So...You Don’t Like What You’re Studying. What Now?

Someone asked, “I’ve thought about quitting my course because I have no interest in it. What should I do now?”

It is very important for you to have an interest in what you are studying. At the very least, that can provide an intrinsic motivation to keep studying and keep expanding your knowledge. If you are not interested in what you are studying, it is very difficult for you to get up in the morning and keep on going.

Interest is a good starting point in your journey to build your knowledge and skills in the subject matter. The journey is long and hard, so having interest as the intrinsic motivation is important to reduce the likelihood of burning out.

Along the journey, that interest can evolve into passion.

If you are not interested what you’re studying, then you have two options. Option 1: You can persevere and see where it goes. It is possible that you will end up sparking an interest in the subject matter. Option 2: You can quit and pursue another path that you find interesting.

Both options are risky, and both are not easy to do. If you choose Option 1, then you have to endure the journey, rather than enjoying it, hoping that you will eventually be interested in it. If you choose Option 2, then you have to start over and you might feel that you are missing out. You would most probably have to face the social judgment of graduating later than your peers.

Either way, you have to make a choice. It is a difficult choice, but it is still a choice you can make. This is your life. This is your university degree. This is going to be your decision. So think about it.
Try to weigh the pros and cons, and make a decision. Whatever decision you ended up making, you have to be open to the possibility of making mistakes. You are a human being, and you are always exposed to mistakes.

If you make a mistake, then learn and move on. You can always turn back if you need to. It’s never too late. The idea that if you made a mistake, then you can’t turn back is completely false. The door of taubat (turning back) is always open.

Of course, you can’t rewind what has passed. That’s not what you should think about when you think about turning back. What you should think about is learning from the experience and moving on to become a better person.

The thing is, life is not a race. Just because somebody finishes earlier than you does not make you a failure. What makes you a failure is if you are heading in the wrong direction? What is the benefit of being fast if you are heading in the wrong direction?

Fast or slow is not the point. As long as you are heading in the right direction, you are good to go. If you realized that you are on the wrong path, then correct your course and return to the path you should take instead.

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AIMAN AZLAN, #YouthMentor
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