We’ve received a few emails recently from pupils asking what options to choose at school.
It’s hard to offer advice on this as it’s a very personal thing, but we know how much extra stress it can put onto young shoulders.
It’s very difficult to know for sure what you might want to do when you are older.
Here are a few tips for keeping your options open, but equipping yourself properly if you stick to the idea of becoming a midwife.
- Studying isn’t easy for most people so it’s important to choose subjects you’ll find it easiest to stick with. Choosing options which you think are the ‘right’ ones for a certain career might make it harder to get decent grades; we tend not to do well in things we don’t enjoy.
- You’ll need good grades in Maths and English. You’ll need to consider tutoring if you think you might have trouble with these.
- Choosing a wide range of subjects will give you more options later, particularly if you aren’t sure where your strengths lie or exactly what you might want to pursue as a career.
- A science based qualification would give you a good basis for a career as a medical professional. There’s a lot of biology and even chemistry to learn in your midwifery degree so a background knowledge will give you confidence to tackle these challenges.
- Midwifery courses are particularly interested in applicants with ‘caring’ experience, so whatever subjects you choose, try to find time for a part-time job where you can show your helpful approach and sensitive character in a relevant setting.
- Don’t worry about making the wrong decisions as it’s almost impossible to feel like you are getting it right when you really don’t know what the future holds. You can only do your best with the information you have now. Our best advice is to make decisions which feel right for you now. Nothing is set in stone, so there’s no need to put too much pressure on yourself already.