If you’re edging towards the end of high school, you’re probably very excited and anxious to wrap up this chapter of your academic career. While you’ve worked hard to get to where you are today, your next steps are what will truly determine the course of your career.
Choosing a university major is not easy, it requires a lot of self reflection and research into potential fields you’re interested in while simultaneously weighing what you want to do and seeing if that’s employable — for today and tomorrow. Some know exactly what they want to do, while others need a little more guidance. To help make the decision easier, here’s everything you need to consider before choosing your university major.
They say that if you find a job you love, you never have to work a day in your life. If having a career closely tied to your interests is important to you, consider looking into programs that push you in that direction. Think about the hobbies you have, the topics you’re currently passionate about and things you find yourself spending the most time on. Also consider any skills you have, particularly unique ones (i.e. drawing, video editing, etc…), as your career can also be geared in that direction.
Besides passions, many people are motivated by money and the potential earnings they might make in the future. Nothing wrong with that!
If you’re simply looking at it from a monetary perspective, some career paths are better left as hobbies, depending on the industry we’re looking at. If the money matters to you, look into how much people make in the industries you’re most interested in. While starting salaries might not be so great at entry level jobs, see what earnings are like to mid to senior level professions.
If you’re looking for a high paying career, here are some of the top earning and in-demand jobs in Canada:
While it’s important to pursue things you’re passionate about, it doesn’t hurt to also look at the job market. Are there jobs in the field that you want to work in? If so, how competitive is it? Is it a profession that’s projected to have jobs in the next couple years? This is definitely something you’ll want to consider as it will impact your future well-being and ability snag a role in your preferred industry.
If you’re not entirely sure what the future holds for the potential career you’re interested in, see if the skills you learn in your program are transferable and can lead to other related career paths. This way, the university major you choose will have the potential to open multiple doors for you.
When we say future, we mean all aspects of it. While it’s easy to get short sighted and pick out a career that you’d love for yourself right now, consider what’s beyond the horizon. Will you enjoy it for years to come?
Also consider the future of the career path you’ve chosen. Industries are constantly changing to meet new demands, as well as keep up with technological innovation happening everyday. Do you think this will be a career that will last for years to come or eventually become obsolete? If it’s the latter, are there transferable skills that could help you pursue something similar? While no one can predict the future of the job market, it’s important to keep the future in mind before making any firm decisions.
If you go to a private school in Toronto, chances are they’re affiliated with a post-secondary school or college you could look into. Cestar High School is proudly affiliated with Cestar College which offers specialized training for the most lucrative careers such as paralegal, mobile app development, personal support worker and hospitality management. What’s the benefit of going to an affiliate school?
For the reasons you love your current school, will be the same reasons why you’ll love the affiliate school as a lot of the values implemented under each institution will be the same. In the case of Cestar High School and Cestar College, they both value quality and value of education so you can rest assured that what you’ll learn can be implemented in real life and get your career kickstarted in no time. They also value hiring the best instructors in the industry so students know that what they’re learning is from some of the top people in their fields.
If your school isn’t affiliated with any post secondary institutions, look to ones in your city. Every post secondary institution host fairs for potential applicants that give them an idea of the programs that they offer as well as the sort of campus life they have there.
Book an appointment with your school’s guidance counsellor to give you some advice and feedback on what you should consider for a university major. Besides giving you some sense of direction, they have access to your student files such as marks and participation in extracurricular activities which can help them recommend programs you might not even considered yet. If you have any programs in mind, they can also give you a pretty good sense of eligibility and what other tactics to use to make sure you make yourself a standout applicant.
While you may feel very pressured to make a decision that will undoubtedly shape the direction of where your life is headed, don’t stress over it too much. Even if you make the best possible decision for yourself now, keep in mind your interests may change which could potentially change the course of your career. You also might not truly know if you like something until you work within it, so be patient with yourself. And remember, you’re not tied down to one career for the rest of your life. Don’t be afraid to change majors around if you feel like it’s not a good fit. Good luck!
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