K-12 : Choosing the right Track/ Strand in Senior High School

BACK, when I was still in Junior High School. I have encountered these difficulties in choosing the right strand for me and that will fit with my skill, talents and also related to my dream course/job. So before you move up to senior high school, you should know what strand you would take. 

That is why in the 4th year or last year in junior high, there will be or they really implemented a career guidance or career orientations to/in preparation to Senior High School and to be able to choose the right track or strand to take.

>>>K-12 Track and Strand 

TRACKS 

•Academic Track

    If you are looking forward to moving or continuing studying in college, Academic Track will be the best for you. This track will serve as your preparation  for your college courses. Also you can choose a lot of options to take up in college. But my tip is to always choose what you want and what will be the best for you.

Academic Tracks includes three Senior Strand   such as :

       ✓ Accountancy, Business Management (ABM)

Courses in College:

Bachelor of Science

– Accountancy (BSA)

– Accounting Technology (BSAcT)

Hotel and Restaurant Management (BS HRM)

– Office Administration (BSOA)

– Real Estate Management (BS REM)

– Tourism Management (BSTM)

– Community Development (B

And many more related to these courses.

       ✓ Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HUMESS); 

Courses in College:

 Bachelor of Arts

– Philosophy (AB Philosophy)

– English (AB English)

– Linguistics (AB Linguistics)

– Literature (AB Literature)

– Filipino (AB Filipino)

– Islamic Studies (AB Islamic Studies)

        ✓Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).

Courses in College:

Bachelor of Science

– Environmental Science (BSES)

– Geology (BS Geology)

– Molecular Biology (BS Molecular Biology)

– Physics (BS Physics)

– Applied Physics (BS Applied Physics)

– Mathematics (BS Mathematics)

– Applied Mathematics (BS Applied 

– Statistics (BS Stat)

 And many more: including all Engineering Courses in college.

•Technical - Vocational - Livelihood Track ( Tech Voc )

Tech. Voc. tracks is for those students who wish to work right after they graduate in Senior High School. But you can also study further in college. 

The following are some of the best courses to take up in college with Tech - Voc Tracks:

Bachelor of Science

– Agriculture

– Agroforestry (BS Agroforestry)

– Forestry (BS Forestry)

– Fisheries (BSFi)

many more....

•Sports and Arts Track

 For me, this track is the best if you want to pursue sports job or some physical career ahead such as

  - Fitness trainer

  - Gym instructor

  - And a Sport Athletes

•Art and Design Tracks

 This track is for those students who have skills and hobbies in Arts and designing. I also know of one course in college ,if you want to continue pursuing it .  You can try The  Bachelor of Multimedia Arts.

If you see what is the good thing here, it is that your skills/ talents will actually help you to become successful.

So before I end this Article. I would like to share my own experiences in choosing the right strand for me and how I am able to survive to it. 

Honestly, ever since my dream course / job is really Engineering. And the career guidance during Grade 10 or 4th year in Junior High helps me to choose this specific course ( BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AERONAUTICAL ).  So I decided to take up STEM STRAND for senior high school because STEM is the best strand if I want to pursue Engineering in college. But....

"IS STEM HARD? WILL I BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT? "

That’s one question I’ve kept on asking. Knowing the struggles of other people, I had little courage if I could do it. I was too overwhelmed by the fear of failing once I’ve stepped into a new environment I’m not familiar with. 

But yes I still took the STEM strand for my senior high school year. And above my expectation, my senior high school year was very tough, yet a very memorable year of my journey in high school.

I was just a returnee in our school  when I embarked on my journey to become a STEM baby. It was all a blur. I really felt the pressure. What I did is to keep expecting unexpected things. On the first day, I had no close friends and only had pretty cousin (chance kay namugos) who was also busy in surviving STEM. I was anxious as the start came near. But little did I know, good things were waiting for me. 

Not only did I discover friends that are now close to my heart, shout out to Sheena, Gerald, Kein, Marj, Ain Gail, Gwyn, y’all deserve the shout out! I’ve also discovered that I was passionate with what I have chosen. The teachers always made sure that we were able to absorb each lesson thoroughly. We had a lot of activities that excavated our brains but, it was all worth it for the knowledge we’ve obtained. It wasn’t easy at the start but, there’s always time for us to adjust. I’ve had to go through breakdowns a lot of times but look where it got me now. 

STEM ISN’T EASY. But then again, aren’t all strands just as hard? There’s no stairway to success. You’ll have to endure and push yourself past your limits in order to become the person that you aspire to be. 

After all those difficulties I experienced ,Now I STAN MY STRAND.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Having doubts about yourself is  the beginning of every milestone. You just need to take the risks and believe in yourself. Have the guts to try and don’t be afraid of failing because we all experience losses at some point of our journey, as what the saying says, we cannot win every battle. Laban lang jud ta! If you did not win an opportunity then try the others, keep on trying until you find the right path for you. God is always there to guide you. I hope that this post somehow inspired other people, especially those who are still hesitant to take STEM. All I can say is go for what you think is best for you, regardless of how bumpy or difficult the road could be. Take it slowly because we will all reach that finish line, no need to rush because we all have our own pace of achieving our dreams.

You may check also my previous articles

https://read.cash/@Lejay28/my-bad-and-good-experience-during-my-high-school-life-537247b7

https://read.cash/@Lejay28/my-morning-thoughts-ones-suffering-5dca5d2e