«I like the close contact with people»

I tell

"After leaving school, I completed a year of work experience at Swiss Post to find out what I wanted to study. I helped organise meetings and congresses, designed presentations and translated texts because Italian is my second mother tongue. During this time, I realised that I wanted to become a physiotherapist because I like working with people. And because this profession has something to do with sport. For the University of Applied Sciences in Leukerbad, I first had to successfully complete a preparatory year for health professions at universities of applied sciences before I could take the entrance exam for the physiotherapy degree programme. My second year of study is coming to an end soon.

Secondary school is an exciting path to an intellectually demanding profession - but not the only one.

The Bachelor's degree programme is bilingual in German and French. The academic topics are varied: anatomy, movement theory, clinical pictures, therapy planning, hypothesising. In the practical part, we practise mobilisation, feel muscles and joints, learn rehabilitation exercises and much more. During the three-year degree programme, we do four internships, two of which I completed; they confirmed my choice of career. I really like the close contact with people, the direct feedback, the communication. I would have preferred to stay in the practice where I did my second internship."

Read more about choosing a career:

• Step 1: Get to know your own interests and strengths
  Before young people can decide what training they want to pursue after secondary school, they need to answer a few basic questions about themselves. Not an easy task in the middle of puberty, which is already full of questions.
• Step 2: Get to know professions and training programmes
  Into an apprenticeship or continue at school? Many people ask themselves this question in upper secondary school. But the two paths are not mutually exclusive. An overview of the most important educational programmes.
• Step 3: Compare your own strengths with the requirements of professions and training programmes
  Every apprenticeship and every school has its own specific requirements. For young job seekers, this means that they should either work intensively on their skills or look for a less demanding apprenticeship.
• Step 4: Get to know interesting professions in a taster apprenticeship
  A taster apprenticeship, also known as a career choice internship, gives you a first impression of working life, a profession and the atmosphere in a potential training company. It is something like the ultimate reality check for young apprenticeship seekers.
• Step 5: Review possible professions and training courses and make a decision
  Careers counsellor Sigrid Weber knows the agony of choosing a career that many young people go through. Favourite subjects and hobbies are initial pointers to the right apprenticeship, a lot can be learned in trial apprenticeships - and sometimes even a coin toss helps, says the psychologist. When making a decision, however, the feeling has to be right above all.
• Step 6: Look for an apprenticeship or register with a school
  Once you have chosen the right profession, it's time to look for a suitable training organisation. Large or small, informal or formal, hierarchical or collegial? The more different types you get to know through taster sessions, the better you will know what suits you.
• Step 7: Prepare for an apprenticeship or school or clarify bridging programmes
  The tenth school year is seen as an emergency solution for those who have not found an apprenticeship. In reality, it is a useful educational programme to close gaps in schooling and other gaps or to help you make a decision about your career choice. Other bridging programmes help to gain valuable knowledge and set the course.