What do I do if I don’t know what to study?
Firstly try not to worry! For some people choosing what to study at degree level will be easier than for others.
Some of your friends may already have made a firm choice of course, having always wanted to train to be a vet or doctor, study law or classics. Others may be happy to apply for a subject that they feel comfortable with but which does not lead to a specific career.
Below are some helpful tips to get you on your way:
- You could start by browsing through a reference book like ‘Jobfile’, a careers encyclopaedias that will give you a good idea of the range of careers and jobs that exist. If any particularly appeal to you, you could then see what degree subject(s) would be most relevant. You can also get this information by visiting www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
- You could use a careers guidance computer program like ‘Pathfinder’ or ‘Kudos’ which can help you identify your broad areas of interest and generate relevant job suggestions. Understanding your interests and looking at job ideas may help you to choose a course. ‘Pathfinder + HE’ will match your interests with subject areas, individual course titles and jobs.
- The ‘Centigrade’ program, available in some schools/colleges, can help students to decide what to study.
- A few careers need a specific degree eg engineer, doctor, teacher. Others do not eg accountant. You might like to check out any career ideas you have with your careers adviser to match degree courses to them. A fair percentage of employers recruit people with a degree in any subject, so think about what you most enjoy studying. If you decide to take a non-vocational degree such as English or history, it is important to gain some work experience whilst at university to help show potential employers that you have some commercial awareness and an understanding of their requirements.
- You could consider a completely new subject. If you don’t want to commit yourself entirely to a new subject, or to just one subject, you could consider a degree consisting of two or more subjects (see How are the courses structured?) (link to this section of the website) A book called ‘Choosing Your Degree Course & University’ (Trotman) may help you to think more about the range of subjects on offer.
- The ‘You Want to STUDY WHAT!’ book (Trotman) covers some more ‘off-beat’ degree courses and may give you some interesting ideas.
- Perhaps talking to your form tutor, head of sixth form, or a careers teacher will help you sort out your ideas. Don’t forget you can also talk to your Indigo adviser or call our free phone helpline on 0800 731 8709 (lines open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm).
- If you really can’t decide what to study by the time you have to apply, consider taking a gap year to give yourself more time to think about your options and perhaps try some relevant work experience. Three or four years is a long time to spend studying a subject that does not really interest you! You may be interested to know that the main reason for students dropping out is because they feel they have chosen the wrong course.
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