Accounts of people having changed their majors many a time, incurring additional years of studies, is not a rare occurrence. This is because for most traditional universities, students would already have been enrolled in a programme that is confined to a certain faculty, and set on their course where they would have to complete certain compulsory core subjects. While there may be freedom to explore other study areas, it can only be one or two subjects within the first year to do so. By the end of the first year, you are expected to already have a certain idea of what course you plan to major in. Many universities boast of ‘flexibility’ in choosing majors. Well, that is not true especially when each advance level courses requires a basic level course as prerequisite before you can even do more on it. Furthermore, being restricted under the requirements of your course in order to graduate, naturally, the space you have to explore your interest in areas other than your faculty throughout your entire degree is even narrower.

My idea of university degrees is only limited to the more popular ones- Commerce, Medicine, Law, and since I was an arts student, Arts. I came from an education system where career guidance was very limited. We only had one careers’ counsellor in the entire college to 800 students and only the crème de la crème is immediately assigned to a teacher mentor, while the rest of us wade in deep water, and trying to find the nearest bay. I never had much of an idea what I wanted to be. 

So when I was thrown into the deep end of deciding what to pursue for my tertiary education, I had little idea. My older brother graduated as a Commerce student with a major in Accounting and Finance. I knew that I had no interest in those, because honestly, numbers and I aren’t the best of friends. I knew I would rather be out and about learning through action rather than just direction. I knew that having some background in business would be advantageous because it is part and parcel of life. I also knew that I would kick butt in organisational and management stuff because I’ve been doing that all my life and breathe it. By narrowing down my selections based on what I knew, I thought that studying hotel management was the ideal choice for me. To throw the cherry on top of the cake, I get to learn a new language too (since it is compulsory in European hotel schools)!

One thing I didn’t know however, was what I saw myself in the future. A good friend of mine and I used to talk about aspirations to be the next CEO of the some big company. Now that I brought it up to her again, she laughs it off as a joke. Some wild dreams, aye? It just seems that when we were younger, anything seems possible and now, everything seems impossible.

Fate had it when my parents pulled the axe and refused to fund my education should I choose hotel management because Switzerland is too far from home and that hotel management is just not suitable for girls. Frankly, I cannot really blame them- it’s just inopportune that my parents are rather conservative and overprotective of me. So coming from a traditional family upbringing, the only route left for me was a traditional one.

I dare say that my first choice – Bachelor of Arts – was the right choice. I am more free-spirited and enjoy words over numbers. The only reason why I am in the Bachelor of Commerce now was because I lost my guts and became a conformist, thinking that a Commerce degree is more recognised than an Arts degree. But eventually, as everyone who has been through it says: ‘An undergraduate degree is merely a stepping stone. Most important thing is to enjoy what you’re studying.’ This is where you throw all those bombastic words such as “passion” and “love” in.

There is no foolproof method in ensuring that you get it right on your first try. Most of you may, whereas others may require some trial and error before settling on the right one. In any case, do consider the following when deciding on what courses to choose:

1. Your passion (take a gap year, volunteer, work, dare to try anything to discover your own likes and dislikes)
2.Your aptitude (you may like it, but need not necessary do well in it)
3. Your financial resources (scholarship options, parents’ loan)
4. Your parents’ opinion (especially if you are taking on their loan)
5. Career opportunities (it is a factor, but not the most important factor)
6. Lots of perseverance (because even the best route is never easy)

Remember, a university degree is merely a stepping stone to your career. Most of the time, you would already have forgotten what you have learnt the previous semester as you are halfway through the next semester. A university education, and I believe, every education’s purpose, should be about being focussed on developing skills rather than equipping knowledge. After all, you can pick up knowledge just by reading articles on the news or documentaries (voila! I know a little but more of cooking just by watching Jamie Oliver). However, skill development requires practice, endurance, failures and success before you can truly declare that you have mastered a skill.

There is no hard and fast rule as to how you should choose your course. However, it does determine part of who you will become because of the experience that will shape you.

All the best!