“What electives should I choose for next year?” It’s the question that can baffle secondary school students and parents.
What subjects should students choose from a list of elective options? If a student isn’t sure about the career they want to pursue after school, how can they make informed decisions? Fortunately, Brisbane Catholic Education helps many students and parents each year settle on the best options.
Brisbane Catholic Education Executive Director Pam Betts said there three approaches worthy of consideration:
Think about future pre-requisite subjects
“If your child does have an idea of what they would like to do after they leave school, then look for subjects that will be pre-requisites for study in that area. That will put the student on the pathway in that field.”
Choose something that you love but stretch yourself
“The reality is that plenty of students won’t know what they want to do after they finish school and there’s nothing wrong with that. So, think about subjects that the student will really enjoy. But make sure the student is prepared to get out of their comfort zone a little. Students can take a lot of benefit from stretching themselves out of their comfort zone.”
Choose something you know you will learn from
“This will ensure that the student remains engaged. And that’s always important in getting the most out of education. Subjects that provide students with plenty of learning provide options once school ends when the student may have a better idea of what they would like to do next.”
Miss Betts said it was important that students did not place too much pressure on themselves to come to a decision about their life after school. “There are so many pathways that students can take to get to their ultimate goal,” Miss Betts said. “We know that young people these days are likely to have more career changes than in previous generations. They may even do jobs that we can’t imagine today so it’s important that they participate well, continue to learn and develop a sense of achievement.”