A career is a lifelong commitment. We have to study certain subjects for many years, we have to spend most of our time researching and learning about the topic, and we waste many hours trying to find a job that relates to our interests. If you don’t analyse your career path properly and spend enough time analysing your options, then you might find yourself regretting your degree choices in the future and ultimately, regretting all those countless hours you spent on studying.
That’s why it’s important to analyse a career path before you set foot on it. If you don’t do enough research and learn about the options you have when you finally finish your degree, then you might find yourself lost and without a purpose once you graduate. To prevent that horrible feeling, here are some tips on how you can analyse your career path before you invest in it.
Do research about the degrees you want to study
No matter what degree you plan to pick, there’s most likely a huge amount of research and statistics that are made publically available that can help you determine if it’s a degree you want to study. For example, you can look up animal science jobs and salaries from withmydegree.org if animal science is something you wish to study. You might assume that the subject is something exclusive to become an educator or a researcher, but it can also branch off into become a veterinarian if you love to help animals.
Consider the demand
Depending on where you live, the demand for certain careers could be higher than others. For instance, computer science is something that is generally well-regarded as a flexible degree that can easily translate into many office jobs. Many employers only require that you have a degree on your resume in order to make the shortlist for employment, but if you have a general degree such as computer science, you’re more likely to get the job than someone who studied a niche subject because it shows that you want to adapt and become flexible instead of being specialised.
Think of self-employment
Just because you study a subject that works as a typical job, it doesn’t mean you can’t turn that into a freelancing career or self-employment. For instance, studying computer engineering is a popular choice because it improves your chances of working for a well-known company such as Microsoft or Apple, but it also gives you the knowledge required to start your very own business and create your own applications or electronics. You might need to network with friends or family members to get started, but a career doesn’t have to mean you’re working for an employer for the rest of your life.
Summary
A career is going to be one of the biggest investments of your life next to having children, which is why it’s incredibly important that you do enough research so that you don’t regret your choices in the future. Take ample time looking up your options and deciding what kind of life you want to live before you sign yourself up for student debt.
