Most Common Mistakes in Choosing a Degree

As a young student deciding on a course of study at university or college, there are many choices to be made. The options out there are obviously vast, and will require you to make a significant decision about where your future will lie – making the right choice can help you get a much quicker start in life, and can set you on the path to a long and successful career if you get it right.

Therefore, it’s important that you avoid some of the common pitfalls made when picking a degree course to start.

If you aren’t sure of where to start looking to find the answers to what you should study, here are some simple tips that will help you avoid common mistakes.

Taking The Easy Option

It’s a shame, but many people will simply choose a degree or major because the title of the course sounds really out there, or plain easy. Don’t pick a course based on the name or just what it appears to be about; it might sound like good at the moment, but how does it actually help your career progression?

Look at the long-term opportunities in front of you that would be gained from the degree, rather than just how easy it might make your education.

Closing your Mind

Whilst you cannot expect yourself to be totally open minded to each and every suggestion ever made to you, many people will take the simple option of just shutting out the majority of the courses available to them. Making the assumption that something that does not fit with your usual line of interest—or your lifestyle choices—will end up narrowing your career opportunities in the future.

Every degree can lead you in different directions, so closing one option simply because it does not sound like something you’d enjoy now is not a wise idea.

Again, look at the progression aspect of each and every course – keeping your options open will help you ensure that you pick a degree that you can actually progress with. You’ll be able to obtain a more varied list of skills rather than sticking to things you already know about or understand – you’ll never properly challenge yourself this way or benefit as you could from the educational experience.

Picking and Choosing

The worst option of all is taking a different course ever year until you find “your calling”. This simply won’t work for most people, and will usually just result in you wasting time and dropping out of college or university one time too many and ruining your prospects in the future.

Remember that the world of work and the world of education are almost polar opposites; the challenges and realities of day-to-day in either discipline is completely different, so you can’t expect to learn everything you’ll need just by going through various college courses. At one stage, some real-life experience is going to be needed in whatever discipline you decide to follow.

Want more information on choosing a degree? Check out What Degree Should I Get for more information, news, and tips to getting the most from your education.