Making Decisions

• Get to know yourself
• Making subject choices
• The right subject for you
• Follow your dreams

Today there are more opportunities for young people than ever before. But it is like cable television, there are over 100 channels and you don’t know what to watch. Because there are so many opportunities it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is easier to make a decision on what you want to do. So how can you decide?

Get to know yourself

How do you make the right choices? Choices that will help you take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to you. Remember keep an open mind and know what it is that you enjoy. This takes careful planning and preparation. Do research on a career or careers you think you would be interested in. Remember the choices you make now will affect you in the future, so make sure you think carefully, and make sure the decisions you make are right for YOU.

If you’re like most school leavers, you don’t know what you want to do when you leave school, it’s a good idea to start planning and preparing for YOUR future now before it’s too late. Going to university just to please your parents is not the way to go about it. You should look at all your options and decide what would be the best route for you.

Making subject choices

Most schools in the Western Quebec School Board ask students to choose different options as early as grade 7 for grade 8 and again in grade 8 for grade 9 and so on until you reach grade 11.

The school in which you attend also plays a factor in the optional subjects you choose for the future. All schools will offer core subjects – the subjects that are required for a student to pass their high school diploma. However, different high schools may offer different optional subjects. Some schools will offer a lot of academic courses, while others may offer a full range of vocational studies and work programs. Availability often depends on the size and location of your school, the demand for certain subjects, whether there are teachers available to lead the classes, or the resources available within the school.

Which is the right subject for you?

Everyone will have to take compulsory courses. When you are choosing your optional subjects however, it is important to think about whether you love the subject you’ve chosen, whether you’re up to it, and most importantly how will that subject help you in the future. Getting a job that you enjoy may not seem to important now but after a few years in a job you don’t like you will soon change your mind. If you have a favourite pastime, extra-curricular activity or sport, don’t forget to include these areas when you are considering your future.

Follow your dreams

Most successful people have achieved great things by just following their dreams.

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