career decision

Every task, in every job requires a combination of general or specific hard and soft skills with applicable general or specific knowledge in different proportions, some tasks demand higher or more hard skills, some lower or less, some demand more soft skills, some demand less, some demand lower or less general or specific knowledge and others demand higher or more knowledge.
A person with the right mix of knowledge and skills is work-ready!

What are hard skills?
Hard skills are self or trained abilities to perform specific job tasks.

What are soft skills?
Soft skills are abilities applicable to all jobs that a person develops through educational, social, economic and physical environmental influences.

What is knowledge?
Knowledge is a theoretical or practical understanding of general or specific subjects.

What is experience?
Experience is the normal practical contact and regular exploitation of real job tasks using area/domain-specific or domain-general knowledge and skills over any length of time. Normal and regular exploitation of tasks leads to area/domain-specific normal performance.
fact:
A few school leavers and graduates will have minimal experience by the time they finish education, most will have none!

What is expertise?
Expertise is the deep and narrow higher level of skills or knowledge acquired through regular exploitation of real job tasks using area/domain-specific knowledge and skills over a long time; Expertise leads to area/domain-specific greater than normal performance!
So you see experience and expertise do not mean the same.
fact:
Not a single school leaver or graduate will have expertise by the time one finishes education!
Avoid using the word expertise on your professional profile and your CV!
tip:
Some jobs require no experience, some minimum experience and others more expertise.

You have read, 'an employee self or otherwise, serves the master or masters whoever that be'. The master's or masters' satisfaction is your satisfaction, happy master or masters, happy servant!
scenario
Imagine you are a football striker on lucrative contract but you don't score goals, fans will give you stick, chanting 'you don't know what you are doing', say you are a doctor on good salary but cannot treat patients, there will be flood of complaints, you surely won't get any job satisfaction if you were the aforementioned striker or doctor, would you?

Horizontal career progression is to hierarchy of knowledge or skills . You progress horizontally and accordingly command more compensation in pay package or wages for acquired knowledge and skills .
Some careers have clear horizontal progression paths, some have not.
example:
Horizontal natural career progression of a doctor.
A doctor starts as a medical student, then qualified resident doctor, then unsupervised senior doctor after on the job training and ultimately if one wants to can take the continuous training general or specialist route as General Practitioner (GP), consultant or Staff grade and Associate Specialist (SAS) doctor.

Vertical career progression is to hierarchy of authority . You are promoted and accordingly command more compensation in pay package or wages for span of control , that is, the number of people you supervise or for retention purposes.
Believe it or not when it comes to promotion, exposure and image are well ahead of performance! You have to be seen and market yourself as promotion material, actually, the top-notch people rarely get promoted, who in his/her right mind will promote the best perfoming team member?!

1. Homogeneity - all students study the same or similar courses, attend the same or similar classes, attend the same or similar schools, colleges or universities, read the same or similar assigned or recommended books, and so forth.
2. Intensity of focus - students across the board concentrate on subject topics that are required to make up the grades on standardized tests and exams.
3. Age related expectations (AREs) - chronological age, that is, amount of time a person has lived since birth, rather than mental age, that is, a little bit of mental maturity for learning dictates which school year one belongs to and what one has to be taught, as a result, those people who are slow book learners do get left behind!
4. Lag - there exists constant technological advances, some areas more than others like in science and engineering tend to be impacted most, it can be difficult for educators to acquire or refresh their skills due to time, costs limitations and so forth and what happens is, you often find what you are being taught is a few months, years or even decades out of date!

Education elitism is part of civilization, it is everywhere!
Less than 10% of UK population is privately educated using own money; yet they account for more than half of the top level of most professions, meaning, the remaining 90% or so that attend mostly non-selective state schools compete for the remainder, if you are one of the 10%, lucky you, if otherwise, tough, you have to work harder, 'if you can't beat them, join them', the 10% won't lower their standards to accommodate you, you have to up your game to or above their level, you cannot rely on impossible to implement quotas, Robin Hood effect social policies to take the opportunities from the affluent students and give them to the disadvantaged.

The certificates one receives on paper as in GCSEs, A'levels, B, M to PhD degrees from an officially recognized institution are qualifications, the only thing qualification prove is; one has successful completed a formal phase of education not mastery as mastery can only be proven in practical use settings - the real world of work!

