Getting Started with Course Selection

Subject Choice Tips

This section will help you plan your course of study for next year and beyond. To make useful decisions, you need to reflect on your skills, seek advice from knowledgeable adults, and seek up-to-date information on courses and careers for your future. The younger you are, the more important it is to keep your options open by choosing widely so as to have as wide a range of knowledge and skills as possible when you do make up your career mind. Specializing too early in one area has the disadvantage that, should your career plans change, you may be left without the skills and knowledge you need for your selected tertiary course. Many subjects have ‘transferable skills’ – that is, they can be useful for a whole range of careers. These skills are in high demand.

The range of subjects you choose should provide you with a course that is:

• suited to your interests and abilities

• achievable – yet challenging

• relevant to your career aspirations

• provide pathways for future study

• relevant to the world of work patterns of the 21st century.    

Steps to make an informed decision:

1. Check out your career implications – will you keep your options open?

   • Work out all your current career ideas

   • Check the subject requirements

   • Weigh up the ‘essential’ subjects, then the ‘useful’ subjects

2. Think about your abilities – can you do well in these subjects?

3. Think about your interest levels – will you have the motivation?

4. Weigh up any differences between interests, abilities and career ideas

5. Talk it over with people who know you well

6. Check out www.careers.govt.nz/plan-your-career for some useful information.

The ABC Subject Selection Checklist:

When you have made your choices, follow this simple checklist:

1. Ability and Attitude – are you able and will you be interested?

2. Balance – will you have a range of options open for future career ideas?

3. Choice – are they your own decisions or have you been swayed by others?

To Make Informed Decisions You Could:

• Go to the SOC Careers website (accessed through the school website, under the Students tab.)
• Contact the Careers Department for an appointment with Mrs Collow, [email protected]
• Use www.careers.govt.nz which is a comprehensive careers site for job, course and general careers information.
• Check out various tertiary websites
• Attend tertiary open days
• Attend Wellington and Hutt Valley Careers Expos.
• Attend the St Oran’s College Senior Subject Course Selection Evening (Week 6, Thursday 29 August, 6 pm in the school hall). 

Every effort will be made to enable you to take the subjects you wish but not every combination can be guaranteed. Some subjects may not be offered if numbers for them are too small.