Many UK workers think they made the wrong choice in study and career

Almost half of all workers in the United Kingdom say that if given the chance, they would have studied something totally different after leaving school, while one in five say they chose the wrong career, according to a new international workplace survey.

The survey, by global recruitment firm Kelly Services, found that many UK workers have deep seated concerns about the quality of their education – both at school and post school – and many have regrets about the career choices they made.

The global survey sought the views of 115,000 people in 33 countries including almost 7,000 in the UK.

Kelly Services MD, Chris Moore said the findings show a high level of concern about career choice and direction.

ìMany people in the workforce do not believe that their education properly prepared them for working life and quite a few a have regrets about the direction that their job has taken them,î he said.

ìIt also demonstrates the importance of strategic help both at the start, and several years into your working life. Recruitment consultants donít just match candidates to vacancies; they can also help them to identify key skills and experience that can help them to change direction. Lifeís too short to stay in an unsatisfying job when some considered guidance can point the way towards a more rewarding career. Hopefully the new broader subjects on the curriculum will also help future generations not to feel the same way.î

Amongst the key findings of the survey:

67% of people wish that they had studied further.

47% of people wish that they had studied something totally different.

20% say that they definitely chose the wrong career, while 25% are ënot sureí.

44% say that their school education did not prepare them well for working life.

25% say that their post-school education did not prepare them well for working life.

The findings throw light on how those in the workforce feel about the quality of their countryís education system. The highest level of support for school education came from India with 69% saying it prepared them well for working life. It was followed by Puerto Rico (67%), Indonesia and Thailand (65%), Poland (63%), Spain (61%), Canada and Hungary (59%), Japan and Mexico (57%).

The lowest rankings were for Sweden (26%), Norway (27%), Denmark (29%), Turkey (30%), Ukraine (37%), Russia and Italy (39%).

The UK ranked equal 20th with Malaysia on the list of 33 countries with 45% happy with the way the countryís education system prepared them for working life, slightly below the global average of 49%.

People across the globe were much more satisfied with their post-school education, with a global average of 65% saying it prepared them well for working life. The UK ranked 24th on 60%.

More than two thirds of UK respondents (67%) say they wish they had studied further while a slightly larger percentage (71%) says they wish they had studied harder.

Women were significantly less satisfied with the quality of their school and post-school education than men.

An overwhelming 70% of people agreed with the proposition that ëpost-school/professional education should be more practical and less theoreticalî.

In the UK, 56% of respondents were happy with their career choice, while 20% said they had made the wrong choice and 25% were ënot sureí. More women than men expressed the view that they had chosen the wrong career.

ìIt is only natural that people reflect in a positive way on what they have done and the extent to which they have achieved their professional goals,î Moore added.

ìIt is to be expected that many wish they had worked harder while at school, college or university. There are also many who have had second thoughts about the career choices they made.

ìRegrettably, someone who discovers that they are in the wrong career is probably not as productive as they could be and may be missing out on a more fulfilling professional life.

ìItís also important that people donít over react or set up false expectations in evaluating their study and career choices.

ìIt is now the norm for most employees to have several career changes in the course of a working life, so itís possible for someone who is dissatisfied with their career to do something positive about itî.

Both men and women cited ëfinancialí considerations as the major obstacle to changing career, followed by ëtimeí and ëfamilyí.