Strike a balance between passion and utility
Published: 04:07 PM,Jul 16,2023 | EDITED : 08:07 PM,Jul 16,2023
As the General Education (High School) diploma results were announced in Oman on Thursday, there has been much talk about future options, and mainly about which majors to choose in college or university. This annual question poses a challenge to young school graduates looking for the right areas to specialise in, factoring in different aspects like employment opportunities and personal interest.
One of the most important considerations before choosing a major is to reflect on one’s own skills, interests and capacity. It is not enough to look at market trends because that reveals what will remain in demand in the next few years. It is more important to understand what you can see yourself doing in the near future.
One major consideration today is that careers are not for life. Individuals often change paths, re-specialise and re-skill, often veering towards totally different career paths. In this case, it is not so much the subject of the major but the skills which it is providing that should be considered. This also provides opportunities for entrepreneurship which a major demand of the day.
In fact, it is not so much the content of courses but approaches, critical thinking, application and project based learning that are at the forefront of learning today.
Most majors today can be interdisciplinary, including in niche areas like engineering and medicine. Students are often allowed to combine different subjects like economics with philosophy or medicine with languages, suggesting an interesting way to cross disciplines. This is important for holistic development, and also to understand the world from different perspectives.
This is not to say that the market determined majors are not a factor to be considered. According to Coursera, the online education platform, the most popular majors in 2023 include computer engineering, management and healthcare. These are all viable options, with employment opportunities widening for the next decade worldwide.
It is a truth, however, that we cannot choose a career path solely determined by the market. It is almost impossible to work at a job in which you are not interested, therefore not committed. A job should be a passion, something that you look forward to doing at the start of everyday. The same is true for the college major. It should be one that speaks to you, one in which you see opportunities to develop, apply and make your own.
More importantly, college and university life is more than the major – it is about experiences, life-long friendships and a whole lot of soft skills.
Choosing a major or a career path may be one of the most consequential decisions of a high school graduate and should be taken seriously. But it lightens the burden to know that these are not the life changing decisions they once were. Today, students are studying for jobs which don’t even exist yet. As such, combining one’s own interest, if not passion, with a practical understanding of the immediate context is enough to provide the right answer.
The author is Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, Sultan Qaboos University
One of the most important considerations before choosing a major is to reflect on one’s own skills, interests and capacity. It is not enough to look at market trends because that reveals what will remain in demand in the next few years. It is more important to understand what you can see yourself doing in the near future.
One major consideration today is that careers are not for life. Individuals often change paths, re-specialise and re-skill, often veering towards totally different career paths. In this case, it is not so much the subject of the major but the skills which it is providing that should be considered. This also provides opportunities for entrepreneurship which a major demand of the day.
In fact, it is not so much the content of courses but approaches, critical thinking, application and project based learning that are at the forefront of learning today.
Most majors today can be interdisciplinary, including in niche areas like engineering and medicine. Students are often allowed to combine different subjects like economics with philosophy or medicine with languages, suggesting an interesting way to cross disciplines. This is important for holistic development, and also to understand the world from different perspectives.
This is not to say that the market determined majors are not a factor to be considered. According to Coursera, the online education platform, the most popular majors in 2023 include computer engineering, management and healthcare. These are all viable options, with employment opportunities widening for the next decade worldwide.
It is a truth, however, that we cannot choose a career path solely determined by the market. It is almost impossible to work at a job in which you are not interested, therefore not committed. A job should be a passion, something that you look forward to doing at the start of everyday. The same is true for the college major. It should be one that speaks to you, one in which you see opportunities to develop, apply and make your own.
More importantly, college and university life is more than the major – it is about experiences, life-long friendships and a whole lot of soft skills.
Choosing a major or a career path may be one of the most consequential decisions of a high school graduate and should be taken seriously. But it lightens the burden to know that these are not the life changing decisions they once were. Today, students are studying for jobs which don’t even exist yet. As such, combining one’s own interest, if not passion, with a practical understanding of the immediate context is enough to provide the right answer.
The author is Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, Sultan Qaboos University