There's no right or wrong way to reach your dream career. It's a puzzle that can confuse the most 'together' people. But it's never too late to make a change, even if that means switching courses or looking to transfer degrees.

If you can relate to a lot of the below points, it might be time to take action.

1. You're just not happy 

Let’s face it: any study is inconvenient. It can be a pain, hard, stressful. Usually, we’d like to be doing something else. Like sleeping. But studying shouldn't be torture. Being enrolled in a course you enjoy means you like learning about most topics. It means you're excited about your career ahead. If you can't see light at the end of the tunnel, it's a sign you might need a ‘student transfer’ conversation.

2. Going to class is sooooo boring

Listening to the lecturer is a major struggle. Your eye-lids are suddenly concrete. You’ve gone down some absurd Instagram wormhole. There's one hundred other things that suddenly look amazing. Mowing the lawn looks like fun. Wow, there’s some great lawn tips on Insta …

3. You're hanging in there by your finger nails

It's common to struggle with some parts of your course. It’s common to think about transferring universities. But if you're barely passing – or failing – subjects, it's not a great sign. It might be the way the course is presented. Or you might need extra support. But you will need to be keen to succeed.

4. Assignments are your worst nightmare

If the thoughts of even planning your assignment sends waves of panic through your body then, yeah, nah, the course might not be for you. You could be  thinking about how to transfer universities? But maybe think more broadly than that.

5. It feels like you were pushed

Choosing a career when you’re a teenager is difficult and there’s lots of pressure. Who knows what being ‘grown up’ is going to bring! There’s pressure on you from society, your family, yourself. It’s not easy. Whatever the reason for your decision, it doesn't mean you're stuck with it.

6. You were actually pushed

That’s a thing. It happens. At the end of the day, your happiness will be important to your loved ones. And your life and career are, well, they are yours!

7. FOMO

The idea of your friends doing their dream courses and moving towards their career goals makes you anxious. But no-one really knows what’s going on in your head except you. And even then it’s not always that easy. It’s time to crush that case of FOMO and chase your own dream career.

8. You're reading this

If you’ve made it down to number 8, you’re looking for career support of some kind anyway! TAFE NSW support, small classes where you will feel at home, and hundreds of courses - from short courses to degrees - connected to real careers. Together, we’ve got this!

BE yourself