READER'S QUESTION

I am 16 and about to do my GCSEs. I have done reasonably well at school and hope to get some Bs and Cs and hopefully an A or two if possible.

The problem I have is that I am not sure what to do next.

I have never really known what job I want to do, but I don't want to be forced into following my family business, a butcher shop, despite my parents wanting me to take over one day.

I am particularly interested in English, Geography and History at school and have thought about how I like to help people and one day might like to work as an advisor of some sort, or maybe even as a teacher myself.

Can you offer me some advise on what I should do about college, sixth forms, or whether it would be a good idea to stop learning and go to work for my dad, and then maybe one day going back to do some more exams?

I don't think you have to do A-Levels now do you? Can't you do courses where you work somewhere and do some evening classes or something?

Jane, Borehamwood

LOUISE'S ANSWER

Jane - Firstly it is good to hear that you are doing well at school and achieving high grades; it is also enlightening to hear that you are thinking so carefully about your future.

This is a very mature approach and one that suggests you will choose wisely in due course.

It is not unusual to be undecided on a job at this stage in your life, but there are steps you may take to guide yourself in a clearer direction.

As a result of probably getting good grades it will of course leave most options open to you. It would therefore be helpful to begin thinking about where you might like to be.

As you mention, all of your thoughts and ideas are available to explore and need careful thought. A good starting point would be to use some free careers matching tools if you have internet access.

You could use www.fasttomato.co.uk which is a series of questions that assesses your personality and preferences to environments; it then lists jobs that are likely to suit you based on your preferences.

It may not identify your dream job, but is likely to identify patterns and themes of jobs that could be right for you.

With this information to hand, I would suggest booking a meeting with your Connexions Personal Adviser at school, or they may run a lunchtime drop-in session to pop along to.

Their job is to help you on a one-to-one basis to think about where you are now, where you want to get to, and then set out steps to help you get there.

The questions you are asking here need talking through in person to ensure you are aware of all the implications so I strongly recommend this takes place.

If you are finishing this year, while unsure, you may wish to put in school and college applications to keep your options open. Some courses are competitive and run out of places. You do not want to reach a decision only to find courses are full.

A good way to identify courses available is to visit the online county prospectus www.hertschoices.org.uk

Good luck!