When I was at school I couldn’t wait to leave and go to college, I was desperate for a change of scene and I really felt like I had outgrown my school environment, well if I’m honest I felt this in year 9, so these feelings weren’t anything new!
Unlike schools in Dorset, I didn’t have the option to stay at my school after year 11 as we didn’t have a sixth form, so this was never an option for me. I had spent years growing up knowing I was off to College after school and so the feeling around this for me was nothing but excitement, as I was looking forward to moving on, starting afresh, having new adventures and meeting new people. School to me felt stale and boring and I was ready for something new and exciting.
I often relay this story to students I meet and when I talk about new and exciting adventures and branching out to new places, I see student’s eyes light up. We speak to so many students at Careers events that are stuck in a rut but are so used to that rut, that they choose to stay in that rut for another two years, often choosing their school, just because it’s easy to do.
Instead of making that leap of faith and choosing a more exciting path and adventure to meeting new people and growing, students choose to stay at their school sixth form because it’s easy and comfortable.
Instead of choosing something a bit different and exploring their passions, students choose to stay at their school sixth form because they are used to it, the timetable, the rhythm of the school the teachers even, even if they don’t like the teachers! Choosing the easy path is just easier.
So, let’s look at this and pose the question to you, what if you didn’t choose the easy option? What if you chose College and what if College is right for you? What if a change of scene is just what you need? To be your best self? To find yourself, to grow and develop?
I love this quote “There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s easy”
Life was never meant to be about easy options, surely? When you dreamt as a child about flying to the moon as an astronaut or being a professional footballer, it was never about the easy option then was it? Becoming an astronaut is not easy. Becoming a footballer is not easy….
At Rockley we believe life is for living. We believe life is about Adventure and going out of your comfort zone to open yourself up to the experiences and beauty that life gives you, and that really doesn’t mean choosing the easy path.
We believe life is either a daring Adventure or nothing at all and that’s why we will always encourage you to push yourself out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to become the best you can be. All our courses are designed for you to get the most out of them, to be confident, resilient, determined and motivated to take challenges head on. We spend a considerable amount of time taking part in outdoor adventurous activities for you to learn about yourself and for you to able to understand what you want your life to become.
A major part of our courses is the practical sports we take part in and the FREE Optional Instructor Training we offer our students. All our students benefit from over £2000 worth of RYA training and qualifications. This is for you to develop as an instructor and to then be able to use your qualifications to travel the world and live the life of your dreams. We want you to have an amazing life and we want College to be all that it can be for you, which is why we design the courses specifically to make them exciting and purposeful.
Our courses are not designed for someone that might choose the easy path, that might choose a teacher that has taught them for five years already, in the same classroom, on the same day, in the same building, or a school timetable that has been the same for the last five years. Our courses are designed for those students that are keen to try something new and experience College, push themselves further than they thought possible and explore their true potential to become their best self and live the life of their dreams.
So, is college for me? Let’s look at this to wrap up, it’s simple, do you want to choose the easy path where life remains the same and carries on as it has done for the last 5 years for another 2 years, or do you want to push those boundaries? Get stuck in? Challenge yourself? Grow as a person and choose the College path that could start you off on the journey of a lifetime?!
Remember the biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams!
For more information about any of our college courses for 16 – 18 year olds, have a look through our courses pages: