Advice for subject selection

What to think about when choosing school subjects? 

There are a few things you'll need to weigh up when choosing your school subjects. It's not just  about what you enjoy – this is important to consider, as you're likely to put more effort into the  subjects you enjoy - but also about what subjects will be useful to you in the future. What are  the subjects that are needed in the areas of work I am interested in? Here are some tips to help  with your decision making: 

1. Don’t rush your decision 

2. Know your options 

3. Think about your abilities and interests at school 

When you are deciding on what subjects to take think about things like: 

• What subjects are you good at or not so good at? 

• What do others say you are good  at? 

• What does this tell you about yourself? 

• What are your strengths? Are you a good writer, good with numbers, a practical  person? 

• Which subjects have you enjoyed studying? 

• Which do you dislike and why? 

 Career Quest is another way to explore these ideas. Thinking about these sorts of things will help you figure out what subjects you could do and  what jobs you might want to pursue in the future.

4. Think about jobs that have opportunities and that might be in demand 

Here are some of the ways you can find out about what jobs might be in demand in the future.  Immigration New Zealand produce a skill shortage list that helps to identify where the skill  shortages are in New Zealand. 

New Zealand Long Term Skill Shortage List

No one can say with certainty what the future work environment will look like. But experts  predict that these seven career areas have the most promising future. There are hands-on  pathways into some of these careers: 

• Medicine and health care  

• Renewable energy and green jobs 

• Information technology  

• International and environmental law  

• Content creation and marketing 

• Data science 

• Financial analysis

Seven Careers with a Promising Future - Careers NZ

The world of work is changing so we need to think about what affect technology may have on  the areas of work we are interested in and think about what skills are needed for the future.

5. How will your choices affect your future? 

When making subject choices, you need to think about how your choices will affect your future  career options and/or your future tertiary training options (university, polytechnics, other  training providers, apprenticeships and the Defence Force). Research the entry requirements and recommended subjects for the options you are interested in:

•The University of Auckland Subject Guide

• Dreamcatcher

• Study Spy

6. Keep your career options open 

Most people change their minds about what they want to do in the future. Your interests and  abilities will change over time, or you might find out about new careers that you had never heard  of before. 

If you’re unsure about what job you want to do, try to study a wide range of subjects at school.  This will give you more options later on. Keeping up with English, Maths and at least one Science subject is a good idea because these subjects are useful for many courses and jobs.

7. Avoid taking subjects because:

• Your friends are/are not taking it - friends will have different interests and motivations to you.

• A particular teacher is taking it - things can change and teachers might change courses.

• You want to go on a certain trip - if you are not interested in the rest of the content, it’s not worth it.

• Someone says  it is an easy subject - chances are they aren’t making enough effort themselves.

8. AUT Subject Choices

Make use of this  tool to explore subjects that might interest you:  AUT Subject Choices

9. Speak to others

It is a good idea to speak with your  teachers, faculty leaders, parents, and careers advisor about your career ideas and subject choices.

10. Consider work experience, sports, clubs, leadership roles and volunteering options

These are great ways to develop your skills and interests too.