You’re at a point in your life when you have to choose what you plan on doing when you enter the big wide world on your own. One day you will close the doors to your codependent life and take on the challenges of living on your own.

Becoming a young professional takes time as it's not just education you require but the experience. Your journey all begins when you go to university after you’ve chosen the course you want to take. But more importantly than that is choosing what kind of subject you wish to study.

Here is where millions of young people run into a brick wall. What do you really want to do? How do you know this is something you want to do or if you’re being pushed into it by other forces? What are your interests and can they translate into a course that would fit your professional goals and outlook?

These questions and so many more will be swirling around your mind. But before you sign up for a course, really explore what kinds of interests you have and what kinds of courses match up to them.

Examine your interests

Don’t juggle all your interests purely in your mind, you need to get them written down on paper. Explaining your reasons in detail which you can visually see and read, will help you understand more about yourself. When you are applying to go to university, you will be required to write a cover or personal letter anyway, so getting some writing practice is going to be useful for you later.

Define what you love doing and why. What is it about a subject or interest that you simply love being a part of? You don’t need to necessarily link your interests to any course that you’ve done previously just yet. Don’t think about what kinds, of course, you have your eye on at the moment, you’re purely delving deeper into your own mind.

As aforementioned it doesn’t have to be something that you have previously studied. For example, in your spare time, you might practice falconry because you love birds of prey. You might also love going to Formula One racing events.

Perhaps you like to write music and have your own YouTube channel which you use to upload your performances. It could be anything that you love to do in your own personal life. Once you have certain interests and hobbies written down, accompany them with a series of reasons why.

Take your time and don’t rush it. You’ll be using these writings to look back on when you’re choosing what kind of course, you want to do, so be honest and give as much detail as you want.

Breaking the norm

Treat university unlike anything else in your previous educational experience. At university, you can do almost anything you want to do. So breaking away from the norm is one of the most important things you need to understand.

You may have always had a musical background, but that doesn't mean you have to take a course that revolves around pursuing a musical career. Perhaps you’d rather get involved in psychology or history. Perhaps these subjects have always been your hidden loves but because of the way you grew up, you’ve never really thought about taking them seriously. Well, now is your chance. 

Know that in the professional world you find people from all walks of life and different backgrounds, doing the jobs that don’t really fit their education and experience. But, the world of work is a funny place, talent and willingness to achieve is rated equally as high as your qualifications.

That’s why you need to stop thinking of yourself as being constrained in a box. You don’t need to follow the path that you think you’re supposed to follow. It's your choice now, so take full advantage of the options in front of you. Approach the choosing of a course with ambition and yearning.

Other than academia

Times are changing, there is a notable shift in the balance of academia versus vocational courses. Academia has been dominant in Western universities because the economies of the developed world have morphed from buildings things to export, to financial services and entrepreneurship.

However, vocational courses are making a huge comeback. Engineering and mechanics of different kinds are once again front and center on the agenda of some nations.

If you’re someone who does want to work more with their hands and either create things or learn how to operate machines and technology then you’re in luck. For example, if you’re wondering how you could get into aviation, then you have plenty of options laid out in front of you. 

Here is what to study in university to become a pilot. One of the notable universities is Kingston University London where they teach Aviation Operations with Commercial Pilot Training BSc (Hons). At the University of Leeds, Aviation Technology and Management together with Pilot Studies is also another great option.

The article goes through each of your options with a full table of contents. Each university and course are shown, along with their years and fees as well as aviation facilities. If you don’t want to pursue a course in the category of academia, you need to look for specific universities that do offer the kind of vocational courses you’re after.

Use your experience

When you go out into the world of work, you’ll hear the expression ‘you need experience’ a lot. This is because businesses want to have employees they can trust and have shown a passion for their industry. The same can be said for universities. Some universities are specialists in particular subjects.

In order to be accepted into certain courses, you should show your experience in your personal letter. Going to open days that are hosted by universities themselves, you’ll be able to speak with the various lecturers and teachers. Having face to face conversations is really going to support your case. 

The added advantage of this is, being able to explore your interests deeper while on campus. The lecturers might tell you something about your options if you were to take the course, that you previously had no knowledge of. Any and all extracurricular activities you do, can and should be noted when applying to universities.

They are looking for experience of any kind that shows genuine interest in the subject, so don’t be put off from mentioning even the smallest achievements you’ve made outside of school.

Your dream job

If you already know the kind of job you want to have when you’re older, you’re very lucky indeed. Millions of students have no clue what they’re going to be doing after university. However, some people have their dream job in their sights and nothing will stop them from achieving it.

Look carefully at what your own dream job is. If you could have no limits to your options what kind of job would you like to have? This is all about exploring what you really want to dedicate your life to and becoming more serious about getting on the pathway to your end goals.

It's very difficult for one to pin down their best interests and select the exact type of course that would link the two together. However, first you need to accurately describe your interests and what really gets you going in life. When you have a clear picture of your reasons, then you can pinpoint the kind of course that would suit you best.