With so many options, it can be a real challenge to figure out how to choose my career and what to look for to make the right decision.
But to address these challenges, Victoria Bauzá, a career counselor and co-founder of the educational consulting firm ACLASS, offers some guidelines to help high school students begin making a decision and to help parents support them.
5 Tips for Making a Decision If You're a High School Student
1. Stay calm
Don't worry. This is the first big decision, but it's just one of many that only you can make. Taking the time to carefully consider your options will help you make better decisions: just relax and take a close look at your thoughts.
2. Building a career
Remember that it’s less about having a calling and more about“building a career.” Absolutely no one is born knowing everything, and there’s no reason why anyone should inherit a profession: build the career you’d like to have.
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3. Enjoy the journey
Graduating faster isn't always better. At this stage of life, we not only acquire some of the most substantial knowledge and develop our perspectives on various aspects of reality, but we also form the values that define us as human beings. Let the goal be the journey itself.
4. Get to know yourself
You need to get to know yourself. No one knows you better than you do, and we’re talking about your future here. Identify your priorities and what truly motivates you, and you’ll be able to see things more clearly.
5. Lean on your relationships
Strive for balance time and time again. You’ll need to be prepared for constant change and learn to cope with a certain degree of uncertainty. That’s why talking to your family, friends, and professionals—even though the final decision is always yours—is a great way to deal with that uncertainty.
5 Tips to Help a High School Senior Choose a Major
1. Clear up any doubts
Understand and accept their doubts. Encourage them to explore, ask questions, talk things through, and clear up any doubts they may have. Communication is key: in addition to sharing your own experiences and what you believe is best for their future, listen to them, because it’s important to understand what they’re saying.
2. Provide support throughout the entire process
While keeping in mind that the decision ultimately rests with the high school student, supporting them and exploring career paths and professions together will make the decision-making process less difficult and less confusing. Offering an outside perspective will be very helpful, but it is essential not to influence the final choice or succumb to preconceived notions about what is expected.
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3. Describe your professional experience
Encourage them to explore the professional world through internships, company visits, or assistant roles. Gaining firsthand insight into how the professional world works—and even the day-to-day realities of specific careers—will provide an exceptional opportunity to help them make a more informed decision about which major to pursue.
4. Avoid pressure (of any kind)
Pressure is the natural enemy of any decision-making process. Every human experience is unique and irreplaceable, and each person has their own pace, cognitive processes, concerns, and motivations. Avoid pressuring them to make a quick and definitive decision, as this will only result in a less thoughtful, less authentic, and—in the long run—possibly less effective decision.
5. Remember the importance of soft skills
Remember—and remind them—the importance of soft skills, such as dialogue and interpersonal communication, teamwork, patience, flexibility, and leadership. These skills not only enable effective interaction on both a personal and professional level, but they’re also what make a difference.
Figuring out what to study after high school can seem extremely difficult at first. However, as we’ve seen, there are certain strategies that make the decision-making process much easier. The key is to lean on those closest to you, stay calm, and listen to yourself.
- You might also be interested in reading: “How to Choose a Career”
Still not sure what to study?
Explore all the degree programs at Universidad ORT Uruguay