When I turned 18, I graduated high school and it was my turn to pick a study. I wasn't really sure what to pick and I was overwhelmed with the amount of choices. I tried checking out all sorts of studies until I finally settled at Computer Sciences at a university close to my home town. I was surprised how much work I had to do for an actual study, compared to high school. It felt overwhelming and I got extremely stressed.
I started in September but I had already ended my study in March. I skipped many classes and my grades were quite terrible. I figured studying might just not be the thing for me. I talked it over with my parents but I figured I could try again, with another study. I did my research a lot better now and I seriously asked myself 'what do I want to study? What do I want to become? Is there a passion which I want to develop?" I then picked a study with an excellent balance of tech and creativity, both very important things to me. And oh boy, that sure changed things.
Studying is easier
My first year in my new study was just amazing. Both to me and my parents. In my mind I didn't 'study' that much, when I actually did. The subjects in class interested me so much that I actually looked up stuff about them in my free time; basically a form of studying then. And when I had a test coming up, it didn't feel like I'd die when I had to open up my books: all of this was just interesting to me! Studying was so much easier and less of a burden.
Feeling useful
In my previous study, I'd feel pretty useless at times. Mostly because I didn't know anything about the subjects and I couldn't really help out with group projects. It kind of hurt my self-confidence because I felt stupid. I turned into the quiet guy and I started skipping many classes. However, on my new study, I follow almost all of the classes and I'm actually taking the lead in group projects. I also find myself more eager to help others out when they've got questions and I'm not the quiet guy in class anymore. I feel way more confident in my skills now and I know that I'm not as stupid as I thought; I'm actually quite clever!
Feeling happier as a whole
An additional benefit of finding a study that fits you is that you'll be feeling more content as a whole. It's kind of a follow up from the previous point: you'll be feeling more confident because you're actually helping out in class and you're the one that can make a difference. You'll also see your grades rising quite high and you might even develop a passion for the thing you're working on (web design for me, for example).
Conclusion
When I look around nowadays I see so many students who have picked a study 'because their friends choose that study' or 'because their parents wanted them to follow that study' or the classical 'because I want to make lots of money later on'. It saddens me, because studying shouldn't be a burden for someone. It can and should be (semi-)fun. I mean I still have classes I don't care about at all and subjects that are still a pain to study for, but the good things outweigh the bad by far. If you're reading this and you're going to pick a (new) study sometime soon, please do take the time to ask yourself what you really want to learn. Having a study that you like can make all the difference in the world. Good luck!
The Importance Of Choosing A Study You Actually Like
I don't know man. Liking your field certainly helps but the main deciding factor in choosing your field is whether it will land you a good job later in your life. That is the whole point of higher education. If you are there just for the smooth sailing then you are wasting your money and your time and you may as well do that from the comfort of your couch.
I agree, colleges and universities in my opinion oversell the idea of "enjoying your major".
College is all about getting that degree, to get a good job. Otherwise, i'd study art history on my computer and read books in my spare time, while I am an accountant, medical field worker, teacher, engineer, etc.
@Prof_Don I agree with you both, uni does prepare you for a job later on and following certain courses will guarantee you a job in the future. However, landing a job via a study that you don't like at all will probably mean you'll be stick in that career for the rest of your life. If you're lucky, you'll like it, however if you're not you'll dislike it even more than you disliked your study. And you'll be stuck with it for the rest of your life, meaning you might become depressed or stressed out over time.
I do think people need to weigh out the good VS the bad in choosing a study. The job after getting a degree is an important factor as well, but if the student doesn't see anything he likes in the new study, he shouldn't pick that study at all in my opinion. He might suffer through all the classes and become miserable, or he might drop out early.
Thanks for posting this. I just made a question yesterday about doing what was expected of you after high school. Everyone expects me to go into a very studious and academic subject, but I've always preferred the creative fields. You make some very good points. definitely need to keep these all in mind for if I'm feeling doubtful.
I enjoy reading your post. I must say that you are completely right. Nowadays most people choose not what they want to study but what will be highly paid in the future or what their friends study. I made such mistake and on my parents advice attend Biology faculty. They always wanted me to be a doctor. But I desired to learn languages. As a result, I had bad grades and skipped classes. The main problem was with chemistry, so i even had online classes with my online tutor Bogdan . But still I hate biology and in 2 years I transfered to another faculty (foreign languages). For now my parents know nothing about my decision.
In my case, I did a maths degree because that's my strong subject and I'd be able to get away with the least work, even though I actually preferred English and writing - which is what I ended up working in :) I still enjoyed maths though
Please do! And the opposite might be true as well, maybe the study seems bad but the work environment may be fun. I just think it's important to at least consider what you really want instead of thinking just about the money or the respect
Ideally, one should consider all aspects from picking a study to being in a work environment, though it can be difficult to do that.
I liked what I studied in school (chemistry). In theory, on paper, it was interesting and I was good at it. But now that I got my first job relevant to what I studied I'm not so sure. Handling chemicals can be hazardous; a few people are off work from an accident that happened last week, so I'm a bit nervous.
It would be a good idea if somehow you could job shadow someone in a career you're interested in to see if you would really like to do that before getting too invested in one particular study.
@Foxo_Natu production chemist - it's mostly manual labour, mixing chemicals together on a larger scale. I don't get to use any spectroscopy or chromatography instruments. But the pay is pretty good - a couple of my classmates got more relevant jobs where they get to use such instruments but they get paid less.
What I've come to find with chemistry is that many jobs value experience over education so it can be difficult to get get your first job. The entry level pay may not be very high and there can be health/safety hazards with handling chemicals. If you're still interested then I'd suggest networking, job shadowing, internships, co-op programs, volunteering, anything that will give you an edge in obtaining employment as getting high marks (ex: honours) may not significantly improve your chances of getting a job.
@ChromAzonyx108 Thank you for your advice! I know that handling chemicals is hazardous, but the science intrigues me so much that my fear of dying because of it, is suppressed (at least a little 😅 ). Therefore, yes, I still am interested, though I have to admit, I was hoping you weren't going to say something about employers preferring "experience over education". Still, I'm glad that I know that now.
All I have to do now is try to find someplace to start volunteering or job shadowing. "One step at a time", as they say. Thanks again!
That's a difficult one; I'd say still go for it because if you do manage to find a job later on you might be way more happy in life. Many people choose a certain study because it'll make them money but that might mean getting stuck in a daily grind which you totally hate. I'd take a low earning fun job over a high earning soul crushing job every day.
I am going to get my teacher certification, I do not want to be a teacher, but I already have an associate in arts and I am trying to graduate college asap since i took a break from college after i graduated from community college. I want to be a professional writer. If I got an English major or journalism, i would most likely not get a job
Holy shit. You chose computer science first at a university you said. I'm from the Netherlands too and I'm studying computer science right now. At university. Lol :P
Hahah, I went to Leiden last year. Wasn't a great uni, in my opinion. Now I'm studying in The Hague. Eindhoven seems like a pretty awesome place to study as well
Leiden is really famous, why was it bad? Yeah it's a pretty nice place here, I don't know much about other uni's. I have so much homework right now though xD
Leiden is a great town by itself, but the teachers and tests at my uni there were just terrible. And yeah, I'm actually on here right now postponing a paper I have to write ;)
I don't agree man. I've had days where I absolutely hated engineering but days that I actually love it. College isn't about just having fun... it's about busting your ass to have a great career.
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