Francesca asks :
So I was talking to my family this morning about which A-Levels I'm going to take at college in September. I was planning on taking photography, English lit-lang, sociology, media studies and art & design. I want to be a photojournalist/fashion photographer. When I mentioned art and design, my older sister and my mum made out that I wouldn't be very good at it, saying that it isn't my strongest subject and stuff, but I really enjoy it and am expected to get an A in it at GCSE. My twin sister, who is also going to take the subject, is very good at art and my whole family are very supportive of her doing it. I told my mum that I was upset about the fact that they don't think I could manage the A-level and she got really angry at me,saying she thought I was more academic and that she won't give me any advice in the future. It's made me question whether or not I'm good enough to do art, and I'm worried that if I take it anyway, I won't have the support of my family anymore. Any advice?
Yin replies
The beauty of A levels is that you are taking a few different subjects so you are not putting all your eggs in one basket. If you have already decided what you want to be when you leave then it is sensible to tailor your subjects around this to give you the broadest spectrum in the field. If you are taking four subjects there is bound to be one that you are weaker at as we are not all good at everything, however a predicted A is not being bad at something! . If the subject makes you happy then I would say do it!
Yang replies
Your family are looking out for your future as it is hard to find work and yes academic subjects are a good grounding, but you already have that element in your sociology and English literature and language classes, so you have not chosen four subjects that are entirely practical. Most colleges are pretty flexible and if you are on a course, where you don’t like the teacher or you feel you need to change or drop a subject, then you often have the option to do this. Why not try it out, see how it goes for a couple of weeks and see then? If you feel it isn’t right for you, you won’t have missed a lot of another class if you wish to join a new one.
tagged in yin and yang
Need Help?
If you need help or advice, you can ask Yin & Yang. It's quick, easy, free and you don't have to leave your real name.