How to choose the right subject or course

Choosing what subjects and courses to study is an important decision.

Choosing the right subjects and courses will help you to study for the career you want or keep your options open if you are not sure.

Important questions to ask

To help you decide how to choose what subjects and courses to study, ask yourself:

1. Which subjects do I enjoy?

Think about the subjects you most enjoy. You are more likely to get better grades in the subjects you enjoy. Think about the grades you usually get in your subjects and speak to your teachers and tutors to see what they think you're aiming to achieve.

2. How do I like to learn?

We all learn differently. Did you know there are 3 learning styles:

Visual (learn best by seeing things)
Auditory (learn best by hearing things)
Kinaesthetic (learn best by doing things)

You may learn in a combination of ways. Knowing how you learn can help you choose the right subject or course:

Do you prefer listening, talking and writing? Then maybe an academic course would suit you
Or, are you more ‘hands-on’ and prefer to learn by doing? Then a vocational qualification or Apprenticeship could be for you

3. Which subject for which career?

The subject or course you choose can affect your career options.

So, it’s important to know what subject, course, qualification level and grades you need for certain jobs. Look at Job Information to find out what a job involves, what the pay is like and how to qualify.

Did you know?

Some careers require you to have a specific qualification and certain subjects and grades to get onto those courses, for example Nursing and Dentistry
Many careers and higher level courses require you to have specific subjects and grades

4. Do I need English/Welsh, Maths and Science?

These are the subjects most needed for careers, courses and by employers. More and more jobs, apprenticeships and courses ask for these subjects at GCSE C or even B grade.

For example, to complete your secondary teacher training in Wales, you will need a C in mathematics or mathematics-numeracy and a in C either English language or Welsh language. For primary education you will also need a C grade in a science for primary teaching.

Find out more about qualifications.

Find the courses or subjects that lead to your future career. Take a look at:

Job Information - look at the subjects and qualifications you need to get for certain jobs
Course Search - Search for courses and entry requirements
UCAS - check the entry requirements for Higher Education courses you might be interested in

5. What if I don't know what career I want to do?

You may not yet know what career you want to do but might have an interest in a certain industry. If so, choose subjects most relevant to that industry. For example, if you are interested in:

The health industry you could study science, health and physical education subjects. Find out more about the Health industry in Wales on Jobs in Health
Public services you could study humanities and languages

If you are certain you want to study at university, you might want to consider studying facilitating subjects. These are the subjects most often needed for entry to degree courses. There are 8 facilitating subjects according to the Russell Group universities. They are called ‘facilitating subjects’ because choosing them can widen your options for university. These are:

Biology
Chemistry
English Literature
Geography
History
Maths and Further Maths
Modern and Classical languages
Physics

This does not mean that subjects not listed as a ‘facilitating subject’ have less value. They are just less often required for general entry to degree courses. Some non-facilitating subjects are specifically required for certain courses, like Welsh, Economics and Religious Studies.

6. What subjects will jobs in the future need?

The world of work is always changing, with new jobs being created all the time.

Take a look at Future Jobs Wales and Future of Work Wales to find out what the demand could be for some jobs in the future.

Top tips to get started

Here's our top tips on how to start choosing subjects and courses:

Find out as much as you can

Find out as much as you can about courses and subjects available and where you would prefer to study. You should:

Find out what courses you can study in colleges and training providers near you using Course Search
Attend open days or research the school, college or university website
Check the content of the course. What will you be learning and how will you learn?
Ask tutors and teachers. Ask other students
Think about any additional learning needs you have. Speak to student services about the support they can offer
Make a shortlist

Entry requirements

Some jobs will ask for specific subjects and qualifications so you'll need to be aware of what you need to be studying if you have a career idea in mind. Look at Job Information to see what subjects and grades are required for different job roles.

Think about career ideas

Got a career in mind? Check what subjects and grades are needed in Job Information. Explore the Industry leaflets to find out about the different industries in Wales.

Unsure of your career ideas? Try our Career Match Quiz. The quiz will match your skills and interests to different jobs and help you to explore where subjects can take you.

Funding your studies

Learning is not always free once you leave school or college. Take a look at what funding is available and what support you may be able to get on Funding your studies.

Keep up to date with the loans and grants available to students on Student Finance Wales.

List the pros and cons

Sometimes the easiest way to come to a decision is to write a list of the pros and cons for each of your options. Think about the:

Positives about each option
Negatives about each option
What each option could lead to

Go through your list and think about how important each point is to you. By the end you’ll have a better idea of what’s important to you and which option is best.

Talk to others

Talk to family, friends, tutors and teachers about your choices. Talking it through can help you make this big decision. They will be able to give you a different perspective and offer you ideas you may not have thought of before.

Contact Careers Wales to speak to a careers adviser about your options.