Should I change my major?
Distinguish subject, course and term problems before deciding whether to change your major.
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Subjects, majors, degrees, first jobs and gap years, for students and the adults helping them.
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How do I choose school subjects when I don't know what career I want?
Check enjoyment, grades and requirements for three possible routes before choosing subjects.
Read the guideWhat jobs can I do at 16?
The rules before and after school leaving age, jobs that hire at 16 and how to get one.
Read the guideDegrees, majors and what they open
Course choices, what a degree can open, and what to do when graduation did not bring an answer.
- Should I change my major?Distinguish subject, course and term problems before deciding whether to change your major.
- What can I do with a psychology degree?Test whether individual, group or data-focused work interests you after a psychology degree.
- What can I do with a computer science degree besides coding?Explore six routes that use computer science without making coding your whole working day.
- What can I do with a business degree?Compare numbers, people and operations work through small practical tasks.
Subjects, gap years and first steps
Subjects, majors, gap years, first jobs, missing internships and the YouTuber conversation, for students and the adults helping them.
- How do I choose school subjects when I don't know what career I want?Check enjoyment, grades and requirements for three possible routes before choosing subjects.
- Should I take a gap year to figure out what I want to do?Plan a gap year around two or three questions, with work, volunteering and quarterly reviews.
- How do I choose a college major when I'm undecided?Use your first year to test subjects and related work separately, then compare notes.
- How can my teenager explore careers over the summer?Ten contrasting summer activities and three reflection questions that turn them into evidence.
First jobs at 14, 15 and 16
What you can legally do and earn before and after 16, the first CV and interview, work experience, summer jobs and where free careers advice comes from.
- What jobs can I do at 16?The rules before and after school leaving age, jobs that hire at 16 and how to get one.
- What jobs can a 14 or 15 year old do?Hours limits, the council work permit and the jobs that actually take under-16s.
- How much should I be paid at 16, 17 or 18?The April 2026 rates by age, the apprentice rate and how to check your own payslip.
- How do I write a CV with no experience?A one-page first CV built from school, clubs, volunteering and home, with a worked example.
Apprenticeships and technical routes
What an apprenticeship is and pays, how to get one, degree and NHS apprenticeships, T levels against A levels, bootcamps, qualification levels and routes into university without the grades.
- What is an apprenticeship and how does it work?A paid job with training from Level 2 to 7, the 8-month minimum and who can apply.
- How much do apprentices get paid?The £8 apprentice minimum, when your age rate applies and what adverts really pay.
- How do I get an apprenticeship?Where vacancies appear, the timeline for a September start and what makes an application stand out.
- What will they ask in an apprenticeship interview?Seven questions every apprenticeship interview asks, with answers that work without a job history.
After GCSEs and into university
Every option at 16, what to do if results went wrong, whether university pays, UCAS points and the new personal statement, Clearing, placement years, spring weeks and the law on unpaid internships.
- What can I do after GCSEs?The five post-16 routes in England, what the law requires until 18 and how to choose between them.
- I failed my GCSEs. What now?Level 2 courses, apprenticeships and the English and maths resit rules after low GCSE grades.
- Is university worth it?DfE and IFS data on the graduate premium, the 2026 fees and how to judge a specific course against a real alternative.
- I don't want to go to university. What are my options?The routes at 18 besides a degree, and how to make the case at home with a plan and dates.
Graduate jobs and how to get one
Schemes and direct jobs, the recruitment calendar, the graduate CV, the 2:2 question, and the tests, assessment centres and interview questions that decide who gets through.
- What is a graduate scheme?How schemes work, what they pay, how they differ from a graduate job and who each suits.
- When should I apply for graduate jobs?The recruitment calendar month by month, why rolling deadlines matter and what to do if you've missed the autumn.
- How do I write a graduate CV?Section order, turning modules and a dissertation into evidence, and writing part-time work as results.
- I've graduated with no job. What should I do?What the outcomes data say, a twelve-week structure and the week-six check that tells you what to change.
First pay, first contract and what comes next
What graduates earn, how the student loan and your first payslip really work, zero-hours and probation, the first week, transferable skills, the Graduate visa, and whether a master's or conversion course pays.
- What is a graduate salary in the UK?The scheme median, what most first jobs pay, the sector table and the two-year question to ask.
- How do student loan repayments work?Thresholds and rates by plan for 2026/27, why it behaves like a tax and whether to overpay.
- Why is my first payslip so low? Emergency tax explainedWhat the emergency codes do, how to read a payslip and how overpaid tax comes back.
- What is a zero-hours contract and what are my rights?Your rights from the first shift, the 2025 Act's guaranteed-hours offer and when the contract works for you.
US: first jobs and what comes after high school
For readers in the United States: what teens can legally do and earn, work permits, summer jobs, a first resume, and the choice between college, community college, trade school and the FAFSA.
- What jobs can a 14 or 15 year old do in the US?The FLSA hours limits, the allowed-jobs list, state permits and where 14 and 15 year olds actually get hired.
- What jobs can I get at 16 in the US?What opens up at 16, the hazardous jobs still banned, pay by state and how to get hired with no experience.
- How do I get a work permit as a minor?Which states need working papers, who issues them, what to bring and how to get one in a day.
- What are the best summer jobs for teens in the US?Where teen summer jobs are, when to apply, 2026 pay and the city youth employment programs that take 14 year olds.
