In the Philippines, the additional two years of middle school is experimental. Nobody gets background information on what treatment the Senior High schools offer, be it curriculum, facilities, or the like. The present tenth graders are set to be the first ones to taste the new educational system.

The Department of Education has laid down three tracks for the incoming Senior High students: the Academic Track, which includes Business, Accountancy and Management (BAM); the Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (HESS) track; and the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) track.

Senior High education is an opportunity that we should grab, as it can determine our career in the future. The real question is, which path should we choose?

Quite a number of students are undecided for the next year. Their reasons include: their track is subject to their parents’ decisions; their track is under the pressure of their peers; their track, considering it will be their tertiary path, may not be profitable; their track is feared to be a mistake; and lastly, their track is alien to the world, meaning they cannot find something that fits in the prepared tracks.

There are a lot of considerations for sorting out the track we want to take. Based on what you may hear and what you personally experience, you can assess how to develop your future.

Here are five things we may want to consider as we go through the nitty-gritty of the situation. The hope is that after thinking about these items, we might be able to untie the knots in our brains and be fully prepared for the path we choose.

Choose what can benefit you

The first thing that comes to business-minded individuals like us, Filipino students, is how profitable the career may be. After all, the goal of working is not to be happy, exactly, but to help weave our future into a stable retirement with benefits and services that we can cherish once we grow old, as well as financial savings that can support our families.

We can consider our potential career’s significance after a number of years, maybe ten or fifteen, and see which career will boom in the market. IMoney Philippines states that a managerial position in the IT industry has an average monthly salary of PhP100,000.

Choose what you can enjoy

It is true that when you enjoy your work, it just becomes play. You won’t mind how much profit you will be getting by working in a certain environment, knowing that your interest in it can overcome its shortcomings. Moreover, the feeling of enjoyment and interest can encourage you to innovate ideas, making your career more productive and meaningful as you progress on your journey.

Think about the things you always like to do. Is it painting? Is it traveling? Is it cooking? With this in mind, you can place yourself in a related track.

Choose what you are capable of

The junior high school where you came from might just be an advantage in your career. Why not pursue the Technical track if you already took up technical courses in your junior high, or pursue the Academic Track if you gained sufficient knowledge in your science high school?

The background knowledge that you have might not be easily obtained by the people who desire to enter the track in you have an advantage in. If you are not decided yet, this is one point to consider.

Choose what you excel in

Everyone has a forte, regardless of background knowledge or interest. There are particular skills and talents you have that others may wish were theirs. You can take advantage of these things. For instance, why not take the Sports and Arts track when you have natural creative talents?

Do not limit yourself to the skills you are capable of. You can also assess your best traits or features, and then capitalize on them. Those can add to your advantage compared to others who may still be trying to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Choose what you are called for

Follow where your heart wants you to be. After all, these things wouldn’t sound concrete if they were not from the heart. Don’t let your heart be limited, for after all, it contains your deepest desires, aspirations, and goals in life. This is exactly the part of the game in which you should push firmly towards the goal, no matter how perilous the journey may sound. After all, your life is yours to live.

Take the opportunity to make mistakes. If you fall, just keep rising. Your calling may not be the same thing that brings you fortune, or makes you advantageous among others. It may also not make you capable of almost everything, or spark your interest. It is, however, about integrating yourself into the total fulfillment of your life. This does not happen with a single tick of the clock. It happens as you explore the opportunities that come along and help shape your character.

Sometimes life goes by so quickly. One day you’re staring at yourself in the mirror and imagining your future, then the next day, you are forced to choose your fate. Whatever happens, choose the path that is best for you.

In the end, what matters most is you. You are always given the chance to make a choice and to make a change. This is the responsibility given to us. We are called upon to be part of the solution for our country. We are brought to new heights so we can look down and make the world a better place. Whatever our destiny, we just need to hold on and let those who have gone before us do their work.