If you’re unsure of what you want to study, then asking yourself one very important question can be the best way to help you decide — what do I love to do?

In today’s world, the mind-boggling array of careers available can confuse even the clearest of minds. There are only a very lucky few who are absolutely sure of what they should study. For the rest of us, deciding what to study can be a difficult task. And, the task becomes all the more daunting when you consider that this decision could dictate what you do for the rest of your working life.

If you’re struggling with this crucial life choice, then we’re going to give you one simple but very meaningful piece of advice — choose something that you’ll enjoy!

Imagine this scenario…

Thathi is in her final year of high school, but hasn’t yet decided what to study when she graduates. Her father is an accountant and her mother is a bookkeeper, and both of them are putting pressure on her to study accounting after school. Although she achieves good marks for accounting, she doesn’t enjoy the subject very much. She knows that she will probably earn a good income if she becomes an accountant, but she can’t stand the thought of being stuck behind a desk every day working with numbers.

Her real passion lies in discovering new places and meeting new people. She loved going on school camps out in the wilderness, and on sports tours to cities she had never been to before. The thought of being able to do something similar to this for a career truly excites her. Thathi decides to follow her heart and goes against her parents’ wishes, enrolling for studies in tourism. She truly enjoys her course, and finds that studying isn’t tiresome or boring. Because she has a real interest in the study material, she absorbs the information easily, and she enjoys completing the assignments. She is well prepared for her end-of-year exams. She passes with flying colours, and goes on to complete her N5 and N6 courses too.

When she goes for her first interview for an internship with a tour company, the interviewer is highly impressed with her passion and knowledge, and Thathi gets the internship! Afterwards, she gets a permanent job as a tour guide, taking tourists on trips around southern Africa. She loves every day on the job, and feels like she never has to work a day in her life! All because she decided to follow her passion.

And on the other hand…

Jabu was in Thathi’s class at school. He also doesn’t know what to study after matric. He is an artistic spirit who enjoys photography and painting, and briefly considers enrolling at a visual arts school. But he doesn’t believe that there he will be able to earn a living from his passion.

Most of his friends are studying business management, and he knows that successful business people earn good money, so he decides to study the same course without giving it much thought. Unfortunately, he battles to grasp the study material, he doesn’t enjoy his studies, and struggles to find the motivation to focus on his course. He fails his exams at the end of the year, and has wasted thousands of rand in the process. He tries again the next year and just passes, but he feels like he doesn’t want to study further. His experience of studying has been very negative, mainly because he chose something that he didn’t enjoy.

For several years, Jabu struggles to find a job. He eventually settles for a low-paying position at a trucking company, and going to work sometimes feels like a prison sentence to him!

These are just hypothetical scenarios, but millions of youth around the world have a similar experience to Jabu. You may doubt that your passion can lead to a career. Or you may be attracted to a certain career because you believe it will earn you a high income, without considering whether you’ll actually enjoy it or even be good at it.

Instead of wallowing in a job that you hate, we encourage you to be like Thathi. Chasing your true passions can lead to a career that you’ll love!

Let us help you chase those passions. Choose from our wide variety of distance learning courses, and enjoy fantastic student support along the way.