Choice of studies & career orientation: open your eyes to your career!

Anyone who has finished school in Germany is spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a career or degree Choice: In addition to 344 state-recognized in-company vocational training courses, there are currently around 12 courses and subjects. How are you supposed to find the right one?

The agony of choice

Around 390 state and private universities compete for the favor of high school graduates, and courses are always being created. The old saying "Eyes on when choosing a career” still applies, but with the unmanageable range on offer, it is difficult for school leavers to steer their eyes in the right direction.

Because when the school leaving certificate is within reach, a question moves inexorably closer: "What do I do afterwards?" It is actually everyone's fact that one cannot avoid answering them clear.

11% has no idea

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And yet, not a few students have found a suitable answer even shortly before the Abi celebration: 11% did not even deal with the topic of study and career choice half a year before the end of the school year.

In any case, 11-year-old Eva Krummenauer from Oberbrombach near Birkenfeld is at a loss: Even though she still has two years to go as a student in the XNUMXth grade until she graduates from high school, she is already busy choosing her studies and career. But although she has read various magazines such as “Mercury” or “Abi Berufswahlmagazin”, found out about courses and in the Internet a selfAssessment-Center, she only knows one thing so far: she doesn't want to do anything with natural sciences. But what possibilities does she have to find out which course or which ones Vocational Training are right for you?

Check your own interests

Barbara Knickrehm, career consultant for high school graduates at the employment agency Herford, advises students like Eva, first to start with themselves, before you can be confused by the many possibilities:

“Surfing the internet haphazardly looking for the right job or studying self-assessment right from the start doesn't bring much. It is better to take an honest inventory of your own interests and skills. ”

Just do not hurry around the Internet

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In the first place is the Ask according to the topics that particularly concern you. Of course, this includes the activities that Fun and who give the impression that they are good at the Hand go. But also the experiences that are exciting in everyday school life and in the private sphere. Eva could regularly keep a diary in which she enters her observations.

For example, she could write down what she likes to talk about, which books, newspaper and magazine articles she enjoys reading, which pages she particularly likes on the Internet or what she enjoys watching on television. As time goes on, her vision will sharpen. Above all, she should write down which ones Tasks, which topic captivates her so much that she loses all sense of time; because these are usually the things that really interest you.

Sharpen your eyes

In a second step, Eva can then collect information about special qualities and abilities that she herself considers Power feels, but also those that are attributed to her by parents or friends. Preferably in writing, writing down five of her positive qualities and asking friends and family to do the same. Finally, Eva should try to clarify for herself what is important to her in her life. Is there a value that is inherent in everything she does and how she lives? What are less important aspects? One Idea would be to briefly describe what a successful and fulfilling life should look like. However, Barbara Knickrehm points out that such exercises help the inner awareness to focus on one's own interests, abilities and career aspirations, but not necessarily leading to quick results:

“Self-discovery is a process that takes time and practice. Even after the first decision for one Job or a field of study, self-reflection is important, for example when it comes to finding a specific field of work within a field of study. It also plays a role in later decisions Further Training or career change a role."

To get a general idea

If Eva is thus made clear where her journey is to go, she can purposely research information on the Internet. It is helpful not to concentrate too much on the offer of subjects, but rather to start with the later job profiles. For example, managers have not always studied business administration or management - many are engineers and originally worked in the manufacturing industry.

Career counselor Barbara Knickrehm therefore recommends the BERUFENET of the Federal Employment Agency as the first point of contact. Because here you will find descriptions of activities and tasks from over 3000 professions and information about future prospects and earning potential. But that's not all: BERUFENET also shows what training you need to do in order to get your dream job Alternatives and offers references to further sources of information such as universities, professional associations or Jobs.

Weigh the pros and cons

If Eva thinks about starting an apprenticeship or attending a vocational school instead of studying, she should critically question motives: A university degree always offers better prospects in the long term.

• For example, is a lesson only begun because one is uncertain about the choice of study? Does Eva expect more training from a vocational training career?
• Or is it the prospect of financial independence that makes a decision for in-company training attractive?

