Logo Kanton Bern / Canton de BerneUniversities of Bern Counselling Centre

Alternatives to studying

Maybe studying is not the right thing for you? There are many ways in which you can qualify for a recognized profession after a high school diploma. You can find more information here.

The Counselling Centre is responsible for students and employees of the University of Bern, the Bern University of Applied Sciences and the Bern University of Teacher Education. If you are not yet enrolled at a university, you are welcome to contact the Career Guidance and Information Centre (BIZ) of the Canton of Bern. They can help you with questions about vocational, academic and career counselling before you start or after you have completed your studies:

There are many paths open to you in the Swiss education system. You can get a good initial overview on the website of the Advisory Services for Education and Careers (ask!):

With the high school diploma

A practical career entry is possible either with a shortened apprenticeship or an industry-specific training program. You can find more information about this on the Swiss information portal for vocational, academic and career counselling:

To supplement this, you can borrow the publication "Alternatives to university studies" from our library. It describes the options in detail. The apprenticeships described are explicitly aimed at people with a high school diploma.

With a technical/vocational baccalaureate

Do you have a specialized baccalaureate and are wondering which courses are open to you? In this case, ask the educational institutions directly about the admission requirements.
 
If you have completed a vocational baccalaureate, you already have a recognized vocational qualification. After that, further training in the field of higher technical colleges, for example, is an interesting alternative to university studies.
  • Choosing a course of study and a profession

  • Career entry

  • Study guidance

  • Career and professional counselling

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