At age 14 teenagers are made to pick 5 GCSE's which ultimately change their life. Just after two years in secondary school you are forced to chose what way your career will go, is this too early? at age 16 the filtering process continues when you have the option of what A levels you take for the next two years. This makes the career path even narrower for students. Finally at 18 you go to university to study one subject at degree level this will finalise your career choice and set up your life from there.
GCSE's are hard to grasp when after just 3 years in secondary school you start the 2 year course. With only a certain selection of subjects available to take teenagers are forced to chose subjects which will stay with them for the rest of their lives. At the age of 14 it is unfair to force such a big decision on students when they most likely have no idea as to what they want to do. Schools should work with students and give them an insight into what jobs are out there or figure out what job would best suit their ability and skills. At an age where you still have to put your hand up to go to the toilet but have control over the rest of your life seems a bit contradictory. At such a young age it is likely students will be influenced by peers and chose the wrong thing which will effect them in later life. It is mandatory for everyone to get a C grade or above in the core subjects- English, Maths and Science but other than that students have freedom of what subjects they wish to pursue. Seems as if it is a waste of education and time if students if they chose the wrong subjects or fail them because they were influenced by their friends or were once interested in a subject but by the time they are 16 and their final GCSE exams come they have lost all motivation to do it.
A levels are the final thing you will study at secondary school or college if you chose them, others find career paths in specific courses. At As level you choose 4 subjects in which you will spend the next 2 years doing. Just like GCSE is 16 too young to be choosing subjects at further education. The pressure and rush forced upon teenagers to select these can cause wrong preferences and then they are stuck with a qualification which doesn't help them get to where they want to be when they are older. A2 level is supposedly the hardest year of your life with school work but what does a student do if they have been rushed into making choices which they are not interested in. The next step is university where you have the option to chose a subject in which you will get a degree out of. This will ultimately shape their career path.
This whole process starts at 14, is this too young ? is 14 a mature enough age to make decisions what mould your career and whole life. Schools should help students find the perfect subjects for them and make sure they are happy in what they are doing. There is no point working an occupation what they don't enjoy which I think schools have responsibility of helping.
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