US: apprenticeships, internships, graduate jobs and the first paycheck
For readers in the United States: registered apprenticeships, internships, rotational programs, the new grad resume, the 2026 market, STAR interviews, starting salaries, student loan plans after July 2026, the W-4, at-will employment, the 401(k) match, and OPT and the H-1B.
- How do apprenticeship programs work in the US?How registered apprenticeships are built, who sponsors them, the main trades and their pay, and how to find one.
- How do I get an apprenticeship in the US?Application windows, the aptitude test, pre-apprenticeships, the interview and what to do when waitlisted.
- How do I get an internship as a college student in the US?The recruiting calendar, where internships really come from, paid against unpaid and the conversion rate to offers.
- What is a rotational program and is it worth joining?The structure of leadership development programs, who runs them, pay, how to get in and when to say no.
Degrees: what next, and which are worth it
Jobs for communications, sociology, politics, philosophy and maths graduates, which degrees pay off, and the best degrees for the 2030s job market.
- What jobs can you get with a communications degree?Jobs for communications and media graduates, how to stand out, and which specialisms make you easier to hire.
- What jobs can you get with a sociology degree?Jobs for sociology graduates in research, policy, people and services, and how to turn the degree into an offer.
- What jobs can you get with a political science or politics degree?Careers for political science and politics graduates, from government and policy to law and business, and how to get in.
- What jobs can you get with a philosophy degree?Where philosophy graduates work, emerging AI ethics roles, and how to explain the degree's value to employers.
From other sections
Guides shelved elsewhere that answer part of this question too.
- Where to startShould I learn coding, data, product, or something else?Test coding, data or product work before committing months to a course.
- Quizzes, tests and AI toolsEntry-level jobs and AI: how to get experience when nobody will hire youBuild a credible work sample while navigating changing entry-level hiring.
- When AI changes your jobJunior developer in 2026: how do you get experience when jobs require experience?Build a small shipped project with real users to demonstrate development experience.
- Actually changingHow do I switch careers with no experience?Build experience through small real tasks and outcomes another person can judge.
- Before you pay to retrainIs a coding bootcamp worth it? What to check before payingCheck bootcamp teaching, costs and outcomes before trying a small coding task.
- Before you pay to retrainApprenticeship or university: how to choose when both could workCompare the work, study, costs and options behind apprenticeship and university offers.
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- Before you choose a directionWhat career test can help a recent graduate decide what to try next?Two free tests that count coursework and part-time work, then a month of testing two directions.
- Applying, step by stepWhat's the difference between a CV and a resume?The same document under two names, and the length each country expects.
- Applying, step by stepHow long should a CV be?Two sides of A4, one US page, or longer for academic work, and what to cut first.
- Applying, step by stepHow do I turn CV duties into achievements?Verb, scale, result: turn what you were responsible for into what changed.
- At the job postHow do I read a job description properly?Four passes through a post: the work, the must-haves, the wish list and the facts.
- At the job postWhat should go in the skills section of a CV?Six to twelve checkable skills, spelled the post's way, each backed by a bullet.
- At the job postHow do I show achievements on a CV without numbers?Scale, before and after, who relied on it and what it replaced, when there's no percentage.
- At the job postHow do I put projects and volunteering on my CV?Unpaid work written like a job, and placed above paid work when it's more relevant.
- At the job postHow do I put an unfinished degree on my CV?Accurate wording for a degree you left or are still doing, and what to lead with instead.
- At the job postWhat should I leave off my CV?Photos, age, full address, references and filler phrases: what to cut and what to keep.
- At the job postCan I apply for more than one job at the same company?Two or three close roles is normal; many unrelated ones looks unfocused.
- At the job postWhat happens to my application after I click apply?The tracking system, screening questions, the recruiter's skim and the shortlist, and where applications stall.
- At the job postWhat CV mistakes cost you interviews?Ten common CV mistakes, from a generic top third to unreadable layouts, each with a fix.
- Jobs of the future, from the dataWhat are good future jobs that don't need a degree?Growing work with a non-degree route, and why evidence beats a dropped degree line.
- Jobs of the future, from the dataWill 65% of today's children do jobs that don't exist yet?The 65% figure was never traced to a study, and what's true about changing work instead.
- Interviews, offers and afterHow do I answer 'Tell me about yourself' in an interview?Present, proof, next: a 75-second answer built from the post.
- Interviews, offers and afterHow do I answer 'What is your greatest weakness?'A real weakness, what you do about it, and a sign it's improving.
- Interviews, offers and afterWhat questions should I ask at the end of an interview?Questions about the work and team that also tell you whether to say yes.
- Interviews, offers and afterWho should I ask for a job reference?Recent managers first, asked early and reminded of what you did.
- OffLadder, asked plainlyI just graduated and don't know what to apply for. Can OffLadder help?Try a few jobs before you apply for any, then apply to the one that holds up.
- LinkedIn and applicationsCareer fair tips: how to prepare, what to say and how to follow upHow to prepare for a career fair, what to say at each stand, the questions to ask and how to follow up.
- Career change by age and routeHow do I get into tech without a degree?Tech roles you can get without a degree, the routes that work and how to build proof employers trust.
- Changing at any ageIs this a quarter-life crisis? Changing careers at 25Why changing careers at 25 is common, how the entry-level squeeze affects it, and how to test first.
- AI and your first rungGraduating into AI: a plan for your first yearA month-by-month plan for people graduating into an AI-shaped job market: practise, build one project, apply where AI helps.
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