«I was part of the team»

I tell

"When the time came for me to look for an apprenticeship, I just couldn't make up my mind. I had a taste of working as a chef, as a catering specialist and in a retirement home, but nothing really appealed to me. Although I enjoyed going to school, I didn't want to go back. So I looked for an interim solution and did an exchange year with EF in Ireland. It was great - unfortunately I had to return early because of corona.

In the meantime, I came across the Nowesa school, which offers a social year with one day of school per week. I did my first six-month internship in a rehabilitation clinic. There I immediately realised: this is my job! I was part of the team, responsible for getting the patients assigned to me to and from their therapy centres on time. I also like my second internship at Aarau Cantonal Hospital. However, I will do my apprenticeship at the Barmelweid nursing home, where I found my profession during my internship. Now I still have to pass the entrance exam for the vocational baccalaureate school, but school performance has always been a matter of motivation for me, and I don't lack it."

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 the first 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.