How to choose a degree you won't regret
The question of how to choose a degree you won't regret usually pops up only after someone in your family or circle of friends regrets a choice made years ago. The good news: most typical regrets can be avoided if you know what to pay attention to before applying.
Why do people regret their degree choice?
Conversations with graduates and career-counselling data point to a few recurring reasons for regret: choosing a degree under family pressure or because a profession was trendy, not checking the job's realities before deciding, ignoring your own interests in favour of "safe" employment, or the opposite — choosing purely out of passion without checking the labour market.
Rule 1: check yourself before checking a ranking
Instead of starting with a salary ranking, start by asking about your interests and values. If you're still unsure, read I don't know what to study for concrete exercises to help with this stage. The RIASEC model (Holland Codes) can also help by showing which career type fits you best.
Rule 2: cross-check your choice with data, not just emotions
Emotions and passion matter, but it's worth cross-checking them against hard data before deciding. The table below shows common mistakes when choosing a degree and how to avoid them.
| Common mistake | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Choosing under family pressure | a conversation grounded in your test results and market facts, not just emotions |
| Picking a "trendy" degree without checking job realities | talk to a student or graduate of that programme |
| Ignoring your own interests | use a career aptitude test or the RIASEC model as a reference point |
| Not checking salaries and market demand | ELA data, Occupation Barometer, GUS, wynagrodzenia.pl |
Rule 3: use tools instead of guessing
Instead of relying purely on a gut feeling, it's worth using a tool that systematises your interests and cross-references them with market data. At next.movv we built a free, 10-minute online test that uses the RIASEC model to match you with specific degrees and occupations, along with indicative salaries, automation risk, and where in Poland you can study a given programme. It's a good companion to the more general career aptitude test.
Rule 4: don't look for guarantees that don't exist
No tool, ranking, or counsellor can guarantee you'll earn a specific amount in five years or that a given job will bring you satisfaction. The labour market changes, and data from ELA or the Occupation Barometer shows trends, not certainties. Instead of chasing guarantees, look for a decision you'll be able to justify to yourself years from now — even if something needs to change along the way.
Rule 5: leave yourself room to adjust
Poland has supplementary admissions, you can switch programmes after year one, transfer to another university, add a second major, or, in extreme cases, start new studies years into your career (career change). Knowing your first choice isn't final reduces pressure and helps you decide without freezing up.
Rule 6: ask someone from the outside
A conversation with a career counsellor, a teacher, or someone working in a field that interests you helps you look at the decision with some distance. It's worth preparing for such a conversation with your test result and basic market data already in hand — that makes the conversation concrete rather than vague.
Stories of regret — what to learn from other people's mistakes
Career counsellors point to a recurring pattern: someone chooses a degree because "that's what was expected" in their family, graduates with good grades, but after a few years working in the field realises it never truly interested them. Another common scenario is picking a degree that's trendy in the media (say, a popular tech-related field in a given year) without checking whether it matches actual interests and the day-to-day reality of the job. In both cases, the missing piece was confronting one's own assumptions with reality — whether through a test, a conversation with someone in the industry, or even a single day of job shadowing.
When doubt is a signal to change, and when it's a signal for patience
Not every wave of doubt in your first semester means you chose the wrong degree — sometimes it's a natural stage of adapting to a new environment, new demands, and new independence. But if the doubt persists over time and concerns the actual content of your studies (rather than, say, homesickness), it's worth treating that as a signal to consult a career counsellor at your university before deciding to switch programmes.
The role of parents and those around you
Parents and family usually mean well, but their suggestions are best treated as one voice in the discussion, not a final verdict. If you're a parent reading this article alongside your teen, a separate piece on how to talk to your teen about choosing studies may help — it shows how to support the decision without taking it over entirely.
Summary
To choose a degree you won't regret, combine self-knowledge, hard market data, and the awareness that your first decision doesn't have to be final. Take a test, check ELA and Occupation Barometer data, talk to someone outside your circle — and make a decision you'll be able to justify to yourself, whatever the future brings.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a degree I won't regret years later?
Combine self-knowledge (like a career aptitude test) with hard market data (ELA, Occupation Barometer) and a conversation with someone who knows the field from the inside.
What should I do if I already regret my degree choice?
Check whether you can switch programmes, transfer to another university, or use supplementary admissions. Many people also change career paths after graduating.
Should I choose a degree based on passion or on the job market?
It's best to look for the overlap — a degree that matches your interests and has real application in the labour market — rather than choosing purely one or the other.
Can an online test help me avoid regretting my degree choice?
A test based on the RIASEC model helps organise your interests and narrow down options, but it's best treated as one element of the decision, alongside market data and conversations with others.