It is youth month, and it is the time to remember the sacrifices that were made for the opportunities that are today. As well as a time of year we get a public holiday and for those of us who are working, a time to wear school uniform at the workplace weather being born before or after 1990. As important as it is to remember and appreciate the sacrifices, it is important to celebrate the youth and its potential. For the youth it can be challenging to reach “Potential”, when they are not sure about what they are studying and where it will take them.
It can be hard to reach your potential when you feel like you are in the wrong degree, or you don’t know where your degree will take you and it would be even harder to reach your potential when you are not enjoying what you are studying. You have been forced to do your current degree because it is what your parents wanted, or you did not get into what you wanted to do, or maybe you liked the idea of studying a certain profession and you realize in second year that this is not what you want to do with your life. Now you just feel lost because you are not enjoying what you are doing, and you are not sure where it will take you.
Now you may have 3 or more options. You can finish the degree and see it through or drop out and find other ways to upskill yourself, or you can change your degree. The first option is if you still have the tolerance to study to the degree, the second option is flexible as there are non-traditional ways to be skilled, the third option is if you are not in your final year as in my opinion it would not be wise to change your degree when you are at the finish line.
Before exercising any of the 3 or more options, it is important to ask yourself why did you initially get into this degree, how have you connected your sense of purpose to the degree and will the skill that you have been equipped with at the completion of your degree be able to sustain you while also enjoying your occupation. As well as other factors such as your funding situation need to be considered when making a decision.
It can be overwhelming to have this dilemma as your future really does depend on it and the more wrong reasons that choices are made the further away they take you away from your potential. To be honest it does not really matter what degree you are studying. As when you get into the job market you may find lawyers that are not practicing the law, or engineers that work in financial services and people that do not have a degree in computer science working in cyber security.
Key take away here is that no matter how lost you feel you can still fulfill your potential, as long as you have reasons behind the choices you make. Ensure that you make choices that are according to your plan to success, and if you still feel lost I recommend that you join a society or just seek mentorship from individuals that have graduated from your field of study and have somewhat found success in it. As long as you have a skill that is in demand, degree or no degree you will find success in the job market.
– Katleho Pheko, Campus Ambassador
