Hey people, don't really need help here but I want some thoughts.
As of May 14th I have officially left school, and I'm just gonna spend all my time between after my exams and September just relaxing and having fun like I wish I did last summer.
It's just I don't know what to do come September. I've got 3 ideas:

Army
I've applied to join the army but haven't officially signed up yet. I passed selection a few weeks ago, but the experience left me doubtful about joining because of how you get treated etc.
I'm not backing down because of a little discipline, I just have to do 20 weeks basic training, and I'm not allowed home on weekends either.
The upside to joining is that it will probably all pay off after training and they pay is brilliant, at around £900-1000 a month, after taxes, which at 16 and 17 is, if you ask me, awesome.

College
For a backup plan I applied for college in case for some reason I didn't get into the army or I decided I didn't want to. I've been accepted on the construction course I applied for, which if I took it the full way could lead to careers in surveying, architecture etc. which is what I've wanted to do since I was little. Downside to this the fact I won't be earning any money unless I got work placement (not counting the shitty £30 a week on the EMA, even if it is better than nothing), and I'll probably still have to live at home unless I move in with my dad, but he's struggling on his own and unfortunately I wouldn't be able to help him out.

Police
An idea that only occurred to me the other day, I considered doing what my dad does and joining the police. The pay's good if you start young, and after 2 years I could specialise in something like traffic police or armed response. The downer is the fact that most people in this country look at the police as scum (wrong way around if you ask me).
This part isn't exactly a down-side, but if I do join, I'll have to wait until I'm 17 and a half, which means I'd have nothing to do until April '09 unless I got a job in my area or something.

So, don't know what on Earth to do with my life, and yeah I know it's my life and my choice, I'd just like some opinions.

WELL there was someone on here before who was thinking about goign into the army and he's doing something at college first, you don't want to jump in with 2 feet then find you don't like it, and then your stuck with GCSE'S for qualifacations-not good. So yeh if your thinking of most likely joining the army i'd say to go to college have a back-up plan and do like tatster sessions for the army whilst at college or whatever, to make sure it's what you want.

I think going to college sounds like your best bet, people in construction, building and things can make a lot of money these days, the guy down the road from me just had an extension built on his house and drives a new Mercedes car....he's a plumber.

Police sounds good to, but again I think college first, think of it like a ladder, the more education you go through the more steps you can climb up the ladder and if you go straight into the police yeh it'll get you started off and you'll have a job, but in 10-15 years when you want to promote to a certain level you won't be able to get there because you didn't reach high enough on that ladder...more qualifacations opens up more doors, I learnt recently that it's actually REALLY true.

My opinion: go to college, then make up your mind

Good luck

One thing about joining the army as a junior entry (16) that I forgot to mention; if I decide I don't like it, I can get out.
And also, if I'm under 18, I'm legally still under my parents acre and they can pull me out if they don't want me in there (even if I wanna be there lol).

ok im in the ACF, which is everything the army does without going to war, im planning on working with the POLICE firearms unit, as iv been with the police dogs, and the police helicopter on work exp, and im planning on going to college. ask me anything and if i dont know it, i can get u the answer tomorrow.

I think you should go to college and get some qualifications. A career in the army or the police would be a lot more promising if you did public services or something.
Surely the police wouldnt give a 19 year old a gun? You must have to be older than that.

what? no, in the police, the more qualifications u get, the higher up you can go in at. you do 2 years probation(traing you in stuff like self defense, riot control etc) then you become an officer. when your an officer, you can 'apply' for anything eg. mounted unit, dogs, rapid response etc. I want to cos i already have experience with firearms.

armed response is extremely hard to get into. the training required is extreme.

well idk about england but in the US if you go to college and take ROTC (an officer training program) during college you can join the army as an officer. so if you can do that in england then heres what i would do if i was you:

go to college for four years and take the military program you need to take. then join the army as an officer. then when you decide to retire from the army, become a police officer. and they will be more willing to hire you because of military experience.

Got a few more army job briefs, and found one that sounds awesome, and I can do even with my colour perception
And the training's not too far from home

Go to college on an Army scholarship maybe? I know a few people that do that so you can get the best of both worlds man. What I am doing right now is just being in college until I figure out what my calling is! Good luck!

The Police and the Army are very honorable jobs, but they're also very dangerous and can be torture for some. It's such a tough traumatizing job to be in the army and kill people that it turns you into a completely different person, and when you're a Police Officer you deal with idiots who don't cooperate with the law everyday and that can become frustrating.
So I say go with the College idea.

Police force.

hey, silent.deathwish does have a good point...the army isnt evryones cup of tea, but nor is the police. just go with whateva you feel comfortanle with man. these jobs all have highs and lows ie in the army- you may have some extremely scary times, like your best friend could be killed in front of you. it sounds harsh but its reality. but with the army you get to see the world, get familly benefits and can even get a home from the MOD!

I put up with people like that at school every day, and recently snapped my thumb beating one shitless