by Kat Musselwhite

Created on: June 30, 2009   Last Updated: July 12, 2009

Choosing a degree is potentially one of the biggest decisions that you will make in your life. The most important thing to remember before tackling the task of deciding what it is that you want to study for the next three/four years of your life, is that this decision must be yours alone. It must be what you want, not what your parents want, or your friends, or even your teachers. Of course, it's good to seek all of these people's advice, but as well meaning as they might think they are being, sometimes their own wants can taint their opinions of what they think is right for you.

The first thing to take into consideration is what subjects you honestly enjoy. It is well-proven that we perform much better in subjects that we enjoy, mainly because we are willing to put more effort into activities that we are interested in. But you also have to think, do you enjoy it enough to want to study it for three/four years?

Another important factor to look at is your own personality:

1. Do you want to study a subject that you know will get you a well-paid job straight after graduation, or are you happy to work your way up from the bottom, potentially never earning that much money throughout your full career. You must think about how important money is to you.

On a scale of one to ten (ten being the highest) how important is money to? How does this effect your choice? Is the course going to earn you money straight away? How does this make you feel?

2. How good are you with people? Are you chatty and confident with complete strangers, or does the idea of talking to someone you have never met send you into a state of panic?

Again, rate your people skills on a scale or one to ten (ten being confident, one being painfully shy). How does this effect your choice? Will your course lead to a job where you will be faced with people everyday? How does this make you feel? Do you think you could handle it? Be honest with yourself.

3. How are you at working completely on your own? Do you relish the idea of working at your own pace on your own projects? Or do you love the idea of working in a big team with lots of others throwing ideas around?

Rate yourself on a scale of one to ten (ten being you love isolation, and one being you prefer a team). Consider this, and think about how your course of choices fit this personality trait.

It is also good to remember, that just because you have made a choice, does not mean that you have to stick with it. We are all entitled to change our minds when we feel that we have made a mistake. It takes a very strong-minded person to admit that they have made a bad choice. So, even after you have chosen a course, if it does not feel right to you, and you are not happy, do not be afraid to talk to someone and seriously consider re-analysing what it is that you want to do. No one will think bad of you.

Happy hunting and I hope you have the best years of your life doing something you enjoy.

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