What I Actually Want Students to Bring to a Guidance Meeting

One of the most common things I hear when a student comes into my office is:

"I don't know what I want to do."

And that's completely fine.

You don't need to arrive with your CAO form filled out.

You don't need to have your dream career figured out.

You don't even need to know whether you want to go to university.

But there is something that can make a guidance appointment much more useful.

Bring questions.

It sounds obvious, but it makes a huge difference.

Instead of:

"What course should I do?"

Try:

"I like Biology and PE, but I don't know if I want a healthcare career. What options could suit me?"

Instead of:

"Will I get enough points?"

Try:

"If I get around 500 points, what courses could I realistically look at?"

Instead of:

"I want to do business."

Try:

"I like the idea of business, but I don't know what type. What careers could I look at?"

Those questions give us something to work with.

And this is where I think digital guidance tools can be really useful.

A student might complete a career assessment, search through CareersPortal, compare courses on Qualifax, check official CAO information and then come into a meeting with a much clearer idea of what they want to discuss.

Course Compass can fit into that process too.

If a student completes an assessment and gets results they aren't sure about, the ability to flag those results is particularly useful.

I'd much rather have a student come in and say:

"This result says I might suit this course and I'm not convinced."

That's a conversation.

We can investigate it together.

Maybe the result is right.

Maybe it isn't.

Maybe the student has misunderstood what the course actually involves.

Maybe there is another course that makes more sense.

That's what guidance is for.

Technology can give us information.

It can help students research.

It can identify options they might never have considered.

But the conversation still matters.

So my advice to students is simple.

Don't worry about having the answer before you come into guidance.

Just come prepared to ask questions.

Sometimes finding out what you don't want is just as useful as finding out what you do.