THERE’S something magical about college brochures: the scientist in their white coats, making the world a better place, the artist with their crazy smiles, crafting beauty for us to feast our eyes on, the serious engineers who make everything navigable.
Seriously, how can you not want to be in those professions? If you’re having trouble choosing a course, ponder over these points.
>Every career has its down-side. Scientists often work in laboratories doing some pretty depressing work, artist do often starve like the clichés and engineers can work in some dangerous places.
Before you sign up, find out what the lows are as well as the highs. They best way to do this is to ask people in the industry. If you don’t know any, look at professional organisations and social media that connect them, such as LinkedIn.
>What lights up your day? If you’re going to spend eight hours a day for the next 40 years on a job, it would be best if it’s something you love to do.
>Can you do the job? School marks aren’t the be-all and end-all.
Boys, for example, mature slower than girls, so they may find their study strengths a little later than early exams suggest.
Girls, for example, may suffer from discrimination like being told they can’t do science and maths, so it takes them a while to figure out they’re perfectly good at those subjects. So what you got in your school tests isn’t always a good reflection of your strengths.
>Talk to your teachers, your parents and people who know you to understand what you do have, what you can work on and what you can improve. Understand that you may have to do some extra work before you can sign up for your dream course. However, do be practical. If you are really poor at maths, you won’t be good at engineering and if you hate research, you’re not going to be a good lawyer. To choose a course that you like, choose wisely and love what you do.
This article also available on print version @The Star Newspaper