Some of the findings of a study of young people who had left post-16 educat
ion prematurely or switched courses are discussed. The experiences of those
who had switched or dropped out from courses once only are compared with t
hose who changed courses several times. The main influences on the young pe
ople's decisions, the extent to which they felt prepared for their transiti
ons, and their views of career education and guidance before the end of yea
r 11 and at their post-16 destination, are examined. The findings provide s
ome support far the beneficial effects of career education, but for many it
seemed that career education and guidance had little impact. Parents, teac
hers, friends and the judgements of the young people themselves appeared to
be more influential than guidance practitioners on choice of destination.
It is argued that it may be unrealistic to expect guidance alone to fully p
repare young people for post-compulsory education, particularly when instit
utional constraints often require premature closures on choices. Some respo
ndents recognised this, and in some ways their limited expectations of care
er guidance were realistic. It is also argued that from young people's pers
pectives, at least, switching courses often has positive benefits.