Rote that's learning by memorization through repetition is for limited foundational, word-for-word, number-for-number sequential, quick short-term recall of a tiny amount of information whereas conceptual or meaningful learning is for mastery-full command, the long lasting understanding of core principles and applying them in random scenarios - the ultimate educational and intellectual growth goal!
tip:
Rote learning is stressful due to the pressure to recall information; the creator of this website still remembers the days whilst in secondary education of the many of his former classmates who got so stressed out when they could not recall information before and during exams, that some fainted and others had panic attacks!
On the other hand conceptual learning is a breeze - you only need to grasp a few, finite, core principles and inject your own input into them!

On every phase of formal education, students should have opportunities to add to their reserves more background knowledge and age appropriate skills.
The more the accurate, active, appropriate and sufficient background knowledge one has, the better one is equipped with:

1. The ability to grasp the full meaning of variety of things.
2. The ability to fully utilize gained skills and learn new ones.
3. The ability to unlock new ideas and experiences that lie ahead.

To recap from the definition, soft skills develop through educational, social, economic and physical environmental influences which can be limited for some especially if you are from disadvantaged background, the trick is, observe 'how the other half lives', namely, the affluent, as in every society, they are the dominant and call the shots, that is, deciding how things should be done in society, learn directly or indirectly from them!

1. Communication - speaking, writing and listening.
2. Work ethic - willingness to work, work does not have to be a chore.
3. Flexibility - priorities change, the willingness to accommodate changes is important.
4. Adaptability - world of work is constantly changing, change with it or wither and die.
5. Leadership - stepping up and taking the lead when needed.
6. Teamwork - Working together in harmony to achieve a common goal efficiently and effectively.
7. Personal motivation - intrinsically, there is that little annoying or pleasant person inside everyone of us that is nudging and nagging us to get or do something.
8. Organization - without organization, you have chaos, the more organized the better.
9. Time management - punctuality, prioritization of tasks, you cannot do everything, you have to rank tasks.
10. Cultural awareness - we live and work in a multicultural society, you must appreciate cultural differences.
11. Commercial awareness (business acumen, business/client focus) - the ability to form a mental image of how employers as organized for profit or not for profit enterprise, with profit maximization and value for money (VFM) objectives respectively operate daily and in the long term relative to wider environment surrounding them.

Informal learning is to overcoming education for what it is homogeneity, intensity of focus and lag problems!
For anything you are not taught in the classroom, offset by implicitly and continuously teaching yourself through other sources namely books, exhibitions, forums, magazines, newspapers, journals and so forth as self-taught knowledge gives you not only originality and differentiates you from everyone else but also it is the reason why we have inventors, innovators, wealth-creators and so forth, the intellectually curious that learnt beyond what they were taught.

If you are one of those students stuck in a relatively under-resourced, non selective school, cannot buy the best textbooks or afford extra tuition, reach out to your better-off peers that are willing to share knowledge, ask them to share with you their school or extra tuition materials, compare and contrast what you are learning, add what you are missing, it will enrich your learning experience greatly.

You are a learner, do not be shy, when you are stuck, 'approach subject teachers with any questions you have, even if they do not directly teach your class, you'd be surprised by their wealth of knowledge and their willingness to share it!

Further education is the in-between education, the middle child, normally taking place between the ages of 16 and 18, depending on where you are in the UK, you can take academic route and take 'A' levels or equivalent Scottish Highers, Welsh and Scottish Baccalaureates, International Baccalaureates and so forth or practical route vocational or apprenticeship equivalents.
Tip:
If you are considering attending university, academic institutions by their very nature, you should focus more on academic route than practical vocational or apprenticeship as some universities do not accept them as equivalents when it comes to their selection criteria!

One important point to remember is: In higher education, learners are consumers not students!
You buy courses based on 'caveat emptor', let the buyer beware, a principle, you a student as a buyer, you are responsible for checking or inspecting the suitability of courses on offer as per prospectus before you buy and on understanding you cannot claim any remedies or refunds from higher education institutions thereafter if it happens what you have learnt is worthless in the real world of work!

The purpose of an undergraduate bachelor degree also known as an undergraduate degree or equivalent is to give students deep domain specific knowledge and skills.
A degree in a particular field the common terms used are major or specialization often form the basis of an individual's career.
Tip:
In the United Kingdom, there exists academic university degree bias among many students, parents and teachers at the expense non-academic and direct employment routes, well, this is nothing more than academic snobbery - embedded false and hollow beliefs; as the reality is, a degree is no better than an apprentinceship or vocational equivalent!

Only about a third of learning hours at university are contact, that is scheduled instructor ot tutor-led lectures, seminars, and so forth, the remainder is self-directed learning a skill you are assumed to have developed through supplementary home or library self-study whilst in earlier phases of education!

