Career College Degree Basics: Where Do I Start?

Youve made the decision; its time to go to college. But how to begin? Were here to help. Below youll find the Who, Why, What, Where and How of earning your college degree.

Who

You, of course, thats who. What do you want out of college? Do you have a degree path in mind? Take some time to consider things. What do you do well when it comes to school? Are you a social butterfly or a bookworm? Do you enjoy the classroom, or do you prefer hanging out online? What is important to you? What gave you trouble in schoolwriting papers, taking notes, or showing up to class prepared?

All of these are important factors to consider before moving forward. A good exercise is to sit down and write down answers to the questions above. College is challenging, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses before you go in is key. Take the time to really dig deep and understand yourself before taking the next step.

Why

This is important: WHY do you want to go to college? Are you fulfilling a life-long dream, or simply following the expectations of your parents or friends? Are you hoping for a lucrative career and college is the next step down that path? Whatever your reason, if you are doing it for yourself and the dreams you hold for your life, you are more likely to succeed.

What

Youve heard, and probably dreaded, the question: what do you want to do with your life? To answer this question, you need to do more self-examination.

Lets start with your interests. What types of things excite you? What types of jobs or careers appeal to you? Dont feel restricted by the expectations of otherslet your hopes and dreams soar when considering these ideas.

Now, lets look at your abilities. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What kind of skills do you have? Look at the courses you took in high school. What were your best subjects? Is there a pattern there? What kinds of extracurricular activities did you participate in while in high school? What kinds of things did you learn from part-time or summer jobs?

The next step is to examine what you value in work. Do you value helping society? Do you like working under pressure? Are you interested in a specific group affiliation? What about stability, security, status, pacing, working alone or with groups, or having a positive impact on other people?

Now, the reality check. You need to honestly evaluate your options. Do you really value physicians and have an interest in being a doctor, but have little skills in science? Does your occupation require an advanced degree, but you have no desire to go to graduate school? Do you have a strong interest in the arts, but your family is convinced you will become a lawyer like your father? None of these things should stop you, necessarily, but it is still important to face these obstacles and be realistic about whether you can get around them.

Finally, based on all your research and self-assessment, you should now have a better idea of the careers and majors you are not interested in pursuing as well as a handful of potential careers and majors that do interest you.