Some of these "benefits" verlieren given new developments at universities. For example, bachelor’s courses allow a university degree to be completed in six to seven semesters, a time that is comparable to vocational training. The number of dual courses of study, in which company training, including payment, is integrated into the course of study, is constantly increasing.

If, on the other hand, Eva wants to find out which courses of study there are at which universities, she can get an overview in the database of studienwahl.de. Dr. Elke Mittag from the central student advisory service at Leibniz University Hannover advises to first narrow down the field of study that interests you and to differentiate when searching - for example according to artistic-creative, humanities-language, social sciences, natural sciences and technical subjects. In this way, Eva can continue to focus her search on a few subjects and universities that offer them.

Get information about studying

When Eva gets an overview of the various study opportunities and has found interesting courses of studies, she should select some of them and deal with them more closely. It is now important to balance whether the intended study actually meets their expectations, suits them - and, above all, leads to the aspired desired occupation.

One possibility is to look for professional role models, parents, relatives or friends. Eva can ask her what kind of training she is for Objective has brought and what she should definitely pay attention to. If she doesn't know anyone from her dream job, she should look for the right people on the Internet. Most People are usually helpful and happy to talk about their work and career. Looking can for example Business- Internet platforms such as Xing or Linkedin can help. Eva would get a particularly good impression of her dream job through an internship: This helps to find out whether the job is something for her and she comes in direct Contact to people who already practice this profession. Since Eva's school doesn't offer an internship, she could just join Companys Inquire in your region whether an internship is possible.

Read job advertisements for relevant professions

Studienberaterin Dr. Elke Mittag also recommends regularly reading the job advertisements for the relevant professions in national newspapers and thus finding out which courses employers attach particular importance to. After theseCourses, Eva can then look around the university websites and explore the structure, requirements and application requirements. Because in every degree program certain qualifications are achieved and certain subjects are taken.

In any case, Eva should find out exactly how extensive these are and when which tests have to be taken. This is important because many first-year students have false expectations of their subject and then are fast frustrated because they have to take subjects they don't like - Malte Eilenstein from the private student advisory service Plan Z in Berlin knows this from experience with many university dropouts. Then:

What content does the desired study subject have?

“The websites of the universities offer a wealth of information on studying. However, you need to know what information is important and where to find it. If you really want to know how a course is structured, you should read the examination and study regulations for the course ”,

explains Eilenstein. Because only here is listed in detail what to expect and what event / lecture is to be completed when. Many universities have also created so-called module manuals for the degree programs, in which one can even find the content of the individual events. The examination and study regulations are usually also published on the internet pages of the examination office or the department or can be obtained directly from the university. In addition to the study content, the study environment is also very important for a successful study. Does anyone feel comfortable at the university? Are the fellow students and Professoren nice? How full are the lecture halls? Is the library well stocked? How bureaucratic is the university administration?

Taster study and university information days

“Because if you don’t like it at your university, you will Problems have its full Motivation to raise for the study. "

reports Malte Eilenstein from Plan Z from his consulting experience. Therefore, Eva should simply visit interesting universities and sit down in a lecture from the subject of her choice. You can find them in the course catalogue. Some universities also offer students the opportunity to take part in regular university events as taster students. Then Eva should do that Conversation with future fellow students. They usually have a lot to tell about their field of study. Alumni networks also help here by arranging contacts with students or graduates.

“The attendance of regular events is then useful, if you already know exactly in which direction you want to go. University information days offer a good opportunity for those who want to get an overview first.”

advises student advisor Dr. Elke Mittag. Such events, which are designed to give students such as Eva a broad first impression of the study program, are held regularly at almost all universities. Sometimes it is simple information events and lectures, sometimes entire summer universities and student colleges, which should show as clearly as possible what happens at the university. Interested parties can learn more about the university and the study program, have a closer look at the faculty and the laboratories as well as get in touch with teachers and students. Not infrequently, students can also gain very practical experience and conduct their own experiments. Prospective students should, however, make it clear that universities often pursue their own interests with their offers, be it information events or self-assessments on the Internet - for example, by specifically targeting subjects with very low numbers of applicants.

