One of the most important things to consider when choosing
your main course of study is that your degree is a means for the future. It is
not the end goal. The course you take will direct you to a career path that is suited
to your studies. In this sense, it is not unusual to find that the methodology
and the topics covered in the courses are very much in line with actual
working. Studying does not only teach you the technical terms, it also teaches
you a method of thinking and logic.
Now before you stress out trying to figure
out your dreams, do note that not all students of a subject go on to work in
that field. Not all engineering students become engineers and not all marketing
students end up in the marketing field, and they are successful. What you need
to think about is what suits you, and here are some things that you could use
Explore your interests
This is simply the first and most important step that you
need to find out. If you like dealing with numbers, then maybe finance or
accounting is a good course of study for you. If you like buildings then
perhaps study civil engineering or architecture if you like to draw as well. By
studying what you love and have a passion for, you will see that you will
obtain much better results and greater focus in studying.
You will obtain more
knowledge and information from the courses than those that are studying just
for the sake of a degree. Join activity clubs, leave yourself open to new
activities, literature and media forms to see where your interests lie. Your
main interest will lie in doing something you enjoy most and spend the most
time doing, along with better results in the associated school work.
Personality tests
When you are a teenager, more than likely, you will still be
in the process of discovering yourself. Don’t worry; we’ve known people in
their thirties that are still discovering themselves. However, you can take
personality tests that can discern your tendencies and give a general idea
about yourself. The most popular of these tests are the DISC Test. The test
classifies four aspects of behavior by testing a person's preferences in word
associations. DISC is an acronym that stands for Dominance, Influence,
Steadiness and Conscientious.
These four dimensions can be grouped in a grid
with "D" and "I" sharing the top row and representing
extroverted aspects of the personality, and "C" and "S"
below representing introverted aspects. "D" and "C" then
share the left column and represent task-focused aspects, and "I" and
"S" share the right column and represent social aspects. In this
matrix, the vertical dimension represents a factor of "Assertive" or
"Passive", while the horizontal dimension represents "Open"
vs. "Guarded"
Talk to someone else
When you are stuck, it is best to ask the opinions of
others. Teachers and parents are good source of knowledge. You can also ask
guidance counselors at your school, or if you’d like, visit SUN at any of our
offices to talk with any of our counselors. Asking others can give you a
different perspective on yourself. Just be honest and they will guide you to
find your best options.
