The choice of further education is often the most enjoyable decision to make because you will know what you want to do and be able to decide what's best for you.

Whether a more academic course is best, or you want to train on a vocational course, the choice is yours...

Although career choices are important for some young people, they're not a matter of life and death. In fact, most people don't get into a settled career until their mid-20s. If your child plans to be a doctor, lawyer or other professional, it's a long haul - as it always has been. For others, though, the route is likely to be much less predictable.

But before your child starts a career, they'll probably have further and higher education to consider. Many recent changes have occurred in this area. Loans have replaced grants, there's a broader range of courses, more ways to access further and higher education and even ways to build credits towards qualifications.

Higher education costs money, and there's an increasing number of part-time (often poorly paid) jobs open to students, with many universities and colleges having reduced study hours to enable students to earn.

In terms of post-university work, employers are increasingly looking for experience as well as academic qualifications. It's as important that your child builds towards a body of experience as it is to make good career choices.

Implications for you as parents

If your child doesn't seem to have any concrete future plans, here are some tips to help you.

  • Don't worry yet - accept that your child's career may be less predictable than your own.
  • Inform yourself about the workplace - buy and read a careers book or talk to people in their early and mid-20s about their experiences.
  • Help your child think through options - with the broad range of training and academic courses available, it can make it even more difficult to make a choice.
  • Support your child to learn to adapt to a changing world - your teen will need these skills to negotiate they're working life, whichever career they choose.
  • Accept that some people take longer than others to choose a career - some know at 11, others not until their mid-20s. Only start to worry once your child is over 30!