Published on 12, July, 2020
Our daughter has just been provisionally diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. She is struggling at school and to take the pressure of she is now studying 2 A levels (and supposedly an EPQ for extra UCAS points)
We are very near UCAS applications but she is struggling (as are we) to get her head around what to do. She had always set her heart on a caring profession (and has flitted between a midwife and paediatric nurse). She has now decided against this and is thinking of Sociology (mainly driven by the fact is a vocational degree and doesn't want to make the wrong choice too early)
As parents we are concerned about the whole process - and worry that her degree choice is being made on a whim - her strengths are not in self-study, organisation and interpreting facts and forming opinions. She is very good at fact-based stuff - and seems to prefer learning by doing - so a more practical subject ought to be better. We even worry that University is the right thing for her to do at the moment - the diagnosis is very recent and she has had mental health issues over past year severely affecting her education
Would be interested in anyone who has (or is) going through the same thing
I couldn't deal with staying in academic when I was young. I really just wanted to play music but that wasn't "a proper career" and wasn't allowed, so I ended up rebelling completely and dropping out.
I did do very well as a care assistant (unqualified) at an elderly nursing home and learned a lot there. It inspired me to pick up studies again and train as a nurse, but I burned out halfway through the course, probably mostly because I was working far too many hours and had over-reached.
I was lucky to find an entry point to what ended up being a very successful career in behavioural research and design, initially by joining the design team of a bank but it eventually led me to travel the world doing fascinating projects in healthcare. At 38 I decided I was finally ready to go back to academia, and am now considering starting my PhD alongside working.
Of course everybody is different, and the UK is a little different now to what it was 20 years ago, but in case it's any kind of reassurance to hear a 'success story' that doesn't follow the standard convention of school - university - job.
I understand your concerns. When I was choosing my degree, I also had doubts and worries. In my experience, it's essential to consider your daughter's strengths and preferences. If she excels in fact-based learning and prefers a more practical approach, exploring subjects like psychology, social work, or occupational therapy might be worth considering. These fields offer a mix of theory and hands-on experience. Also, there are medical professions options here https://www.becomeopedia.com/. I hope that you find the best option!
It is usual for students to be able to change subjects within a school or faculty during, or at the end of, their first year. Exeptionally, students might be able to jump between faculties and essentially start a completely new degree, but they effectively lose their first semester and then take an additional semester at the end of their degree. My daughter did this, moving from Fine Art to Music and Audio Technology, a much more maths and engineering based subject. She finished with a first-class degree, so it did not affect her outcome. This is just to point out that a degree choice need not be entirely binding for the final degree subject. My daughter also had a lot of problems with her A-levels and dropped out for a year before starting alternative qualifications.
Hi, my son has just dropped down to two A Levels because he wasn't coping with 3. It has really thrown me as he had always managed OK with school until now. He says he doesn't want to go to uni next year as he doesn't think he will be ready and whilst I often feel really worried about his future I know that he needs more time before making decisions about whether or not to study for a degree.I don't really have any advice, just to say that I'm going through similar and really feel for you with the concerns for our lovely teens and what the future holds.
Hello We’re going through similar with our daughter. Was supposed to be doing 3 a levels but the support is awful so she’s just stopped to btec level 2 production. She got at 9 in art but can’t cope - shame she can’t do the a level. She wants to do something like sociology but can’t cope with it - similar learning and studying issues. I feel for you, I really do. I’ll watch the post with interest :) xx
Also it’s worth mentioning that there are aprentiships offered by the NHS for school leavers wanting to do medical physics / clinical science type stuff.
See self study was one of my strengths so I’m maybe not one to talk. However I am a proponent of doing something you pashonatly enjoy even if it’s hard. Often you will find it’s easier to remain dedicated and proactive with a subject you truly love than with one you find easy but don’t really enjoy.
If she’s determined to go into care but bad with soft ‘facts’ but good with hard facts why not a more technical medical profession? Medical physics? Some ones got to run the MRI machine and zap cancer patients with radioactive isotopes. Not all clinical roles require the full stress of a medical degree.