November 7, 2024, by Leah Sharpe

But where do I start? The power of a careers appointment

By Eve Swindlehurst, Liberal Arts

For me, there is something so utterly daunting about the concept of a career. It is such an enormous thing that is approaching me faster than I think it is, but the variety of potential career pathways I can go down is exciting, albeit intimidating. The way to overcome this career fear is to start at the very beginning, with a careers appointment.

This blog will show you how my very first careers appointment changed my perspective on careers in general and inspired me to take as many further career opportunities as I can.

Here are four ways that my beliefs were changed:

It is totally fine to divert from the ‘normal’ pathway

At sixth form, I felt immense pressure to apply to university straight away. Many of my friends were excited about this but it couldn’t have felt any more wrong for me. A gap year never felt like an option as they felt like mystical events that only happened to students with wild dreams of travel. I didn’t believe this could be me. My appointment allowed me to see that it was entirely acceptable not to be ready for university yet, and taking time over that decision would never be a silly thing to do. And it was one of the best decisions I have made so far.

There is more than one way to live a life helping people

For so long I believed the most efficient way to help people through my career was through medicine; of course, doctors provide essential and invaluable help to many, but there was no need to force myself down a pathway that I wasn’t sure was for me. I believe the course I am doing at university has the potential to help people and tackle societal challenges in ways that feel more aligned to my personal strengths.

Pathway or pathways?

The narrative we have been told through school implies that you pick one career and that’s what you stick to for life. Whilst this is true for some people, changing career paths is a likely occurrence for many and it doesn’t mean you are broken! Interests and passions change, and you owe it to yourself to follow what excites you.

It is ok to take your time

Everybody is on their own timeline. As a late bloomer, my ‘ready’ may be at a completely different time to somebody else’s ‘ready’, yet both are completely valid. This has reassured me when I’m feeling insecure and inspired me further when making career decisions. These changes in perspective set me up for a confident first year of university and now as I begin my second year, I’m aware how useful the careers service will be to me. I am very much looking forward to gaining continued careers support and am excited to explore my future options further with such a kind team.

If you think you need support with some of your career fear, then login to MyCareer to book an appointment with one of the friendly advisers in the Careers team.

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