Choosing a specific stream to study during your college or high school has a lot of long-term consequences. When you decide to go a specific way in your academics, you narrow down your path towards a specific line of career as well. Thus, students should wisely choose their subjects and streams with a futuristic perspective.

In your teenage life, most of your decisions are governed by your parents and elders in the family who are more experienced and hence take it upon themselves to provide guidance to the children. However, a student should also put forward his or her point of view when choosing their future career path. Many times, the reason for choosing certain careers is due to the following:

• Parents’ pressure: Children tend to blindly follow their parent`s choice and is scared to oppose them.
• Peer pressure: They succumb to peer pressure and take the path that their friends choose for them.
• Following the latest trend: Students and their parents also tend to choose the career path that is trending at the time. Sometimes not realizing that the trend may fizzle out by the time the student steps out of college.
• Looking for a lucrative career: Students also see the career opportunities in a certain field as lucrative and decide to go that way even if their interest lies elsewhere.

Why would I change my stream or subject?

The very first step to making a career choice should be asking certain mandatory questions to yourself. You need to be clear in your head about what you want to do with your life. You should also ask yourself if you are good at what you are learning or want to learn. Another important question to ask yourself in case you are feeling uncomfortable in your current choice is if you are running away from the career choice simply because it looks like a lot of hard work. You should have all these aspects sorted in your head. You don’t need to jump into another field just because another career sounds lucrative or maybe another career is trending now.

Look for help.

Well, if you were not wise enough to make a good judgement while choosing your career stream at the start, then it is never too late to change. If the confusion is still not clear you can visit a career counselor to help you out. However, remember career counselors are just to show you different options to choose from and to help you figure out your interest (there are certain psychometric tests that can help you learn about yourself). However, counselors cannot tell you what you should do. That can be done only by you and only you!

Sit down and plan.

Once you have decided to change your career stream, the next step would be to plan how to change. You can begin by making a list of your likes and dislikes in your present academic field. Then carefully pick the topics of your interest and list your strengths and weaknesses in them. Next, set down your principles as to how you would like to approach a change in your life. Talking to people will also help you, especially people who have experienced such a switch themselves and can guide you along yours.

Always remember, “It is never too late” to make a switch in your career stream and this will save you a lot of regrets later!