Today I'd like to talk about something that hits close to home because I know that it's much more common that one might think.
For a long time I felt like there was no way I would ever figure out what I wanted to do with my life. A lot of pressure is put on people to figure out what they want to do in life and I find it incredibly patronising because it's not an easy thing to figure out. I believe it's one of the hardest decisions to make if you feel lost and confused. I am happy for those who have always known what they've wanted to do, or those who figured it out quickly. For those of us on the other side however, it's a really stressful thing, especially for an introvert like myself. How do you know what jobs are right for your personality? Even if you take all the quizzes in the world, that hardly ever helps.
Other than retail or university, I know that there are other avenues such as apprenticeships or non-uni qualifications which are amazing because even if you don't know exactly what you want to do, it gives you time to figure it out. Then once you're qualified, it's one thing in the bag. You can always fall back on it if you decide to change avenue afterwards.
A personal backstory:
I am very fortunate to have parents who are supportive, helpful and patient. For the past couple of years they've been there to help and guide me, much to their stress and at times, hopelessness. One idea would lead to another and my indecisive mind just couldn't decide. At one point I was set to become a Patissière, then I changed my mind and thought that I was going to become a dietician and then a Sophrologist. I felt hopeless but after a sheer bout of luck, my mum quite recently came upon a career whilst waiting for a personal appointment (unrelated to the job) and thought she could see me in that profession.
She passed her idea by me and I was stumped at how I didn't think of that before. I had overlooked that general industry because a lot of the jobs didn't really appeal to me, but that specific career made me think twice before deciding that I'd in fact love to do that job. So, you can now say hello to the soon-to-be "____________". In fact I'm going to keep it secret for now because I'll be revealing it in my April monthly update. I can truly say that from the time I quit university to now (one year and three months later), I didn't know where I'd be going in life.
In regards to prior education, I chose to do a BTEC in Public Services / Social Studies. I originally really wanted to do the A Levels, but I was discouraged by staff when I applied to my local college. Although I don't regret doing the BTEC, I kind of wished I took the A Levels.
I won't go into details because then this post would become a novel, but once I got my BTEC certification I was over the moon. I had accomplished something - my secondary education was over. Thereafter I applied to university in the south of France because that's where my family relocated a couple of years previously. Prior to applying to university, I still didn't know which career path to take. I chose a course that sounded interesting to me - English literature and civilisation - (and possible to do because I wasn't fluent in French so it would have been nearly impossible to do any other course) but four months in I decided that it just wasn't for me. I was capable, but it just didn't suit me.
With hindsight I know I could have done certain things differently but we can't turn back time. It's sad to think that if you wished away certain things that you wouldn't know certain people, or have lived through certain experiences. The past has shaped me to become the person I am today, so no regrets. Of course, I could have handled certain situations better but we learn and improve.
With all of that said, finding yourself is difficult. It may take years, but know that it's totally fine. Everything that we do shapes us and allows us to see what works for us and what doesn't. People go through many career changes in their life so there isn't one job someone does for their whole life. I used to find it annoying when people said that but it's true. My advice is to keep researching careers and different educational avenues, see where your strengths and weaknesses are, and just jot all of the information down in a notebook or something. Brainstorming is a great idea. Start as early as possible. This is especially helpful if you're still a student. Ask around, see what other people are doing and ask for their opinions on their job. However, if people are telling you that you should do "this or that" then just be wary. They aren't you and don't know if you'll be suited to that job. Keep persevering and remember, you've got this.
Thank you for reading today's blog post. I wish you all the best with your endeavours,
Charlotte x
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