Most primary school children won’t spend much time thinking about what they want to do when they leave school.
Ask a classroom full of youngsters and you’ll probably hear the usual answers; footballer, astronaut, YouTuber, racing driver or pop star. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming big, and who knows, one or two might even achieve those ambitions.
But for many children, there are hundreds of exciting careers they’ve simply never been introduced to.
That’s exactly why we were delighted to support Landywood Primary School’s Careers Day, where local businesses were invited into school to talk about the jobs they do every day and the different career paths available.
It wasn’t about encouraging children to make career choices at eight or nine years old. It was about opening their eyes to the fact that there are so many opportunities available, many of which they may never have heard about before. Alongside professionals from healthcare, travel, corporate events, the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and many other industries, James and Kirsty represented Skitts Estate Agents, talking to pupils about what life in estate agency is really like. For many people, estate agency isn’t a career they actively set out to pursue.
James is a great example. He enjoyed a spell as a professional footballer, playing both north and south of the border before injury brought that chapter to an end. Estate agency became a new opportunity, and one that has led to a successful career helping thousands of local people move home. Kirsty’s journey has been different again. With more than 30 years in the profession, she’s seen the industry evolve enormously and has built a career based on knowledge, experience and helping people through one of the biggest decisions they’ll ever make.
That’s one of the things that makes estate agency such a rewarding profession. No two days are ever the same. One minute you’re valuing a family home, the next you’re negotiating a sale, solving problems in a property chain or handing over the keys to excited buyers collecting them for the very first time. It combines people skills, marketing, negotiation, technology, customer service and local knowledge into one varied and rewarding career. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a profession where hard work, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn can take you a long way, regardless of where you started.
We’d like to thank everyone at Landywood Primary School for inviting us to be part of such a worthwhile day. Hopefully the children enjoyed hearing about the wide range of careers available and left with a few more ideas than when they arrived.
And who knows… perhaps somewhere in that classroom was a future estate agent taking their very first steps towards a career they’ll love.
