sometimes it is necessary. Most people have aspects of their working day they find repetitive and boring – however, if you are bored (or alternatively stressed) all day then it may be time to consider potential suitable new careers. Before you jump from the frying pan into the fire list your career objectives and think about ways you can make them happen.

Career planning can be strategic, proactive or “go with the flow”. Think of the questions to which you want answers before beginning your research into a new field.

• Choose the type of work.
• Invest in professional development so that you will be prepared for a new challenge and a new role. Ask your boss if he or she is prepared to pay for professional advice for your career development.
• Solicit support from your boss, colleagues, family, and friends.

Being in control of your career path means that you are more likely to achieve your career objectives. Gaining a better salary, achieving job satisfaction and an improved work life balance depends on finding work well matched with who you are or who you could be with the right training and experience.