They say college will be the best four years of your life, and it should be. In a sense, college is every student’s training ground before they start their journey to adulthood. College is where students learn how to face the real world and be responsible individuals contributing to a growing society. College prepares you for life, but what if you do not know what you want? What if you’re still pondering on what to take as your course?

Chances are, college might be the best four to six years of your life, and to some, it’s even longer.

Knowing what you want to take helps you commit and focus on your studies. College can be difficult for many students, especially those who were pampered during high school. And if you are not 100 percent sure about what you are doing, that’s a recipe for disaster. Although it is possible to come to love what you picked on a whim, studying a course that is important to you is different from simply choosing one to graduate and get work. Perhaps that is true with the previous generations, but that does not have to be your case.

If you still haven’t got any clue as to what course to take, here are few tips that might help:

Go With Your Interests

Everyone has interests and hobbies, and it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re good at it to take it as your field of major. You are entering college to learn; you do not have to be already good at it to take up what you like doing. Most of the time, students who think they are already great at their chosen specialty can be proven wrong during the first month of classes. College is ground zero, and everyone has lots of things to learn.

So if you are interested in the country’s history and culture and find Filipino history intriguing, you can take courses in humanities and social sciences. Additionally, suppose you like scribbling and doodling on your notebooks. You don’t have to give that up to take up something else. You can study how to be a graphic designer and even be an animator. Nowadays, there are prestigious schools for talented students who want to draw stories and make their artwork move. Who knows, one day, you can intern at Pixar Studios, right? Give it a shot.

Consider Your Capabilities Too

This bit of advice is not supposed to be discouraging, but it is a pragmatic one. See, Filipino parents can be somehow controlling. Some still cling to the old ways and choose for their kids. Your parents might choose engineering for you, but you know deep down that the combination of letters and numbers in a formula makes you dizzy. So this is where you should draw the line. Studying a field that is not for you can limit you. Scientifically speaking, you will struggle because you might be a right-brained person, which means engineering might not be for you. You might not be up to take your engineering exams, practice tests, board exams, and your Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) licensure application.

Truthfully, these exams are huge factors for some students when choosing their fields. Some avoid that because they fear the possibility of failing. However, if you feel like you’re up to the challenge of being an engineer and architect and the responsibility of your PRC renewal every three years, then go for it.

Consider Your Financial Situation

The truth is, money can always be a factor to consider in everything, and deciding on which course to take is no exception. Before you enroll in your chosen university, you must know that there are courses that can be financially demanding. There’ll be instances where you had to go on school trips, training classes, and even equip yourself with the necessary tools and resources. Without sufficient funds, you can find yourself struggling to make ends meet and end up ruining your educational opportunity in the long run.

However, you can try to make ends meet. You can apply for a scholarship and work on the side. But don’t forget that your mental wellness is essential too. If you want to graduate in one piece, you should not overwork yourself.

Choosing what to take in college is the first step you will need to take to take ownership of your life. You choose the path that you continue to walk through years from now. So, choose wisely and good luck!