Choosing what you want to do for the most part of your life is probably one of the biggest, and most important decision that you will make in your life. If you're going to go to university or college, choose the right career the first time so you can save yourself quite a bit time and money. If you like going to school then it's not really a big deal but lets just say you are hard on cash!
I had to make this decision recently and so far I am pleased with my decision. At first, all I had to do was ask myself a few questions:
-What are you interested in?
-What are your skills?
-Have you done any research?
Below I will go into detail about each question and then give you some advice.
1. Determine your interests.
Think about the things that you are interested in and what you like to do. This is an important step because you have to enjoy your career, or you will not want to stay at it for a very long time. Are you interested in wildlife or the atmosphere? Then maybe biology or earth sciences is good for you. If animals is your thing then maybe a vet or a vets assistant. Maybe you are the person that always want to help people out, then a doctor or a nurse could be the right job for you!
Just lay out your interests and apply them to real life careers. It will more than likely take a lot of research to pick out the careers that apply to your interests but the amount of research will be well worth it. Go through your university's website and write down all of your options. This one is all about you, determine your interests.
If you're not really sure about what you like, then you could ask some people know you well. Ask your family or friends what they think about you, and what they could see you doing. This could help recall things that you may have forgotten about yourself. Think back to if you did any volunteering, or any jobs that you really liked doing. Go ask people who work in certain areas and get advice. What they tell you might completely turn you away from what you originally thought would be great!
2. Evaluate your skills.
What are you good at? What is it that people call you out on for being naturally good at it. Or maybe you have some skills that you developed on your own. But maybe not everyone has a certain skill that they can just do and then get a career in it. My brother grew up always out picking at cars, and guess what he went on to be? That's right, he got a job at a car dealership and got put through school as an automotive service technician.
You must also put into account your personality. Are you a lively person or a rather quiet one? You will definitely need some social skills for whatever field of work you look in to but your personality could decide what atmosphere you would like to be in. If you are a cheerful person and you don't mind attention, then you could be a receptionist or you could give presentations. If you are quiet, then maybe a lab job or one with very few people around so you can be alone while you do your thing.
It is significantly easier to go to school for something that you are already good at and know a lot about. But your will to learn about something and be good at it can overcome that. Pick what you want to be good at and stick with it.
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3. Do research on careers that you take interest in
Learn every possible thing that you want to know about what you want to do. Do whatever means necessary. Use the internet, look at books, go to your school, and even go to the actual workplace. Look at your prerequisites to get in to the faculty if there are any, and look at the workload. If it is too much to handle for you, then you will save yourself a great amount of stress to just look at something else.
I attended several presentations and meetings about many different fields of study that took place at my university. They give you pretty much all of the information you will need to know. See if there are any taking place at your college or university. If there are any, they will usualy take place at the beginning or the end of a semester.
Look at how far the schooling might go. Maybe there is something that you might want to go into after you finish your degree.
4. Choose your path.
Put all the information you have obtained down on paper and make a list. Put everything in categories and narrow down the results. Writing it down is beneficial because it keeps everything in order and makes sure you are not forgetting any. Figure out the pros and cons if each possibility and decide what is most important to you!
If you still can't decide, then do more research and get more opinions. It will come eventually, just stay positive!
5. NEVER GIVE UP, EVER!
No matter what you choose and what happens after that, never give up. Always keep your head up and focus on your work. If something gets too much then maybe take a break, take a semester off and regroup. Get your head on straight and ask yourself if you made the right decision. Regardless of what happens, stay positive and have confidence in your work!
Feedback is definitely appreciated!
-Brandon
