Keep asking questions

Keep asking questions.Pat Pearce, head of the careers service at the University of Westminster, says:If you really do not want to repeat you A-level grades, it is important for you to find out what the going rate is for degrees related to the media in a variety of universities. My own university, for example, offers a BA in contemporary media practice which you can enter with two Cs. You will be asked not only about your A-level grades but also whether you have a portfolio of work to show, for example artwork, video scripts, TV and radio scripts. Perhaps you could spend some time preparing and combining this with a short course in IT.If your career aim is the media, you do not have to do a degree in a media-related subject You could do modern languages or philosophy, for example. Choose a course that includes placement work or work experience. Your local library should have the Ucas (Universities and Colleges Admissions Services) book which lists universities and colleges, their courses and the entry requirements.You also need to ask yourself what motivates you. Your A-level grades are by no means bad and will not exclude you from further education.

Take that research even further! First of all, try to dissect the media industry. The number of industries and professions that are directly and indirectly linked to the media is huge, ranging from newspaper and broadcast journalism to public relations and advertising.A media or general business studies course is a good way to do this. A professional career analyst trained in the processes and techniques of occupational psychology can help to identify your real aptitude, interests and personality to direct your potential into the right field.Out of this you get a realistic plan for achieving accessible and relevant goals. This rationale produces clearer personal commitment, which in turn stimulates motivation, a sense of control and greater self-esteem. The benefits of this far outweigh the cost and, more particularly, the cost and waste of being on the wrong course or in the wrong job, or wasting time chasing completely unrealistic pipe-dreams.Justin Kent, associate director of Major Players Recruitment Consultancy, says:You have already started the process by looking into courses and establishing the media as an area of interest.

I do not fancy taking the time to retread my A-levels as I want to move forwards, not sideways. I have been debating a short course gaining office skills - such as typing or shorthand, if it will help. Is secretarial college the answer?Glen JohnsonAlexis Hallam, a consulting psychologist with Career Analysts Ltd, says:Everyone experiences this kind of dilemma at some stage. The problem is solved by learning the skills of personal and career planning as early as possible.

Qualifications, of themselves, do not determine what particular career we should pursue or what job we may be successful at or find our personal fulfilment in. However, they do give us access to options and opportunities. Whatever the level or type of qualification we have, we need to weigh up the kind of work that will best suit our qualities and needs so that we can redirect ourselves, or invest in the right qualifications - at as early a stage as possible.To do this, you needs objective information about yourself and reliable, insightful information on career and working cultures. "One of my few positive memories is that my mother was always there," she recalls. Being there when they were younger meant we could enjoy doing things like going to park in the middle of the day when they felt like it.

Oh yes, and don't forget Reading, and Malaysia.Ambience: Most students are in Ealing, 10 miles from central London. 20 per cent of students at Slough.Vital statistics: Big, ethnically diverse institution with large number of mature students, many on sub-degree courses run part-time, day-release and in the evenings. 39,000 students in all, 9,000 of them taking TVU degrees abroad Recruits heavily through Clearing. Got into trouble last year when it decided to pass students who should have failed. Order was rescinded, leaving TVU with some bad publicity, but no harm done. Student applications went up.Added Value: Helps students find jobs via its Work Bureau which gets jobs in the university so students can work in-house in lieu of tuition fees. Provides service for employers looking for graduates.Easy to get into? Yes.

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