First, remember you are not alone, many young people (and not so young!) are unsure of which career path to take and which qualifications to study to get them there.

There is a lot of support out there to help you, visit the Essex Employability and Skills Team and Southend Connexions.

Text books

Essex Opportunities is here to help you navigate your way. The difference with Essex Opportunities is that it is local - it tells you about what is going on in Essex with regard to careers, work experience, jobs and apprenticeships and how you can connect to employers in your local area.

So where do you start...

  1. 1

    This is about understanding your skills, abilities, qualities, the way you learn best and what is important to you - your values, your ideal lifestyle and what you want to achieve.

    Take the National Careers Service Skills Health Check to explore your skills, interests and motivations.

  2. 2

    Researching the types of job you might be interested in can help when making decisions on which subjects to chose and where you study. If you already have a career in mind, you need to find out if there are specific subjects or qualifications you may need. 

    The Career Directory will help you find out key facts about jobs you might be interested in such as average salary, the main tasks of the job, qualifications you might need to study and courses and apprenticeships available locally.

  3. 3

    We are not going to be shy about saying this.......we want you to stay in Essex and Southend and have a successful career with one of our incredible employers!

    Take a look at Essex Job Opportunities to see now who is recruiting locally.

    Find out information about the industries and workforce in Essex, the types of jobs available, what employers look for and what might happen in the future.

  4. 4

    The Essex and Southend growing employment sectors are those sectors where we know there is lots of demand for skilled staff.

    These are IT, Digital and Creative, Logistics, Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing, Built Environment, Health and Social Care - go to our's Sector pages to find out more about careers in these sectors.

  5. 5

    One of the most important activities you should be doing is getting lots of work experience.

    Visit our work experience pages for a handy step by step guide on how to connect with employers and apply for work experience opportunities.

    The more work experience you get, the more impressive your CV is going to look!