Help! What degree should I study?
You know you want to go to uni, but you have no clue what course to study. First of all, don’t panic. This is a very, very common problem, and one we’re known for solving. The following advice should help you narrow down your choices.
It's totally normal to have no idea about what you want to study at uni. Hundreds of people come to our website every day to figure that out, so you’re in good company!
A great first step is to take our course-matching quiz, which will give you recommendations based on your likes, interests and goals.
But if you don’t even know how to answer some of the questions in there yet, that’s okay. Here are a few prompts to get you thinking about your possible future study path.
Questions to ask yourself when choosing a degree
What are you interested in?
Let’s put studying out of your mind completely for a second, and wind things right back.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Make a list of everything that interests you: what you like to read about, watch movies about, do as a hobby, and talk about with friends.
This will help you pick some broad study areas to investigate, like IT and computer science or engineering.
It’s also equally useful to write down what you’re not interested in, because that will help you eliminate study areas that don’t hit the mark.
What matters to you in a career?
Ultimately, you want to pick a course that leads to your ideal career. So when you close your eyes and picture your life 10 years down the track, what’s important to you from this list? This will help you decide on a major or specialty area, like software development.
Do you want:
An in-demand career
You care about job stability. You want to work in an industry where employers are always hiring and your skills will always be needed.
Choosing a career that is always in demand will make you feel less anxious about job hopping and economic changes in the future. Plus having a skill that literally keeps society turning can give you an enormous sense of purpose. Find out which professions are expected to have the most jobs growth by visiting the government’s Jobs and Skills website. You can also see which occupations are desperately in need of new university qualified workers by checking the Skills Priority List website.
Specialty areas to consider: Nursing, teaching, mental health, construction management, agriculture or cyber security.
A high-paying career
You want a career with high earning potential, so you can experience the peace of mind that comes with financial independence.
There’s no shame in wanting to crack a six-figure income, especially in today’s world. Financial autonomy is incredibly empowering. See what you’re likely to earn after finishing different degrees by reading the course description pages on our website. It’s also worth looking at this yearly report by recruitment agency Michael Page, which breaks down the highest paying jobs across all industries.
Specialty areas to consider: Law, business management, architecture, engineering or software development.
A career that you love
You want a career that is meaningful, and that allows you to be your authentic self. You care more about personal satisfaction than the classic markers of success.
When you love what you do, work is a joy rather than a chore. Only you can decide what fills your cup, but if this is your number one priority, you can look up Australia’s happiest jobs for inspiration.
Specialty areas to consider: Creative writing, art history, counselling, music, nutrition, disability care or sustainability.
Why do you want to study?
The next question to ask yourself is: What goal do you want to achieve by earning a qualification? Do you want to enter the workforce as soon as possible? Start the career that will define your life? Or just immerse yourself in an area you adore, and let the details work themselves out later?
This will tell you what kind of qualification to get.
Consider which of these options describes you best.
| If you want to: | You should look at this qualification type: |
| Leap into the workforce sooner rather than later | A shorter vocational qualification like a diploma or associate degree. |
| Start a long-lasting career | It’s likely you’ll need a bachelor degree. |
| Switch careers | Consider a postgraduate degree like a graduate diploma or masters degree. |
| Go with the flow | Start with a single subject. This is a bite-sized study option that lets you sample a degree for 10-16 weeks, instead of financially committing to the whole thing. |
What skills and knowledge do you already have?
If you’ve been following our tips so far, you hopefully have a study area, specialty area, and qualification type in mind now (let’s say you’ve landed on IT and computer science, software development, and a bachelor degree).
Another thing to reflect on is what you already know, and whether you’re going to be comfortable studying your specialty area at a university level.
Consider what subjects you did well in at school, or what skills you’ve picked up in the workforce.
For example, if you’ve mostly studied the arts and humanities but you’re eyeing a degree in software development, will you find programming difficult to learn? (psst: study a single subject to find out!).
In certain cases, you need to have completed prerequisite subjects before you can enrol in a degree. We recommend reading the entry requirements to see whether that’s a factor.
If you do have your heart set on a particular area and you don’t have any prior knowledge, it doesn’t have to stand in your way. Open Universities Australia can help you get around the entry requirements for many degrees and even point you to enabling subjects that will build your confidence.
Book a chat with one of our Australia-based student advisors for advice about this.
How would you prefer to learn?
The last thing to consider is how you want to study: online or on-campus.
Are you happy with a fixed weekly timetable, or after more flexibility? Is the social side of campus life important to you? Or do you want the autonomy to learn from wherever you choose? Maybe you live regionally, want to work while studying, or have family responsibilities that can’t be put aside.
Everybody’s different, so ask yourself how you learn best and where you’re more likely to thrive. Online study requires self-discipline, but it also makes uni possible for you no matter where you live or what your lifestyle looks like, making it well worth considering.
Do you have a shortlist?
Start searching for courses and read the course descriptions, entry requirements and FAQs carefully. Through our website, you can actually save your favourite courses from different universities and then compare them side by side. All you need to do is create a free account.
You might feel like you’re under a lot of pressure to make the right decision about your degree. But just remember you’re never locked into the path you choose. Even the most confident people will start a degree with a specific career in mind, only to find their true calling through their studies.
We’re always here to help figure you it out, switch your major, adjust your subjects, or even change degrees. As a not-for-profit, it’s our job to represent your best interests with the universities. Nothing you do now is set in stone.
Ready to narrow down your study choices? Take our course-matching quiz, or book a call with a student advisor, who will give you free, one-on-one advice.