Action Plan Career Choice: How to reach a decision?

This is as practical exercise intended to support you in your choice of career or study. Give yourself enough time (at least an afternoon, but preferably a few hours over several consecutive days) to answer the following questions. Write down what comes to mind for each question. If you get stuck, talk about the questions with friends or family.

1. inventory

What are my interests?

• Which situations interest me, which activities do I enjoy (in school, family, free time)?
• What do I like talking to friends about?
• For which activities would I like to have more time?

What skills and talents do I have?

• What is easy for me and why?
• Where have I been successful?
• What do others trust me?
• Which of my talents could I use more than before?

What particular knowledge and skills do I have?

• What have I learned over the years in school, family and hobbies?
• Which tasks do I fill out in family and leisure time (eg activities in the household, in youth groups)? Which jobs did I have?
• What could / can I do and do I like?

What qualities can I briefly describe myself with?
e.g. my special characteristics, my personal characteristics:

• eg I can listen patiently
• eg I'm friendly
• eg I have a lot of understanding for others

2. evaluation criteria

• What wishes do I have for my life? Are partnership and family at the same level as the profession?
• Do I only want to do what I really enjoy doing, and do I accept material uncertainties, or is safety more important to me?
• Am I willing to forgo my professional career on private activities?
• Will or do I have to earn my own money as quickly as possible?
• Is it important for me to stay close to my family / friends, or can I imagine going elsewhere?
• What working conditions are still important to me (environment, colleagues, working hours, money, career opportunities)?
• Who or what has influenced me in these opinions and ideas? What influence do my parents have on my career aspiration?

3. objective development

• What would I like to do in ten years?
• In which environment and with which people do I want to live and work?
• What are my tasks?
• What wishes could I have?

4. Approaches and alternatives

• When I look at the results of point 1-3: Which fields of activity crystallize out?
• In which professions can I realize these activities? Are there alternatives?
• What speaks for and what against each individual alternative?
  Compare the advantages / disadvantages on a sheet of paper
• In what order can I bring the career ideas? Do individual fall out completely?
• When I look at the best-rated job sites: what problems could occur in their implementation (eg hardly any training places, bad grades)?
• What can I do to reduce or circumvent these problems? (eg exertion in certain subjects, foreign study)

5. Decision review

• Do the professions (or disciplines) that I have chosen fulfill most of the conditions that are important to me (see point 2)?
• If I could not decide yet, what do I still lack a decision? How can I continue?
• Can I justify my decision to my friends, parents, etc.?
• Which situations interest me, which activities do I enjoy (in school, family, free time)?
• What do I like talking to friends about?
• For which activities would I like to have more time?

6. realization

• Where can I learn the chosen profession?
  (Collect information about training centers and study locations, e.g. vocational schools, companies, universities)
• How do I apply?
• What alternatives do I plan if my application fails?

Self-assessment and student advice

More and more higher education institutions are also offering applicants for studies, virtual study counseling, web-based aptitude tests or self-assessments. Eva has already done such a test, and found that the result can also be very confusing. Because not every test is recommended for everyone, because content and orientations are very different make : Some are pure aptitude tests in which only the existing (technical) knowledge is queried and the Candidate at the end one product received for or against the subject. Others help you to make a decision as a self-assessment with a mixture of extensive information about your studies, background knowledge from professional practice and self-test. Such tests can help to clear up misconceptions about a subject, but, as with Eva, they do not always lead to the desired goal.

There are also a few disadvantages: The quality of a self-assessment always depends on the intention of its makers. Even if the tests, which one can assume for self-assessments at universities, are based on scientific Methods created and sufficiently tested in advance: The content, requirements and results presented do not always correspond to reality.? Which reality shouldn't they correspond to - they are often tailored to specific study requirements.... Frequently, only parts of one's own abilities are tested, so that test results cannot make comprehensive and unambiguous statements. Many offers only include the subjects of your own university, some universities have them Online-Offer also limited to certain subjects. And self-assessments usually do not take into account that prospective students can still develop over time.

