As students approach the end of their high school journey, they’re left with a daunting task. On top of keeping up with the sheer magnitude of work, they’re also meant to make a definitive decision on what their future career path will be. But how does one go about making such a crucial decision, one that will fundamentally impact their life for years to come? Well, the process starts with a little bit of patience and a whole lot of trust.
“Success to me means serving a calling higher than yourself that improves the lives of everyone and is done completely in the name of service.”
– Jonny Kim (NASA Astronaut & Navy SEAL)
The reality is that there is no definitive answer to this question. There are some who have known what they have wanted to become since the beginning of school, while most have no idea even as they walk out of campus on their last day of school in Year 12.
But do not be discouraged if the latter is you. You are among the majority, and many have found their way after exploring numerous disciplines of knowledge for many years. The first place to start is with a little bit of introspection, get to know yourself before you put yourself out in the world.
Introspection
I have discussed this extensively in previous posts and the truth is that if you want to find what you want to do in life, stop looking exteriorly and focus within.
In other words, if you want to know what career path you want to take in the future, you must first know yourself. How can you know if a particular degree at a university or a specific job is suitable for you if you’ve never taken the opportunity to push yourself in a particular sport, read a unique book, or try a new hobby? You confine yourself too much to a repetitive cycle of media consumption, one that causes you to conform your entire personality to what you see online.
Separate yourself from this. Social media does nothing but slow your mental progression and make you dangerously think that the only worthwhile pursuits in life are the ones that produce the most amount of money.
Start with Elimination
Get rid of the fields in which you are not interested at all. If you want to focus purely of applied mathematics, then remove the fields of medicine, law, teaching, architecture, graphic design, or theology. This can help you conclude that engineering or computer science is the correct course of action.
From here, select what University or TAFE institution provides the degree which best suits your interest. Do not just consider what university is ranked the highest, consider a few things such as:
- Proximity to home
- Semester schedule
- Scholarship opportunities
- Graduate opportunities
- Societies on campus
All these things should help narrow down what and where you want to student.
Conclusion
In the end, don’t rush the process. Learn to understand yourself. There is a whole world of interests and hobbies out there in the world that can one day become your future career path… you just have to begin the search.
Anthony, from the Kalibre Post.
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