Candidates choose their major: Based on interest or trend?

High school seniors and the ambiguous choices before college

Many 12th graders are still confused, not knowing what they love, what their strengths are, and what is the most suitable path. "I'm really confused, not sure about my strengths and passions," Pham Minh Anh, a 12th grader in Ba Dinh District (Hanoi), shared when asked about her study orientation.

As the exam approaches, many students still choose a major based on their friends or trends, instead of based on their own understanding. Nguyen Van Dung - High School in Bac Tu Liem District (Hanoi), admitted: "I chose information technology because I saw many friends choosing it, and this major is hot and easy to get a job. But actually, I'm not very good at IT, I just thought I'd study it later."

On the contrary, Nguyen Thu Hang (Nghe An), a student with a passion for drawing, shared: "I really like graphic design, but I'm afraid that it's difficult to find a job in this field and the income is unstable. I want to pursue my passion, but I'm also afraid that I'll be unemployed."

Through the sharing of many 12th grade students, it can be seen that the general situation is that most of you are still struggling between many opinions, from interests, abilities to career trends. Those emotional, passive choices are becoming a big barrier to future learning and development.

12th graders confused about career choices (Photo: AI)

Should you choose a major based on your interests or trends?

As the high school graduation exam and university entrance exam approaches, choosing a major is a big concern for many 12th graders. Many young people are facing an important crossroads in their lives but are confused between two choices: studying the major they love or pursuing a major that is "hot", easy to find a job, and has a good income?

MSc. Cao Le Truc - Training Department Specialist of a university in Ho Chi Minh City shared: "This is a problem without a general formula. There is no right path for everyone, because each student has a different starting point in terms of conditions, abilities, awareness, and living environment. Choosing a major should not simply follow the market or blindly cling to passion".

According to Ms. Truc, if students choose to follow the trend completely, they can easily find a job after graduation, but they face the risk of not sticking with it long term if they do not have passion. On the contrary, if they only rely on personal interests and ignore market factors, they can easily fall into unemployment or unstable income.

Many young people only see the surface of a career, such as attractive salaries or "trendiness" on social networks, without clearly understanding what the job requires and whether it is really suitable for them.

On the contrary, there are also people who dream of art, creativity or research without ever asking themselves: are they ready to accept the long and uncertain journey, especially in the beginning?

Choose the industry you love, or the industry society needs? (Photo: AI)

How to reconcile?

Balancing personal interests and labor market needs is not a simple problem, but according to Ms. Truc, it is completely possible to solve if students understand themselves clearly and are oriented early.

MSc. Cao Le Truc said: "We should not absolutely choose a major based on passion or market demand. A sustainable choice is when there is an intersection between personal interests, abilities and future career trends."

Ms. Truc further analyzed that at the age of 17-18, most students are still in the process of discovering themselves, so it is understandable that they are confused. Therefore, instead of choosing a major hastily following the majority, students need to take the time to thoroughly research the profession, through practical experience activities, career counseling at school, or self-assessment through the learning process.

You should not only choose a "hot" industry at one time, because the labor market is always fluctuating. "An industry may be in need of human resources now, but 4-5 years after students graduate, the picture will be different. Besides, it is necessary to update market information comprehensively, avoid viewing the industry in a one-sided way through short content on social networks.

Choosing a major is not choosing a label to hang on to, but choosing a long journey with efforts, training and trade-offs. Choose a major that you can study well, do well and live well with. When you have all three of these factors, you will have the motivation to go all the way," emphasized Master Cao Le Truc.

Van Anh

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/si-tu-dat-but-chon-nganh-hoc-theo-so-thich-hay-xu-huong-20250511221226686.htm