Tees Skills Issue 1 | Page 22

HOW TO BE

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Do you want to earn more money than everybody else and achieve what you want to in life ? Daft question really , isn ’ t it ?
And you will now expect this article to be some sort of self-help mumbo-jumbo using words like “ positive action ”, “ visualisation ” and “ potential ”. Well , it isn ’ t . Life isn ’ t as simple as , “ Do this and that will be the result .”
Andrew Stogdale , owner of SPARK Tees Valley , has spent many years working as a “ middle man ” between the world of work and education . Here , he offers his advice to getting your career off to a winning start …
But you can do some very simple things that give you a better chance of achieving what you want in life . Interested or not bothered ? Up to you .

EXAMS

Exams are just keys to the doors to your future . The more keys you have , the more doors you can open . Higher grades open several doors at once .
But that is all they will do , open the door . Once you are through , you have to start again and create more keys for the next step . That might be through more exams or impressing people .
A SMALL EXTRA EFFORT TODAY MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR FUTURE .

STANDING OUT

Exams are really just one small part of your future . When you leave school , there will be thousands of other students just like you , all leaving at the same time . Many of them will have the same qualifications as you .
So how will you stand out from the crowd ?
Effort – research shows those who find out about different jobs when they are younger earn more later in life .
There is a limited set of places on college / university courses or apprenticeships . If you decide to get a job , you won ’ t be the only applicant .
A great CV or personal statement shows what a great person you are - a team player , committed to working hard and full of interests and hobbies . But it is only part of the story . That is a piece of paper that someone who doesn ’ t know you will be reading . They know they are reading the best version of you . They also know they are just words .
At best , it gets you the key to the next door : an interview , an assessment day or a meeting . It is what happens there that sets your course forwards .
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