The mid-year itch: Re-evaluating your degree

As most graduates know, completing your degree – and staying motivated for its full course – isn’t always simple. Many successful graduates have been hit by the mid-year itch – questioning their chosen degree, their aspirations and the compatibility between both. But this hesitancy doesn't have to be anything more than a slight blemish on your stellar university career. Here are three questions you should ask yourself to confirm your chosen degree is still the one for you.

1. Are you struggling with the course work?

While postgraduate degrees, such as the Graduate Diploma of Applied Tax Law, offer practical on-the-job knowledge, undergraduate degrees provide you with material to hone skills that will apply in your working life. Ask yourself: do you like the nuts and bolts of the course work? Do you have regular issues completing your work or applying a skill or formula to a problem?
It’s cause for concern if your skills lack in areas applicable to your future career. Tax accountancy, for instance, requires an aptitude for numbers, sound research skills, a fondness for being process-driven and effective communication. If you are struggling with a skill, not just a subject, it might be time to re-evaluate things.

2. Do you enjoy your classmates?

Looking at the people in your degree can go a long way to deciding if this career path is right for you. Consider this: a large portion of your classmates will progress to positions in the same or similar industries to your own. If you suffer from a large number of interpersonal grievances with these individuals, will this carry over into your working life? Do you have personality differences? Would you struggle to work alongside any of them in a professional environment if you were employed at a firm together?

According to psychologist John Holland, personality types correspond with career choices. By his reasoning, the character traits of your future colleagues might spike in certain areas – for good or bad. It’s important that you are certain you will like and admire the people around you, and you will learn from them in the near future.

3. Do you feel inspired?

Great careers, and the degrees that set us up for them, need to stretch us and make us feel inspired on a regular basis. If you are looking for material that is more or less challenging, talk with your tutors and lecturers about upcoming coursework. While one subject may leave you feeling underwhelmed, this could just be a lull in what could become a very hectic month or semester. It’s important to keep sight of your goals and the big picture: a long and successful career within the tax and accounting industry.

With fresh invigoration about your degree, and validation of your career in tax, you can begin your new semester with energy and enthusiasm.


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