In addition to numerous reputable providers, there are also companies that only do the fast Money want to do: Caution is required, for example, if providers offer a career or study choice test or Consulting offer only for a high payment, without providing any further information about the procedure. Or if only an expensive 0180 or 0900 number is called as a telephone number. That makes the virtual procedures Orientation not entirely superfluous, but they should only be seen as one building block among many others in the overall decision-making process. As careers adviser Barbara Knickrehm explains:

What do professional choice tests bring?

“Although there are numerous tests that are based on a well-founded scientific basis, such as the free BORAKEL from the University of Bochum or the comparably cheap EXPLORIX, a test should actually only form the basis for a consultation, so you should get the results of an online - Definitely discuss tests with a consultant who can then make much better statements about the choice of profession or study. ”

If Eva can not make progress with the choice of occupation or course of study, she should consult a professional adviser - for example career counseling of the Employment Agency: this can show each counseling person, individually from the personal profile, all possibilities, and then the process of choice of study accompany to the decision. What that looks like in detail must be discussed in detail with the adviser beforehand: some clients will need a conversation, while others will need more than one to find out exactly how they can help. But the consultation with the Employment Agency also has its limits, as Barbara Knickrehm explains:

“A month-long one Coaching can not. This is mainly due to the lack of time, because not all employment agencies have the same staff and every consultant has to deal with a large number of inquiries every day. "

Use student counseling at universities

Another point of contact is study counseling at the universities: First there is the General or Central Student Advisory Service. She knows the environment and the structures, has an overview of all offers of the university and can name other contacts. However, the Central Student Advisory Service is less familiar with the specific contents of a field of study. For this, Eva can turn to the specialist study counseling, which can convey the specific course content and requirements of a subject. There are differences to note, such as student advisor Dr. Elke Mittag explains:

“Student advisory services are often closer to the course of events than the lecturers, both of whom have a specific view of the requirements. But they do not always know the entire course of the course and are fully aware of the professional prospects. ”

Private student advice

If Eva therefore does not feel that she is getting enough advice from the employment agency or at the university, she could also seek out private careers or study advice. Because even if it is correspondingly expensive: Private consultants often have fewer clients than the careers consultants of the employment agencies and therefore more time to respond to their wishes individually. In addition, private advisors are usually completely independent, while the free student advisory services provided by the universities usually only provide specific information about what their own universities offer. And commercial consultants see themselves as service providers who customers satisfied want to ask: This sometimes goes beyond the actual consultation, as Malte Eilenstein from Plan Z explains.

“If someone does not agree with the study recommendations, we continue to look for suitable study opportunities together, until we find a satisfactory one Solution have found."

Whether employment agency, university or private advice: In any case, it depends on quality of advice: A bad consultation can quickly become a frustrating experience and even have a deterrent effect. In addition, there are different counseling methods that are not right for everyone; For example, some consultants place more emphasis on psychological aspects, while others primarily convey information. Eva should therefore agree in advance with the advisor exactly how this will proceed and, above all, make clear what awaits you from the advice. Only in this way can she also determine whether the chemistry between her and the consultant is right at all, because that is also important for the success of the consultancy. Also, it should not be limited to a consultation, but depending on the knowledge and knowledge, the appropriate experts to consult.

Conclusion

In the unmanageable range of possibilities, it is not easy to find the right one for yourself. Even though Eva started thinking about choosing a profession and study early on, she now notes:

It is not enough, just a few Article to read or take a single online test to know what you want. Rather, choosing the right profession is a complicated process of self-discovery and information search, which also takes a lot of time. Eva has now received some suggestions on how to proceed systematically. In any case, she will also consult a professional advisor, be it at the employment agency, the university or private advice.

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