It is uncommon to have childhood dreams. My mom used to recall that when I was three years old, I told her that I wanted to be a doctor. During those times, I was still naïve of reality— I surely did not know how tedious it is to be a doctor. After 15 years, the moment of truth had come. I now have to choose what career path I should take. I now have to make the decision that I would have be responsible of for the rest of my life.
During our career guidance session in Grade 10, we were told by our guidance counselor that we have to consider three things in choosing the degree that we will be taking in college, which are preference, ability, and financial help. While I was contemplating about the degree that I was to take, I thought that these three things are not enough. So I’ve thought practicality should be included in the list as it is hard to find a job nowadays.
It was not easy to finally commit to one degree that I would study. Although I have wanted to be a doctor ever since I was a young kid, I have also thought of being an accountant, a teacher, a lawyer, and an engineer. Choosing one was really hard for me and I think others also have this dilemma. I will be sharing with you the factors I considered.
Four Factors to Consider in Choosing a Degree
1. Preference
In choosing a degree, the number one thing to consider is your preference. People always say that you should always choose what you like and I agree. We tend to be more motivated in doing things that we love than something that we don’t. Amidst how hard things become, we have our eyes set on the prize as long as it is something we love. College is hard and if we don’t choose something the course we truly like, we’re more likely to dread ourselves in the whole journey, making it a waste of time and money.
2. Ability
It is also significant to evaluate your skills and ability in choosing a degree. Ask yourself if you are capable of finishing this degree. Do I have the needed talents and skills for this? Although I believe everything can be learned through hard work and practice, but it would be easier if upon entering that degree, you already have the abilities needed. I know quite a lot of people who shifted to other degrees because they were not that good enough for the course they have chosen. Make sure to think about it if your abilities coincide with your preference.
3. Financial help
Money is one of the most essential factors in considering, too. You must know if how you could pay for your tuition fee whether it is through scholarship grants, savings, salary, money from your parents, etc. There are degrees that require more money than others, may it be because of books, more units/loads, laboratory fees, and a like. You also have to assess if you can go to college for four years and get your Bachelor’s degree or just for two years having an Associate’s Degree or having taken up a vocational course. Maybe you could still extend it to Graduate Schools to take up Medicine, Law, or a Master’s degree. Regarding this matter, it will be great if you can talk to your parents or consult some advisers.
4. Practicality
The first three things I mentioned are the most crucial factors in considering a degree. This one, practicality, is somewhat optional. It is common for students to go to college to increase the possibility of landing a great job after graduation. I believe before deciding what degree to take, it is important to research about the in demand jobs on the year of your graduation. In that way, you would have insight if the degree you would like to take has jobs opened for you in the future. This would also help you avoid working a job that is not aligned to your degree.
How to Evaluate Degrees based on the Four Factors
1. Make a table with 6 columns and rows depending on the number of degrees you prefer. On the first column, write the degrees you prefer. On the 2nd to 5th columns, write the four factors, and on the last column, write the total score.
2. Give each course a rating out of 5 based on preference, ability, financial help, and practicality.
3. Total the scores and evaluate if it is your desired results. In this way, you could have a clearer decision regarding the degree you want to take.
What Degree did I Choose and Why
It is my goal to become a doctor and I chose BS Nursing (BSN) as my Pre-med course. Although, there are other “better” pre-med courses, I still chose it because I would like to learn and deal with patients even when I am still in undergrad. I also considered it since it does not have much Chemistry courses which I am not so good at. BSN is kind of an expensive course but my parents are willing to support me financially until I become a full-fledged doctor. Nurses in our country do not have good compensation but I kind of don’t mind it since my end point is to become a doctor. If not, my parents suggested we can g back to Japan where nurses are in demand.
It is surely not a piece of cake to choose the degree to take. I hope the four factors I have shared will help you in choosing. Shifting is a not so bad idea but make sure to think about it thoroughly and be able to stick to it. If you have some questions, you may tell them in the comments section below.
How about you, what degree did you choose and why? What are the factors you considered?
Comments