Whilst at Stirling High, during my 5th year I realised I wanted to pursue a career where I would be caring for people combined with my interest in Human Biology. From this I narrowed my options down to 3 - Nursing; Midwifery or Radiography. I went to the careers advisor to get support in what qualifications I needed for these courses and also went to my pupil support teacher for support in writing my UCAS statement to be tailored to these courses also. I ended up deciding after open days at universities to focus on midwifery or nursing.
Extra Curricular & Work Experience
In school, I was regularly part of the drama and musical theatre clubs - which I really enjoyed! Outside of school, I kept myself fairly busy!
I attended the National Youth Choir of Scotland from aged 8-18. This taught me many valuable and transferable skills- especially in regards to self discipline and was also something I really enjoyed and was proud to be apart of!
I also attended Girl Guiding from Rainbows when I was little - all the way to being a Young Leader when I was 16. I absolutely loved this and have lots of fond memories of this! It definitely taught me organisational skills and lots of practical skills like camping survival skills as well!
When I was 16 I volunteered as a Peer Assisted Learner with Stirling Council too - this was definitely beneficial for my future career as it taught me teaching skills and how to work professionally with important organisations!
I think the biggest skill I learnt during school and my extracurricular activities at that time was self discipline. I learnt how to manage my time, my workload and the importance of my individual role within teams. This has been key in my career as a nurse! But I also developed a drive to learn more which has also continued beyond school and has been really important to me in my career.
Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers - it’ll come with time. During my time at school - I think I changed my mind about what I wanted to do at least 5 times! But also go for your goals once you work them out!
I wish I had known the importance and role of Trade Unions prior to leaving school as this is something I now know is very important to have in your career - no matter what you go on to do!
