When you were young, how many of you heard your parents ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Of course, you can say, “I want to be a doctor, a scientist, or a hero.” Now that high school graduates are ready for college, that question becomes more serious than it used to be. There is a lot of advice like “Do whatever you want to do.” Or “Follow your passion.” Or “Learn something fun.” Or even “Learn something until you graduate from college” etc. But in this competitive job market with a large number of unemployed college graduates, such advice may not be valid because you have to be more realistic for your future.

As a high school graduate, it's important for you to investigate multiple areas of study and plan your career as early as possible. One student told me he wanted to “follow his passion.” I asked him, “What is your passion?” He hesitated and listed everything from music, art, photography to literature, so I asked, “Since you have many interests, what interests do you want to do for the rest of your life? And what interest do you think you'll make a living from?" He could not come to an answer. Basically many young people confuse what they like and what their career will be. A career is one that requires effort and training, which helps you make a living. What you enjoy are activities that you pursue to enjoy and these are not considered careers. You can be a doctor as a profession but play an instrument because you like music; or you can make a living as a software developer but you like photography as a special interest etc. Many students also fail to distinguish the difference between a job and a career. A job is something you do to get paid, while a career is about a lifelong professional that allows you to provide for yourself and your family. Anyone can get a job as it usually doesn't require much education but the profession often requires a lot of training and effort.

Deciding on a field of study in college and a future career can be difficult, especially for students who have just finished high school. It may seem "impossible" to define what you want to do for the rest of your life by the age of eighteen, but choosing your field of study early will help set you on the right track for the future. your. As a high school graduate, you can work with school counselors to choose your field of study. You must check with the school's career office to get information about its graduates and how they get job offers related to their education. It's best to ask students at the school you're interested in enrolling in to learn more about certain programs before making a decision. Last year a student wrote to me that although he thinks Computer Science, Software Engineering are good fields of study, he is afraid that they are difficult and require a lot of work. I replied to him that it was harder to find a job and required more effort if he had chosen something “easy and fun” in college. I also told him that he could spend four years working hard and then enjoy a rest for the rest of his life, or enjoy the "easy and fun" life for four years and then spend the rest of his life looking for work.

Today the best study areas are in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) because there are not enough graduates in these regions and the world needs more people in these fields. Why are there few students studying STEM? Because many of them are afraid of something difficult and they don't want to work hard. Many college students believe that time in college is the best time to enjoy, have fun, party and enter into special relationships etc. These are the concepts they get from romance novels, movies, music, and other fiction.

As a student, you must apply to investigate the right field of study to pursue. Go to the internet, check out a number of educational websites, and attend technology events such as seminars and seminars to learn more. Tell other students who are already enrolled in the schools you are considering. Be proactive in your exploration of an area of study that can help you build a strong career in the future. After all, it's your life; it's your future and your profession.