As a college student, it is recommended that you consider various factors before choosing a degree and area of focus such as:
- Career prospects
- Employment rates
- Salary expectations
- The overall cost of the program
- Opportunities for pursuing an advanced degree
It is a good idea to evaluate various degrees on a professional, personal and financial basis before making your final decision.
Types of Degrees
The degree you choose will depend on what qualification you will be studying for. The most popular undergraduate route is to pursue a bachelor’s degree, options like BBA VS BSBA are always a good choice, but sometimes they are available in a wide range of disciplines ranging from health, history, English literature, environmental sciences, psychology, to law. You can pursue a post-graduation after you complete your undergraduate studies.
There are other types of degrees such as professional certificates, associate degrees, transfer degrees, doctoral degrees, master degrees, specialist degrees, professional degrees and vocational degrees.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Degree
Here are a few factors to consider before deciding which type of degree is the best for you.
Based on Your Abilities
It is important to consider your abilities, what you can do and what skills you possess and these factors can guide you in choosing the right degree. However, if you lack some ability, don’t simply discount the field as you can build your abilities as you pursue your degree.
Based on Your Interests
This is a great way to determine the degree you want to pursue. However, you should remember that your interests could change over time.
Based on Your Values
You could decide on the type of degree you want to pursue based on your core beliefs and values that can result in your having a rewarding career.
Consider the Future
When choosing the type of degree that’s best for you, you must also consider what is the future of the particular subject and its long-term implications. You may have an interest in a particular subject and be passionate about it.
However, the question is how will you feel about it 10, 20 and even 30 years from now. If you’re unable to answer this, then you could consider a degree that has a broader scope.
Is It Employable?
The degree you choose to pursue should enable you to find employment in a related field easily. And so, it is better to opt for a field of study that’s broader rather than a niche subject where you may find that finding a job is difficult.
Will It Be Around?
In today’s dynamic, ever-changing world, technological advancements, automation and artificial intelligence are changing everything around and this trend will continue in the future too. While the degree you choose may be employable currently, will this still be the case in the future?
How Much Will It Pay?
How much money you will earn after pursuing a degree is an important factor to consider. The degree that you choose should keep you financially secure and ensure that you earn sufficiently to maintain your lifestyle, pay your loans, etc.
Parting Thoughts
In conclusion, choosing which subject to study can be a long and difficult process and you can start by asking a few questions such as, what subjects you enjoy, what subjects you’re good at, what do you want to do after your degree and how will your degree choice affect your career? Once you have answers to all these, you will be in a good place to narrow down your degree options.
