Now that you are in (or nearing) Grade 10, you will be faced with one of the most crucial choices of your life – choosing the right subjects for your senior years. You may be tempted to simply choose the subjects that you enjoy the most, but there are a lot of other considerations that need to go into making this decision. It is, after all, a decision that will dictate your career choices and what you can go on to study once you have completed matric.

With that in mind, here is some guidance to help you along.

Think about where you see yourself in 10 – 15 years

You might think that you have known you want to be an entrepreneur for a while now, but the reality is that your path could change. As such, it is a good idea to write down a list of at least three possible career paths that you would be keen to explore. You could find that they are all rather similar in nature, or you could realise that they all look quite different.

Use these options to help you choose the best ‘menu’ of subjects to afford you the opportunity to explore at least two out of three further down the line.

Think about what you enjoy and where your strengths lie

While you shouldn’t base your decision solely on this, it isn’t wise to choose a subject that you are truly struggling with. For example, if you have your heart set on becoming a doctor but you are failing Mathematics, you might want to re-evaluate your path and your goals. Ultimately, you will need to ensure that you get good marks across the board in order to qualify to apply for university or other tertiary education after matric. It won’t matter if you chose all the right subjects, but your marks are too low to gain you entrance into a tertiary institution.

Visit a career counsellor

Career counselling or a good mentor can be a great idea for many reasons. Firstly, counsellors and mentors are experts in their own skillset and will be equipped to explain the road to entering the career that you have in mind, so that you know what to expect and what is required of you.

Secondly, he or she can assist you in uncovering what sort of career would be a good fit for you based on your personality and strengths.

Take the festive season and the holidays to ponder this important decision further, and avoid making any impulsive moves.

The SA Teen Entrepreneur team would like to wish you a wonderful holiday with your loved ones and a successful, happy 2021. Be sure to register on our online academy to boost your entrepreneurial knowledge during your free time over the course of the next few weeks. You’ll be very glad that you did when you check out this video which explains how you can learn and earn this