words Alexa Wang
In the world that we live in today, it’s so very easy to lose focus. Although most of us would like to blame technology for everything, it’s not exactly the fault of technology or man, but a simple result of the fact that we have plenty of choice these days! Choices are good, but they can also be overwhelming, especially when it comes to choosing something as important as a roadmap to completing your future educational pursuits.
To bring back focus and help young students make the right choices, we have decided to highlight some of the main points of focus on the advice of specialist educators, based on which a student should be choosing their academic career.
Your Strengths
When the time to choose a path of higher education finally arrives, all students should have a very good idea regarding what their strengths and weaknesses are. Now, it could very well be that a student is good in subjects that do not lead to traditional paths of career excellence, but if it’s a choice between choosing a field of high potential that you have never shown proficiency in, and a path that is less certain, but you were always good at, always choose the latter without hesitation. In a split second choice between driving a sports car that you don’t know how to drive and riding a high-speed bicycle that you at least know how to ride, the choice should really be obvious; one will get you home, while the other will get you nowhere!
When everyone starts saying that a subject you are not good at is not worth pursuing and what you are actually good at is just a long-shot at best, it’s easy to lose focus. Students mustn’t forget what they have learned over the course of so many years about their strengths and weaknesses, and no amount of “discussions” should change that. Even though you know that pursuing a medical degree could potentially be a a great idea, that may not even happen if you neither have interest nor have shown any significant results in biology or medical science up until then! On the other hand, if you can bring back your focus and realise what you are actually good at, you will always have a higher chance of succeeding in that path.
If you excel in a particular field and have a passion for it, don’t be swayed by others’ opinions. For example, if you have always shown proficiency in education and have a passion for teaching, consider pursuing your passion and complete a MEd degree online to further your career in the field of education. Remember, staying true to yourself and your strengths will lead to a more fulfilling and successful future.
Do Not Confuse Interests with Abilities
Millions of people are interested in football, but only a handful of them can actually play it at pro level for years. That is the difference between interest and ability. Just because you like the concept of coding because you saw it on Mr. Robot, doesn’t exactly mean that you can or can’t code like him. Instead of blindly following your interests, focus on actually testing them out to see how good you are. If you want to learn more about coding, join a crash course and try learning it first, instead of imagining.
The short crash course should give you a clear idea regarding whether coding is just an interest, or can be turned into actual, professionally useable ability. Joining an undergrad degree in computer engineering when you have never had a good time with mathematics and logical reasoning, on the other hand, may not be a good idea!
Join a Career Oriented Programme
Different people have different goals in mind while studying their respective subjects, but most of the students are looking to build a good career for themselves first. Barring the few exceptions who can afford to do whatever they wish to do, students should not lose focus from the fact that building a career is one of the main goals of higher education. This is part of the reason why Writtle College comes highly recommended by the experts at University Compare, especially for students who are looking to both enjoy their time in college, as well as pursue intelligent courses developed with building student careers in mind. Get to know the college, its curriculum, personalised education plans, degree courses on offer and more on universitycompare.com. From there, you can also compare it with any other university or college you have in mind.
It should be mentioned that although students looking to pursue higher education have the right and power to choose their own careers, that choice should at least have some guidance. Due to a lack of practical understanding or real-world experience, it isn’t uncommon for young adults to choose paths that they end up abandoning in the middle, due to either a complete loss of interest or the simple realisation that they have chosen something that they were not ready to handle. Hopefully, these points will help students avoid such mistakes as best as possible and bring back some of the lost focus towards their academic path selection for higher education.
