The 7 most frequent mistakes when choosing a career
that does not fit the imagined career are usually the most frequent mistakes factors when analyzing why a student abandons his career.
One in three students never reaches the end of the degree they are starting and in certain degrees from some universities this figure affects one in two students. Incredible true? But it's true. Lack of motivation and finding a reality that does not fit the imagined career are usually the most frequent mistakes factors when analyzing why a student abandons his career.
With these scandalous statistics, it seems that we can all be wrong when making such an important decision for our professional future. This being the case, it is worth paying attention to the most frequent mistakes when choosing studies to avoid falling into them and spending time analyzing the best way to decide.
The mistakes to avoid
- Choose without enough information.
Information is the basis for making any decision. Instead, many students decide what to study with little information about the career that attracts them. They do not know its content, its possible job opportunities or how it is focused on the university they have chosen. In many cases, they decide based on hearsay, widespread ideas or prejudices that have little to do with reality.
If you choose a study guided by stereotypes, without really knowing what the studies consist of and their possible job alternatives, failure is more than possible. You will not be able to assess if these studies are adjusted to what you want or, worse, you may be making such an important decision based on misinformation.
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If you want to make the right decision you need information, the more the better. Contrast it and do not stay with the first idea you have. Doubt everything you hear, even your thoughts. Differentiate facts from opinions, challenge general ideas, and seek information relevant to you. Once you collect all the information about careers or universities, you will have to assess if it fits what you are looking for.
- Study to study.
Some students study to study, because something has to be done, without knowing what they really want to do and, therefore, without being motivated. When this happens, you have all the ballots to abandon the race at the first obstacle.
Remember that you do not have to go to college if you are not enthusiastic about the idea or prefer to do something else. You can always get into college later if you change your mind. You have more alternatives and doing what most of the people around you do not to disturb or go against the current does not give good results. Think that if you decide to continue studying, what you are going to do has to excite you, make you happy and arouse your curiosity. If not, surely you should do something else.
- Not evaluating all possible alternatives.
Imagine this case. Tina is a 2nd year high school student, she says she wants to study Teaching and when you ask her why she doesn't answer that it is because she loves teaching. He comments that he had a teacher that he always admired and that since there is no other career that attracts him¦ What do you think? Is Tina making a sensible decision? We do not mean to say that you should not study Teaching, but surely you should think more about all the alternatives available to you and inform yourself thoroughly about the studies that interest you. It's simple, with more information, there will be a time when doubts will increase, but also once a decision is made we will know that we are not choosing because we were unaware of all our alternatives.
- Decide by what others say or do.
It is good to listen to the opinions of parents, colleagues, educators¦. It is a very important decision and all the people around you want to help you. Listen, but make it clear that the decision to choose is up to you, so in the end the most imparted has to be what you think and not the opinions of others. There are also many students who, when they do not have a clear idea of ‹‹what they want to do, enroll in the same studies as a friend. And you can imagine, they also have a great chance of failure.
- Choose the easy.
We are not saying that people who choose an easy career or at a university close to home will fail, but if the reason for their choice is ease and comfort, they have a good chance of realizing later that it was not the most appropriate decision. When choosing, ask yourself what is best for you. In most cases, great achievements come after great efforts. Do not think that by choosing the easy path success is assured, since it is proven that in the face of challenges and difficulties we grow. That said, we must make it clear that choosing the most complicated just because, because we are the smartest and we want to do what others cannot, it would be just as silly as choosing the easiest. This is not an accurate criterion for making this important decision.
- Be guided only by the exits.
Job opportunities are one of the many factors that you have to take into account, but in no case is it the only one. What good is it for someone to study Business Administration and Management because they have many exits if they really hate everything related to numbers? You have to take into account that the studies you like and fit with your personality and qualities. It is often said that no important decision should be made without the heart. If you don't want to be wrong, use your head, but without forgetting what you feel.
- Decide in a hurry, without spending the necessary time.
Making good decisions takes dedication and time. You need to stop to think and assess the different possible alternatives to choose the best one for you. Instead, many students wait to decide everything at the last minute, once they have the Selectivity grade in their hands. Deciding like this involves great risks. It is not about studying what your Selectivity grade allows you, because surely you choose a career and a university about which you know very little. And as we have already pointed out, the lack of information is one of the first mistakes made when choosing.
By starting your decision process earlier, you will have a better chance of gathering all the information you need, contrasting it, and based on that, making the best decision.
