no idea what to do at uni (2 Viewers)

[amandada]

so i have just finished hsc but i have no clue what i'd like to do for a career.
i've put law first just because it seems like the sensible thing to do but nothing really jumps out at me and it's really stressing me out.

any advice on how to decide?

 

[enoilgam]

so i have just finished hsc but i have no clue what i'd like to do for a career.
i've put law first just because it seems like the sensible thing to do but nothing really jumps out at me and it's really stressing me out.

any advice on how to decide?

Can you elaborate more on this?

 

[Kiraken]

How is it the "sensible" thing to do? What makes it more "sensible" than any other path?

 

[VIPPER]

i've put law first just because it seems like the sensible thing to do

good idea.

 

[amandada]

How is it the "sensible" thing to do? What makes it more "sensible" than any other path?

it just seems like a highly regarded degree that is universally recognised. and i thought if i did change my mind, it was probably easier to transfer out of law than to transfer in.

 

[enoilgam]

it just seems like a highly regarded degree that is universally recognised. and i thought if i did change my mind, it was probably easier to transfer out of law than to transfer in.

As someone who picked Law for similar reasons, I think it is a very BAD idea. Law can be very mundane and dry, added to the fact that it is very difficult degree with a high workload. If you dont have a real interest in the field then it can be extremely painful to get through and it's not really something I would advise anyone to try.

If you have an interest in it or if you aspire to be a lawyer then by all means go for it, but if you are doing it because you have the ATAR or because it is highly regarded, then I think you will probably end up hating it and struggling to do well.

 

[RishBonjour]

As someone who picked Law for similar reasons, I think it is a very BAD idea. Law can be very mundane and dry, added to the fact that it is very difficult degree with a high workload. If you dont have a real interest in the field then it can be extremely painful to get through and it's not really something I would advise anyone to try.

If you have an interest in it or if you aspire to be a lawyer then by all means go for it, but if you are doing it because you have the ATAR or because it is highly regarded, then I think you will probably end up hating it and struggling to do well.

so you picked it for similar reasons to OP and now you like it? if you don't, whats keeping you motivated?

 

[enoilgam]

so you picked it for similar reasons to OP and now you like it? if you don't, whats keeping you motivated?

I dont like it, that's my point. Many others fall into the same sort of trap with Law - I know quite a few people who packed it in after a semester or so because they picked it for the wrong reasons.

This isnt a knock on Law or anything - many people do enjoy it. My mate wanted to do it since Year 9 and he loves it - but he did it because he had an interest in the area and because he wants to work as a lawyer. Since it appears prestigious and is getting easier to get into - people jump into it without much real thought.

 

[Cl324]

As someone who picked Law for similar reasons, I think it is a very BAD idea. Law can be very mundane and dry, added to the fact that it is very difficult degree with a high workload. If you dont have a real interest in the field then it can be extremely painful to get through and it's not really something I would advise anyone to try.

If you have an interest in it or if you aspire to be a lawyer then by all means go for it, but if you are doing it because you have the ATAR or because it is highly regarded, then I think you will probably end up hating it and struggling to do well.

is it really that bad. i put it first just because i didnt want to waste my atar. considering changing it now

 

[izzy88]

I dont like it, that's my point. Many others fall into the same sort of trap with Law - I know quite a few people who packed it in after a semester or so because they picked it for the wrong reasons.

This isnt a knock on Law or anything - many people do enjoy it. My mate wanted to do it since Year 9 and he loves it - but he did it because he had an interest in the area and because he wants to work as a lawyer. Since it appears prestigious and is getting easier to get into - people jump into it without much real thought.

I think it can really depend on the person, and I also think it is very difficult to get an idea of what law is like until you are doing it. I never thought I would do law, but got the UAI for it, and thought perhaps I should try it (the idea was that if I didn't like it, I would drop it and just do a BA without the combined law). I ended up really liking it - and will pursue law for a career. There's nothing wrong with keeping options open - or trying it - particularly when you combine it with something (and thus have the option of dropping or transferring out). On the other hand, my sister was always planning on doing law, and is currently doing it, but doesn't really like it at all. In the end it's all very personal, but I learnt that I shouldn't close doors before I've had a go - I never considered all the options, and throughout yrs 11 and 12 was so set on doing one thing at uni (ancient history), that I didn't consider other things

I'm not saying the OP should do law - but a combined degree, if you are not sure what you want to do, can be a useful way of seeing what's out there (even if its Arts/Science or Arts/Commerce etc).

 

[Tha_Crossroads]

I am very much like u lol! I dont really know what I want to do

But on choosing courses, I basically had 2 categories, one include those courses that reflects my interests i.e. I'm interested in visual design/art so I put down Visual Communication & Media. Another category was those courses that had good job prospects/pay i.e. I put down engineering/surveying, commerce and actuarial studies. I mean u got to get your preferences down b4 4th of jan, and then hope by the time offers are out u can choose a good course =D

 

[enoilgam]

I think it can really depend on the person, and I also think it is very difficult to get an idea of what law is like until you are doing it. I never thought I would do law, but got the UAI for it, and thought perhaps I should try it (the idea was that if I didn't like it, I would drop it and just do a BA without the combined law). I ended up really liking it - and will pursue law for a career. There's nothing wrong with keeping options open - or trying it - particularly when you combine it with something (and thus have the option of dropping or transferring out).

True, it does depend on the person. I guess expectations factor in as well, like for you Izzy, you gave it a try with the intention of dropping down to a BA if you didnt like it. So you kept your options open. Many people just go into it head on without really giving things much thought and then they become more bogged down with the degree.

