The Decision Dilemma: Choosing Your Future

One of the biggest decisions you will ever make is what career you are going to pursue. But before you can even get there, you have to decide what to study. Some students know what they want to do. But what about the students that don’t know? They find themselves in a decision dilemma and don’t know what door to pick or what path to take. So how do you choose your future, where do you begin? Read on for some tips and advice that will help you decide what type of life you want for your future.

Whether you are leaving high school and choosing what to study at college or ready to embark on the journey of studying for your degree at university, choosing what you want to study is an important time in your life. It can be difficult to figure out what the next step is for you and many students have external pressure from parents, friends, and tutors, which can make the decision dilemma harder and easier to navigate.

What is your passion?

Mute all the voices that are telling you what you should be studying or what you should be doing. Ask yourself, what is my passion? What do I love to do? What brings me joy? If you could do anything in this life, what would it be? If you can’t think of an answer to that question, think about your skills and talents, what are you good at? Once you have a definitive answer of what your passions are, you will find it easier to research possible careers with this subject in mind.

The end goal

I hate the phrase “where do you see yourself in 10 years”, but when it comes to this kind of dilemma, it’s helpful for you to look ahead, far into the future, and imagine your life. Do you see yourself working in a specific field or environment? Are you happy with your life in that future picture? Once you know what your end goal is, it’s easier to work backward and figure out how you are going to get there.

Sometimes, people study a subject at university that doesn’t correlate with their future career plans. They study their subject because they are passionate about it and want to improve their knowledge. If you are one of those students that don’t know what they want their future career to be, then pick something that will inspire and motivate you. There’s nothing worse than spending three or four years studying a subject that you hate.

Choosing a subject

When you are choosing the subject you want to study, it can be hard to be specific about what you want to learn. The best way to begin with this is to pick a general subject. If you are interested in working with people, you might want to study psychology. If you are interested in working in the medical profession, you might want to study one of the sciences. Start with the type of subject first and don’t pressure yourself too much to pick a specific thing to study. Many universities offer you the opportunity to swap courses in the first semester if it isn’t for you.

In some countries, you get the opportunity to study multiple subjects to decide which one you want to focus on. But even in the countries where you don’t get that option, there is always a fallback option or plan b. Ask yourself what fascinates you, and what do you want to learn more about? And go with it. Don’t feel the pressures of what other people think, use your heart and let it guide you toward what you are passionate about.

Finding the right place to study

Once you know the subject you want to do, the next step is to find where you want to go to study it. Are you interested in studying abroad? Do you want to learn a new culture and language while you study? Or are you looking for somewhere closer to home? Distance is the first thing you should consider when choosing a university. Then, you need to seek out which university teaches the course you want to study. Once you have a list of them, book tours, ask questions, and do your research until you find the perfect campus for you. Whether you want an online distance learning course or to be immersed in the full student experience, there is something for everyone.