Realistic goals for the right choice

The anxious wait has ended with the announcement of the university entrance exam results. However, now the excitement of choosing has begun. University promotional fairgrounds are packed. The same hustle and bustle is happening on university campuses. On one hand, programs corresponding to the scores received are being listed, and on the other, a list of programs and departments the candidate wants to study is being drawn up.

To what extent do reality and dreams overlap? Both candidates and families are anxiously looking for the answer to this question. But it is very difficult. There are dozens of factors that will influence whether reality and dreams coincide or conflict. Entering the targeted program with the score received is, of course, the ideal. But this is not easy at all. The main reason for this is that, especially in our society, certain professions are fixed in the realm of prestige, and therefore candidates mostly gravitate toward those professions.

Since fields like medicine, engineering, and law have always maintained their place in this realm of prestige, families set goals limited to these professions for their children from a young age and try to raise the child accordingly. The fact that the general goal in society is on the same route also causes the competition to be tough.

However, all professions, all business fields, and all types of work are valuable and respectable. What matters is to produce and to contribute. No matter in which professional field, in which job, or in which work environment a person works, if they do their job as required, with sincere desire, energy, and enthusiasm, they both produce good work and achieve personal satisfaction. This is the satisfaction and pleasure of contributing to and adding value to the world and life in which one lives. Therefore, to be happy, it is not necessary to have professions that are fixed in certain areas of prestige in society. Having a profession and achieving the necessary success in it is much more important. Prestige, importance, and value do not stem from the profession or the job itself, but from the way the profession or job is performed. Studying medicine does not mean we will be a good physician. If we cannot be a good physician, we cannot receive respect from society. But an auto mechanic who does their job very well can also be defined as a respectable professional, and because of this, they can reach satisfaction in their work and experience the pleasure of production.

Therefore, there is no need for the hundreds of thousands of candidates gathering at university gates to focus on certain professions, certain fields, and departments. It is beneficial for them to think broadly. There is definitely a program they can settle into according to every score. The number of universities, departments, and programs in Turkey is at a level to meet the demand. As long as our young people set their goals correctly and make their choices correctly.

Those who get high scores find it much easier to reach their goals, of course. Those who do not get the scores they expected have no need to fall into despair or be unhappy. Instead of fixing the goal to certain professions, keeping it broad, increasing options, and perhaps even being interested in fields that have never been thought of before is very important in making the right choice. Especially some candidates with low scores wait instead of entering a suitable program under the name of taking a gap year. However, starting somewhere as soon as possible is much more realistic for reaching the goal. My experiences and observations show that waiting often does not work. Very few of those who start waiting can achieve their target score in the next exam. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the vast majority. Therefore, I think starting as soon as possible is the best thing to do.

Instead of focusing on certain professional fields, and therefore certain departments and programs, let's increase our options. I suggest that candidates who cannot get the score to settle into the undergraduate programs they target look at associate degree programs. There is a great need for intermediate staff in almost all sectors both in the world and in Turkey. For example, it would be much more realistic for candidates who target computer engineering but cannot get a sufficient score to settle into an associate degree program that provides computer technician training, and from there, both to be involved in production and to reach their engineering goal in the future. Similarly, why shouldn't a candidate who targets medicine but cannot get a sufficient score enter one of the health-focused undergraduate programs such as nursing or midwifery and start as soon as possible, and continue their education in the direction of medicine later if they wish? It would be much more realistic for a candidate who wants to work in the health sector but cannot get a sufficient score to enter the relevant undergraduate programs to start the process by entering one of the associate degree programs in the health field, and then continue to the desired undergraduate program through vertical transfer.

The important thing is to start somewhere as soon as possible. Associate degree programs are very suitable, especially for low-scoring candidates. There are a large number of associate degree programs. While there are so many program options to correspond to all sectors, there is no need to wait at all.

In a world where change, development, and diversification are very fast, where needs and demands are diversifying as much as possible, and where the rhythm of life is accelerating as much as possible, there is actually not much room for waiting, postponing, or making long-term plans. Choices should be made correctly and quickly, and one should start as soon as possible. Let us not forget that if goals are set realistically, it is easy to reach them. Instead of getting lost in our dreams and waiting, it is best to keep goals realistic and realize them as soon as possible. We will always have time to dream, but there is no need to narrow the time to reach goals.

The faster we take the path to the goal, the sooner we reach our ideals.

Let us not forget.