Kate left school in 1986 with 8 O levels including Maths, English and 3 sciences. All she wanted when she left school was to get married, buy a house and start a family before her 20th birthday. 16 years later, with teenage children, she decided it was time to start earning again, but she didn’t want just any job – she was concerned about job satisfaction and “having a career” rather than just a job.

One of Kate’s hobbies was renovating the different houses she has lived in and she has taken various leisure DIY courses. Though she thought it was unlikely she could get a job in the construction industry, she wrote to a number of local building companies asking about some kind of apprenticeship and one offered her a job. After discussion, her employer agreed to pay for her to take the BTEC National Certificate in Construction at Central Sussex College, a 2 year course with 1 day a week at college. Kate knows that she could go on to the Foundation degree in Construction at Brighton University.

Before she started her course, Kate wanted answers to questions like:

• What is a foundation degree?
• How is it different from other degrees?
• How much will it cost?

If Kate had followed an art and design route, rather than construction, she could have considered doing an HND in interior design at Northbrook College which would also cover things like building materials and regulations. Kate had made up her mind about what she wanted to do, but if she had been less sure, she could have got advice from Sussex Careersor from her local FE college or the Open University.

What could you do?

If you found this interesting, go to career matters and find out what you could do.