How to choose what to study at college?

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Quick and Effective Hints 

© by Maurizio Bisogno 2017

Talking to young people can be very stimulating as their energy and potentials are pushing towards a direction yet to be found. We have been young too and we know how difficult and intimidating is to choose the study’s path right for us. But before that, it is even more difficult to know ourselves, our real skills and abilities, how to integrate them, how to channel them into a professional choice.

In general, we have three major elements that need to be coordinated and they are:

  1. our aspirations

  2. family expectations and

  3. society pressure.

  • If you are tempted to follow only your will, you are also afraid that you will lack the family support and you will be facing social hindrances, therefore you might think you will never make it on your own.

  • If you listen only to the external reasons (family and society) you feel that you are betraying your nature and that you will end up in a job you hate; in this case, you will never realise your potentials or will never excel.

To any young person who is thinking about choosing their field of study, I would say: All fields of study can be grouped under two main large categories, which are:

  • Science – Technology and

  • Arts – Humanities.

It looks too simple a division, but if you can decide with conviction, which is yours, then you have halved the possible choices. Thinking about these very large categories will help you, as one thing is to see a sign post in the college campus saying “Science” and “Humanities”, and another is to sit down and meditate for a while on this division of knowledge and professions.

Next suggestion I would give to the young student is more specific as I would ask them this: What do you see yourself doing in that job of your choice? If you choose, for example, that you want to be a doctor, let’s say a GP, which are the activities you see yourself performing during the day? Do you like yourself doing that? Are you happy with the interactions you will have all day?

Finally, I would ask a more fundamental and structured question: Do you understand the goal of that job, its aims, the reasons it exists?

It is difficult to think hard even for the adults, but you, who are the future of this society, you can do it, actually, you should do it, if you want the choice to be yours. You need to think by yourself and, believe me, this is a good start.

© by Maurizio Bisogno 2017

If you find this article useful and you would like to get in touch me with the author, just drop me a message via email at : kam@mauriziobisogno.com