Like I have said many times on BoS, it is easy to commit to an idea, but hard to commit to a process. Given how it is becoming easier to get into law these days, many people foolhardly jump on the idea of doing a law degree and being a lawyer without really thinking about it. Then when they get there, they struggle with the process of getting one because they lack that deep commitment.

I guess giving law a go can be a good idea, but I usually advocate that people think about it before really jumping into it. A lot of people fail to give it any real thought and often times they struggle.

 

[Shadowdude]

What I did - no joke - is I went through the UAC guide and put a cross next to everything I didn't want to do.

I was left with around 10 things left - and then I did a bit more research and then... it just narrowed down.

 

[ali2536]

so i have just finished hsc but i have no clue what i'd like to do for a career.
i've put law first just because it seems like the sensible thing to do but nothing really jumps out at me and it's really stressing me out.

any advice on how to decide?

If you're really interested in it, you should give it a go! Where are you applying to for law?

As someone who picked Law for similar reasons, I think it is a very BAD idea. Law can be very mundane and dry, added to the fact that it is very difficult degree with a high workload. If you dont have a real interest in the field then it can be extremely painful to get through and it's not really something I would advise anyone to try.

If you have an interest in it or if you aspire to be a lawyer then by all means go for it, but if you are doing it because you have the ATAR or because it is highly regarded, then I think you will probably end up hating it and struggling to do well.

May I ask, did you/ are you doing do a law degree?

 

[enoilgam]

May I ask, did you/ are you doing do a law degree?

I am still doing Law at the moment.

 

[HeyJes]

As someone who picked Law for similar reasons, I think it is a very BAD idea. Law can be very mundane and dry, added to the fact that it is very difficult degree with a high workload. If you dont have a real interest in the field then it can be extremely painful to get through and it's not really something I would advise anyone to try.

If you have an interest in it or if you aspire to be a lawyer then by all means go for it, but if you are doing it because you have the ATAR or because it is highly regarded, then I think you will probably end up hating it and struggling to do well.

Exactly what happened to me

 

[Lina3]

Wow this thread makes me feel better for what some of my UAC choices are. Chances are, I will probably not get into my first choice, which is Music Studies/Arts at Usyd since my Music has been considerably weaker than previously due to my commitment to HSC in general. However, my next option is Commerce/Arts at Usyd (I don't if I will even get the ATAR but anyway). I've always wanted to do a BA but Commerce is a serious dive in. I am not bad in maths and have always been fascinated by marketing for some weird reason, but that's about it. I never even got to do a related subject since the one I chose clashed with something else. When choosing this option my main motivators were employment prospects/salary rather than a personal passion, and for some reason I just felt really guilty for choosing it.

 

[Drifting95]

Wow this thread makes me feel better for what some of my UAC choices are. Chances are, I will probably not get into my first choice, which is Music Studies/Arts at Usyd since my Music has been considerably weaker than previously due to my commitment to HSC in general. However, my next option is Commerce/Arts at Usyd (I don't if I will even get the ATAR but anyway). I've always wanted to do a BA but Commerce is a serious dive in. I am not bad in maths and have always been fascinated by marketing for some weird reason, but that's about it. I never even got to do a related subject since the one I chose clashed with something else. When choosing this option my main motivators were employment prospects/salary rather than a personal passion, and for some reason I just felt really guilty for choosing it.

You should research more.

1.Marketing doesn't involve much math at all compared to other commerce majors
2. Marketing industry is very saturated and grad salaries are pretty average (40-50k). Sure you can earn 100k + after a while, but if money is your main motivator i struggle to see how marketing is appealing.

 

[Lina3]

You should research more.

1.Marketing doesn't involve much math at all compared to other commerce majors
2. Marketing industry is very saturated and grad salaries are pretty average (40-50k). Sure you can earn 100k + after a while, but if money is your main motivator i struggle to see how marketing is appealing.

No, you misunderstand. I never linked marketing to maths, I just emphasized it as a field within commerce that I find interesting. My reason for mentioning maths is because it is involved so much of commerce (it being such a broad filed). Also HSC 2 unit maths is assumed knowledge for commerce at Usyd, regardless of what major you choose. No, the salary may not be Engineer standard but its still considerably more than most music teachers earn, especially private tutors and the employment prospect are so much better. Anyway, I am giving myself a safety net, so if I really can't stand it I'll just drop to a standard BA. Mainly, I picked commerce above other double degrees with Arts because I know at least a little regarding what its all about since I did it in yrs 9-10.

 

[Drifting95]

No, you misunderstand. I never linked marketing to maths, I just emphasized it as a field within commerce that I find interesting. My reason for mentioning maths is because it is involved so much of commerce (it being such a broad filed). Also HSC 2 unit maths is assumed knowledge for commerce at Usyd, regardless of what major you choose. No, the salary may not be Engineer standard but its still considerably more than most music teachers earn, especially private tutors and the employment prospect are so much better. Anyway, I am giving myself a safety net, so if I really can't stand it I'll just drop to a standard BA. Mainly, I picked commerce above other double degrees with Arts because I know at least a little regarding what its all about since I did it in yrs 9-10.

Fair enough about your maths point, i did misunderstand.

About the salary, i can see where you're coming from about it being a good salary compared to music teachers (i have no clue of these salaries) but i was comparing it to a commerce standard (e.g finance, accounting, economics etc).

Engineering standard, not really a good example to emphasise a very high salary though tbh.