What to do if you've left school and don't have your next steps sorted

If you left school this summer and you don’t have a next step sorted, don’t worry. Follow these steps to help you think about what your goals could be and how to get there.

Think about your skills and interests

Understanding what you are good at and what you enjoy can be a good first step when thinking about a career plan.

You can take a skills assessment to help you:

• find out what interests and motivates you
• identify your skills
• find out what you can do with the skills you have

Research your options

Once you have an idea of your interests, you can start to explore careers . You can find out more about what a job involves and see if it’s right for you.

You might want to think about:

• what skills you have
• what qualifications you might need to do
• whether you could do any volunteering to find out more about a job and get experience

Take action

Once you have worked out what you would like to do, you can start putting a plan in place.

You could:

• find a course related to the job you want to do
• prepare to do an application form
• develop your skills through learning, work experience or volunteering

Speak to an adviser

A careers adviser can help you work out which choice is best for you. If you'd like to chat or get advice about your future, there are many different ways to speak to an adviser . You can chat to an adviser online or via the helpline on 0800 100 900 (lines are open every weekday from 8am-8pm and between 10am-5pm every Saturday).