There is neither universal agreement on how academic subjects should be classified nor proper criteria for organizing knowledge into disciplines among higher education institutions, however, if you look carefully, every course on offer is merely liberal arts combinational derivative of trivium - grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and the quadrivium - arithmetic, astronomy, music, and geometry that together, lead to the understanding of 'universal idea of reality', taught through e-learning, projects, lectures, lab and practical, supervisions, field-trips, seminars, classes and so forth

STEM - Science namely natural sciences Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics alone are pure subjects when you change them into applied form as in applied Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics , blend them together, they bear Engineering and Technology . By grouping, education does not feel so confusing, does it?

The ultimate goal is qualifications, apart from facilities, alumni and proximity, everything else is a pleasant extra. A broadly accurate principle based on creator of this website's experience are:

1. Think of the phrase 'soup of the day', it doesn't sound that interesting in English but when you say it in French 'soup du jour', it does!
   University prospectuses are marketing tools, they use soup du juor to present their courses!
   Never choose a course because it sounds interesting as what you are trained to do and what you do actually end up doing and get paid for afterwards can end being really soup of the day - dull and uninspiring!
2. Choose a university degree course only if is an absolute must as in the career you intend to pursue is a regulated profession that requires it as a minimum or there is no equivalents!
3. Unless money is not an object, that is, you have sufficient funds for your degree and thus no need to borrow or you are pursuing a degree not for financial gain, choose a degree course that will give you not only a sort of knowledge and skills that people are willing to pay you reasonably for, privately as self-employed or as an employee in a small, medium or large private enterprise, family owned or corporations, chains or independents, charitable, governmental or non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and so forth but a reasonable pay-off in the long term, as university education is a big investment!
   What is the point of doing a degree course that leads to a job where you get paid the same wages as a school leaver?

Did you know that to maintain teaching standards, ensure quality placements, and manage funding, UK's medical and dental fields university places for both home students and overseas/international students are capped in each part of the UK and higher education provider.

1. Every year around 9,500 medical school places are made available across the UK to train new doctors, according to Medical Schools Council, there are 40 universities out of around 166 in the UK that offer the undergraduate degree course!
2. There are around 1,100 dental school places made available across the UK each year, according to British Dental Association only 16 universities out of around 166 in the UK do offer the undergraduate degree course!

If you are intending to pursue Engineering, Science or Technology, universities tend to have the best facilities namely buildings, equipment, and services on offer for learning and experimentation.

Where the quality of individual alumnus, that is, a graduate from the same university, knowledge and skills is open for debate, the power of alumni as social capital in an institutionalized form is settled. Rank matters! Attending a top research university open you up to opportunities to mingle with affluent, well-connected teaching staff, home and international students, a priceless network.

When choosing a university to attend the only thing we tend to consider is the easy bit, that is, getting to a campus, however, we tend to overlook the most important proximity (nearness) to jobs as per degree major/specialization after graduation.

1. East Anglia, the South-East, the East Midlands and Yorkshire are agricultural heartlands.
2. The West Midlands is the industrial heartland.
3. The South East is distinctive for its service industries such as insurance, banking and shipping.

Meaning, you have to explore which sector and divisions of industry your chosen major/specialization is in, namely primary, secondary or tertiary because they will determine geographically where and how close to your university most job opportunities are, the availability of internships or work placement places that are essential to the development of relevant work experience.
You can learn more about where, types of jobs available at present and in the future, locally, regionally, nationwide and internationally through Labour Market Information (LMI).

1. Nothing aid graduates in landing jobs with some large, top employers than alumni and geographical location.
2. Never rely too much on Labour market information as it is statistical information based on management survey responses not exact science, often things don't turn out the way people predict!
   EXAMPLE:
   1. Did you know that there is General Practioners (GP's) shortage across the United Kingdom yet 6 out 10 newly qualified GP's struggle and will struggle to find permanent positions due to on-going poor general practices funding from the government!
   2. Have you heard the phrase 'There is a high demand for engineers yet no jobs', engineering graduates struggle to find permanent entry positions due to ever increasing automation and constant technological developments!
   3. Did you know Biomedical sciences is a growth sector yet many biomedical sciences graduates struggle to find permanent entry positions due to constant changes in government subsidies and equity financing that the sector depends on!

A PhD is a post-graduate degree after Masters. Unless you are planning to become an academic, that is, a person involved with teaching and research or an academic researcher a person who is involved in investigation and discovery of new knowledge both primarily a preserve of universities; it is not worth pursuing a doctorate degree at all!