Study and career options
If life was simple, you could study just one subject, get a job doing that, and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.
Most people change the direction of their career many times, and part of this is a process of discovering what they actually like to do.
When you decide what to study, you might be tempted to pick subjects you think will be in demand when you finish. However, it might be four or five years before you finish school and university, and by that time, market demand might have changed.
The best thing to study is what you enjoy. And the same is true of what you end up working at.
When it comes to types of work, your choices will most likely fall into one of four categories:
- Working with people – “I enjoy helping people and doing things in a team.”
- Working with things – “I enjoy making things, working out how things fit together, applying rules to solve problems, analysing and reporting on data.”
- Organising – “I enjoy solving problems and making things happen.”
- Creating and analysing – “I enjoy being creative in finding new ways of doing things, interpreting data and generating ideas.”
Jobs have elements of all four, and so do the courses you study. The emphasis is different, however. For instance, an engineer typically enjoys making things and working out how things fit together, but must also be creative in solving new problems. An artist is highly creative, but must also analyse how different materials will work, or know how to create a particular effect on the page or on the stage.
If you can find the study area that maximises whichever type of work you enjoy best, you will see that it leads you into certain career paths. The more you enjoy what you are doing, the more successful you will be at it.
Talk to people about what their work actually involves, and get a sense of what you will enjoy. You don’t have to choose too early – it is better to keep your options open.
Take a look at the Career Services Rapuara website, www.careers.govt.nz and talk to your school careers advisor.