Most people make their decisions on an intended major by juggling between industrial opportunities (careers) & academic fulfillment (actually wanting to study the subject out of passion). Here are things we’ve done that have worked for us:
- Browse through several options on university websites, so you don’t miss out on a possible interest!
- List out everything you enjoy doing (drawing, project managing, debating) and see which ones align with certain fields
Generally, we advise to choose a subject based on your academic interests. Once you have a rough idea of the field you’d like to study; only then do you consider your job prospects & other factors (work-life balance).
This also applies to narrowing down the scope of your choices & can help eliminate ones you’d forgo (eg: Choosing which engineering major)
Industry |
Academia |
1. Talk to professionals in the field. How? |
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- Set up a LinkedIn account
- Search for the course you are interested in
- Discover that professionals may or may not pursue the field they studied (Eg: Not all engineering majors end up as engineers)
- Connect with interesting people
- Ask them questions (Eg: what do they like most about their job, what would they advise their younger self)
- Remember to ask politely! | 1. See if you would like to take these classes.
As seen in some of the fields above, the toggle down button shows links to certain university webpages. Universities are very transparent with the modules & classes that they offer. Read the titles of modules and search them up, to see if those are exactly what you wish to learn in the future |
| 2. Try gaining local attachments in the field
- This helps you get a feel of what the industry is like in Malaysia
- You will also get a lot of hands-on experiences
- Most people go through internal connections, but you may also try cold-emailing / connecting on LinkedIn with any professional to ask politely for a job shadowing opportunity
- Read more to get tips on applying for internships | 2. Explore MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), so you get to learn a little more depth of what topics in your major are like.
- Remember to try out beginner-level courses.
(Note: taking online courses can also prove your in-depth passion for the subject and may also help you learn a skill or two - eg: learning the basics of computer science with Harvard's CS50 - it’s completely free!)
Click here to find more courses https://www.edx.org/
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edX | Build new skills. Advance your career.
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