3 questions you must ask yourself before starting college

We’ve said it before: starting college might be one of the hardest decisions of our lives. We have to choose not only the career that fit our abilities but also a high quality institution that meets our standards. Complicated, right? These are some of the questions you must ask yourself before taking the big step.  

Questioning ourselves before taking big decisions is pretty normal, it motivates us to research and clear every doubt we might have. Starting a university is not the exception to the rule, in fact most of the time we don’t really know what’s ahead of us thus we don’t get prepared for this new stage of our lives.

One of the first things you have to ask before deciding anything else is what you really like to do. Which takes us to question number one:

1. What do you want to do?

Have you defined what you want to do for the rest of your life? Do you know what your calling is? Answering these questions is essential before starting college. You must be clear about what you like and what you don’t: maybe you love to draw and have been considering a career in architecture, but it turns out you hate math and when you start college you don’t feel comfortable at all.    

It all starts with knowing yourself. Reflect a little bit and identify what motivates you and fills you up with energy. What are your abilities?. In which areas you tend to stand out? Ask yourself if you can turn all of that in a profession. This first step is the hardest one, but remember: you can always ask for advice and inform yourself about the majors you’re interested in. It’s the best way to know what could work for you.   

You can also project yourself into the future: What do you see yourself working on? How do you picture yourself? Remember, you don’t necessarily have to stick to one job; there are many professions that offer a wide spectrum of opportunities you can take advantage of and try throughout your life.

This leads us to our second question:

2. What would you like to work on?

Once you identify your abilities and vocation it’s time to choose what you would like to work on. Here we’re talking about full research into work places, conditions, salaries, etc. Remember you’ll only spend about 4 years studying and the rest of your life working.

You can talk about this with friends or relatives who practice the same profession you want or start looking in the internet. The important thing here is you start of what’s ahead of you. Maybe your ideal profession requires a strict schedule and routines don’t go well with you or it’s not as well paid as you would expect.

Believe it or not, the salary is also important when it comes to making a decision. Once you pick what you want to study, evaluate how that profession is paid in the market. We’re not saying you should choose a profession based on how it’s paid; on the contrary, you must choose the major you’re passionate about but you should always have your feet on the ground and keep realistic expectations, at least while you’re gaining experience.  

No matter the profession you choose, becoming an entrepreneur will always be an option that allows you to be the owner of your time and make a better income, besides gaining personal growth and being a better professional.

3. How long do you want to study?

This question is more important than you might think. Even though most university programs are 4 to 5 years long, others (suchs as medicine) require at least 7 years of study. That’s why you should keep in mind how much time you want to invest in earning your degrees.

How old do you picture yourself when finishing your career? Do you want to keep studying in the future? Asking yourself these questions might help you gain more clarity about your major. Don’t forget there are some careers that are more demanding and might not let you work while studying.  This can also be a determining factor.

So now you know, before making an important decision such as starting college you must ask yourself these 3 questions first to keep your ideas straight. Once you define this, picking a university and lauching into your academic career will be a lot more exciting.