Let’s face it. It’s never too early to think about the future. Things can feel scary in the moment, but the experience makes it all the more worthwhile. All you need to do is look at all your options and see how you want to get the most out of the situation.
Know your strengths and interests
The first question you need to ask yourself is not only “What do I like?” but “What kind of person am I?”. When you take the time to reflect on who you are, it helps you start to understand exactly what you’re looking for and what you want to get out of the experience. It’s very easy to put pressure on yourself to do what others want you to do. Sometimes, the only way you can really feel happy and successful in what you’re doing is to make your own choices rather than follow what everyone else wants.
Whether you simply decide to write a list of all your qualities on a piece of paper or panic-type them on the computer, as long as you know which direction you want to go, that is more than enough for a first step to studying your major. It also means that you don’t need to be too specific with what you want to look at because you’re keeping your options open for the meantime. It gives your college experience more of a purpose than feeling pressured to follow everyone else.
The most important thing you need to remember is to keep your options open. Just because you’re good at Math doesn’t mean you need to go straight into it if you don’t wanna keep doing it. Nowadays, universities (and employers for that matter!) are focusing less on the practical skills and more on people skills. If you enjoy helping others, then consider going into Education to find out more information. If you know you’re competitive, maybe even try sports science. Don’t limit yourself to what you’re good at but what suits you.
Do your research
Now that you know who you are and have an idea of what you’re looking for, start on the research. This can be as broad as reading about courses on the college websites, to as narrow as asking friends and family where to start. Yes, talking to people counts as research. For example, if you’re wanting to go into journalism, have a look at the course content and don’t hesitate to reach out to people who are already in that area if you can. Step by step, you start to build your knowledge on what to expect from this experience.
Everyone has different perspectives and experiences. Don’t be afraid to learn from them. Ask as many questions as you can so you can get to your target goal. I can say from personal experience, I’ve learned that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Sometimes you never know until you take that first leap of faith to understand more about the situation.
If you approach your college major with curiosity and eagerness to learn, it will help you in the long run. The important thing is to take initiative and be open to different opportunities that align with your interests. Be creative with what you want to look at. Branch out into different avenues but make sure to be selective with what to do so you don’t get too overwhelmed!
Join extracurriculars
There’s the wide view that your major predicts what you’re going to do in the future – that’s almost completely far from the truth. In reality, there’s also another reason of going to university than just finding a career – to learn. Since you’re already in education anyway, why not take the time to learn from where you are now? If you’re a theatre kid and enjoying the drama club, why not build your research from those sectors? If you’re a fan of just talking to people, see if there is anything that sparks interest in a Communications degree.
Your major doesn’t just have to be your subjects. You can find some very valuable information by joining a club and committing to it. It’s not just what you already know. It’s the activities that you do that can really help you understand which direction you want to go.
Get involved in those areas that you’ve been dying to get into since you were a freshman. Take advantage of your final few years to help you in your future. Better yet, try something that you don’t even know much about. Sometimes, being spontaneous really wins the round. That said, if something doesn’t work for you, don’t be afraid to leave and find something else.
So what now?
Having the interests, the research and the activities is one thing. With the time that you have left of high school, use that time to visit campuses if you can. We’re very lucky in this day and age that campus talks can happen virtually if visiting may be a hassle. Use this time to pick up as much information as you can about the subject or subjects that you’re looking for.
If you’re starting the year a bit overwhelmed, that’s okay. Completely okay. You don’t need to have everything figured out just yet. You need to be completely certain about which path you want to take. In the meantime, making sure to collect all the research and reflecting on it can be a huge strength.
All you can do is take your time, put yourself first and don’t feel pressured by what others want for you. At the end of the day, what matters is doing something that makes you happy.
