FUTURE PLANNING

This study identified direct links between subject choices and career planning (see Appendix B1.2). Government agencies insist that coherency in provision of information on learning pathways and career is important (MOE, 2007; MOE, 2009; ERO, 2015). Furthermore, an individualised approach was identified as most effective, especially for low achieving

students. However, while some students made direct links between subjects and future jobs others did not necessarily link current learning with skills needed for the future. “I don’t think much of what we do now, unless it’s a job we need to be taught at school, that those are gonna be any good” (Y9B1).

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Possible selves and careers

In the questionnaire over half (53.3%) of the students reported they that had decided on a future career pathway. Students were able to give suggestions of a future self. “My 6-year- old-self wanted to be a fashion designer” (Y10G1). Students spoke of “wanting to be”, “wanting to do” things or wanting to “go around as”. Despite, “all the things that you could do with just one skills base” (Y10G1), the traditional occupations, such as policeman, pilot, lawyer, and armed forces, were the most common given. Other choices may reflect the influence of media (e.g. chefs, detectives, stunt men, actors) and our modern workplace (e.g. ‘IT guys’, sports managers and professional trainers). Still others held the view that their dream job was unattainable; “What I want to do isn’t very realistic” (Y10G5). So what influences students when considering career choices and where do they get their ‘clues’ to develop their concepts of future selves?

Interests, personalities and passion featured strongly in these middle school students’ choices of career pathways (Fig. 4.17). “I think I would be a pilot because I really love to travel and I have a passion for planes… and I really like public speaking so that would be a good reason for me to be an auctioneer” (Y8B2). While less prominent, the mention of the desire to serve a common good also featured. One student talked of a potential job being “really rewarding” and believed that it would make you “feel good after it” (Y8G8).

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Figure 4.17: Influences on students choosing career pathways

Few (23.3%) students provided alternative pathways (see Appendix B1.2). Interviewed students made comments about having to change direction because of a perceived lack of ability; “In Year 9 I try to be an IT guy but then it turns out … I’m not very good at it”

(Y10B9). One student recounted having a chosen pathway for some time only to find that a minor physical disability prevented them taking up that career.

Careers information

Family was reported as the most important information source for students choosing career pathways. Parents in particular, appeared to play a role; especially in terms of guiding their child towards a career pathway or providing opportunities to gain experience of a job. “That’s kind of how I found out what I was going to do, by hanging around my parents” (Y10G6). Parental influence was not always reported by students as a positive contribution to this decision making. Students talked of parents “trying to convince me … my family wants me to” (Y10G5) and “my Mum will really push me to be” (Y8B1). “We just argued because I was expecting something different from the job. She … thought it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be” (Y9G9).

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Per centage Influences

Influences on student career choices, reported by students

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Wider family or wider friend networks were also seen as inspiring students to follow a particular pathway. Students mentioned uncles, aunts, grandparents and older siblings as motivators to explore a career. Most students had visited at least one of their parents’ workplaces and for many this had been a critical opportunity to develop ideas about a future career. Alternatively such a visit may have convinced them to not take that path. “I’ve gone to my Dad’s work and although it’s reality, I really don’t want to do it” (Y10G5).

Past school experiences were also mentioned as having influenced students, particularly visits to workplaces, opportunities to talk with workers and observe what they did. “In Year 6 we went to a studio … I asked one of the animators what it was like and what you need to be able to work as an animator” (Y8G5). Topics studied in a school subject had also provided inspiration. “Last year we did this integrated study about Ebola and then I did about [the] human body - what if it gets it … I was very interested, so I want to learn more about the human body, so I chose a doctor” (Y8G10).

While having decided on a career path, students perceptions of a certain job can be limited and based on less than rigorous sources of information. “I think a lot of kids know what they want to do at this age ‘cos they’ve seen it all on TV” (Y9B2). Students wanting to become stunt men and chefs referred to media in their interviews and were unable to give further information on what doing the job might entail or what qualities may be required other than comments such as “to be active and being outside” (Y9B6). One student wanting to be an actor justified the choice by stating that it is a “cool thing to be” (Y10B7).The detective stated that “you get a lot of action … and it’s a lot more mysterious than some other jobs” (Y8B7).

Students also reported having used websites to research possible careers, “I got mine off the internet” (Y9G9) and to finding them “really handy” (Y8B3). However, how appropriate and accurate the information students gained from these sites was questionable, relying as the websites do on the participant having an awareness and understanding of their own abilities and personality, a difficult ask for a developing adolescent. One student described their experience of using the website to record their personal information and the resulting information they received: “It tells you what you want to be, what you can choose. You have to scratch it and then … it goes into the boxes and if you scrape it all, well, it tells you what is good for you. It told me they work long hours and don’t get paid that much” (Y8G10).

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However they assured me that the test was accurate as they had “done it twice and it came up with the same thing”.

Both parent and staff groups saw interests as the most important consideration for students to take into account when considering career directions (Fig. 4.18). Long term well-being, in the form of satisfaction with a chosen pathway, was also seen as very important by staff. Parents placed equal value on their child’s well-being and the skills they saw their child as having. Collaboration between parents/caregivers and the school could provide valuable information to students to develop study plans, especially in encouraging students to take up the challenge of learning new and possibly perceived as difficult skills which can assist them to reach a long term goal.

Figure 4.18: Important considerations for student career choice reported by parents/caregivers and staff