Scottish Higher choices? Possible careers?

[Rachel]

Hi, so I am in S4 in Scotland and currently sitting my National 5 exams. The subjects I am doing are English, Maths, French, Chemistry, Biology, History, Drama and Admin + IT.

We have to pick our Highers very soon and I'm still completely unsure of what I want to do when I leave school.

I used to want to be a Primary School Teacher or Doctor but now I want to be a lawyer more. But there is so much competition in all of those careers and people say that Law School is a lot of pressure and just not worth it anymore... I am completely unsure what to do. I've talked with the Careers Advisor and she is not very helpful

Are any of those good career choices for the N5's that I take and what Highers would be beneficial and give me the widest range of options?

Could I be a lawyer without Modern Studies?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated xx

[MVL]

Career advisers generally advise you on your decision, that is a decision you've already made and not one you are still deciding on. So the job itself is pretty useless and irrelevant.

If you can work well under pressure, then don't be afraid of high pressure careers. If you can't work under any pressure at all, then I am in no position to offer advice as anything in life will be a lot of pressure compared to still being in school/uni.

If you aren't sure about fulfilling the requirements to enrol in uni, contact that specific uni or even better, that specific department. They'll get back to you quickly. Also... While phoning is faster than email, many office/reception people can be very douchy on the phone (because to them you're just another voice on the phone), but visiting and asking in person is fastest and it forces them to look at your situation right there and right now.

[Velocity]

your choice slightly depends on whats on offer to you at your school, or others near by if you can attend another school.

the main thing to do- is take a deep breath and not worry too much : )

from teacher, doctor and lawyer you obviously like other people and want to make a difference~ there are a ton of degrees, and later careers, which cover that. you dont need to worry too much about this right now. whatever range of subjects you study will allow you to apply to a number of degrees, but if you're currently set on law, just make sure you have the basic requirements. you can then change your mind and do history, linguistics, etc degrees if you want.

medicine is a very hard degree~ youd need AAAAA grades in biology etc~ but with 2 academic (non science) highers, you could still apply to other degrees.

the subjects youll need for law or teaching are more general, and will allow you to apply to plenty of other degrees, though if you miss out bio etc, NOT medicine. so long as you *can* apply to do law, thats all you need to worry about right now~ those higher subjects can also get you into a ton of other courses too.

for law or teaching a good basis would be a combination of philosophy, law, economics, psychology, english, classics, politics, history, etc as well as perhaps a language, including latin, if you want to enter law, or teach languages~ they are all subjects which teach you to think critically.
law is also a very hard degree to study, but really doesnt limit you to being a lawyer only.

glasgow's law requirements, from their site, are~ "Highers: AAAAA including English (one sitting). Conditional offers may be made to SQA applicants in their sixth year who achieved between AABBB to AAAAB in fifth year. Applicants are encouraged, where possible, to study Advanced Highers in Arts/Social Science subjects in sixth year".

im english, so i dont know about modern studies, but in england subjects like citizenship, world development, communications, media studies etc are not accepted as 'good' A levels b y top unis, so check that modern studies is considered a good higher. theres no point in getting As in poor subjects, though i dont get the impression that it is.
post on here, asking about it~ its a good site generally, as it has homework forums, as well as forums for all unis, and uni subjects, as well as highers. obviously if your school doesnt offer modern studies, then any uni you apply to won't count that against you. dont worry.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=41 this is the forum for highers.
ask students currently reading law in scotland what they feel of their prospects, too. there are always places for good teachers, at all levels, but its a stressful job, too. having said that, my mother (lecturer) and several friends (6th form and uni) love it. to teach, you can do a regular degree, then a training course in teaching. science and maths teachers are always sought, so that's another option if you wanted to read chemistry, biology etc at degree~ you could choose a career in bio chemistry, etc or teaching. youd be helping people in either career, though you sound more like its the personal contact with people you really want, rather than helping them more remotely from a lab!

likewise, with a law degree youll always be able to find work, as it demonstrates you have a good brain, though may not end up working as a solicitor.
if you wanted to work in law south of the border youd have to do a conversion course, as our legal system is different, so thats an extra couple of years, or studying at an english or welsh uni.

you could also consider human rights work, psychology, politics, etc either as an eventual career or degree. as long as youre covered for the basic entry requirements, dont worry too much right now about your career.
most politicans, for example, have NOT read politics~ alec salmond read economics & history, and boris johnson read classics. most careers dont need you to have a *degree* in that subject, though law and medicine are really obvious exceptions. likewise~ law or medicine will enable you to go into plenty of other careers, as they are so highly thought of. the world is more flexible than youd expect. plenty of famous actors read academic degrees at uni, not drama. just make sure youre able to enter a law degree if you want to by picking the right subjects; you can change your mind and do a degree in something else if you fancy that.

btw, if you do get the chance to do philosophy, take it. i did it at A level, and think its the best thing ive ever done in my entire life. it teaches you to think in new ways, and dismantle the arguments of others. for teaching or law it'd be invaluable. i drove my parents insane with an astonishing capacity and skill in arguing with them about when i should go out etc, ha ha ;P

good luck in your choices!