Selecting your course
Selecting your course
This decision is like an old-fashioned cooking pot.
It stands on three legs.
What I’m good at
What do you like doing? Which subjects do you enjoy most? Do you have hobbies that keep you busy for hours? Do you play sport? Or a musical instrument? Do you like being outside, perhaps with animals, or would you rather be indoors? If so, what do you do indoors? Do you like parties, or would you rather be on your own? What makes you happy?
Write down all your ideas.
What I love doing
This is the second leg of the pot. What do you do well? What are your strongest subjects? How about your hobbies – do you sing really well? Or play soccer well? (It’s best if it’s not just your own opinion here!) Write down all your ideas. Try and create a picture of how you would like to live your life once you start working. In an office as part of a big company; outdoors working in the veld or with animals; playing music; working as a scientist, doing research all by yourself … what would make you happy?
Look at where those lists overlap. What do you love doing that you are also good at? Chances are quite a lot, because we usually enjoy what we are good at and are good at what we enjoy.
That combination of interest and talents will show you clearly which field you should be in. Perhaps it’s figures – maths, accounting. Or languages. Or understanding the world through history and economics. Or turning your hobby, like soccer, into a career.
Now you have to consider the third leg of the pot.
How can you earn a living?
Don’t worry too much about this at this time. Many degrees are quite general. Languages will qualify you for journalism, copywriting, teaching, script-writing, and a whole range of possibilities that may not even exist at the moment. A general BCom can take you into any number of public service, business, banking or accounting jobs. Information Technology (computer studies) is central to almost every organisation.
On the other hand, music or history of art may be what your heart desires, but it may not lead to a good job. Rather include those subjects as part of something else.
Sport might help you find funding, and professional sport is a business in itself these days. If you want to go that way, include subjects that will help you in the job market, like business studies.
Before you make any decisions, find a computer with an internet connection where you can spend an hour on one or more of these sites.
- www.careerhelp.org.za, run by the Department of Higher Education – lots of good ideas and helpful links.
- www.pacecareers.com
- Go study (https://www.gostudy.net/) is part of Pace Careers. They provide a great questionnaire (free) to establish your interests, leading to possible careers in these fields and from there to institutions offering courses.
If you can, attend open days and career guidance workshops. There may be any number of possibilities that you have never even heard about.
