When I first came to Melbourne Uni, I didn't have even the faintest idea on where it was that I wanted to go with my Engineering/Commerce degree. I was happy that I'd made it in, I'd achieved what I'd set out to do, but I had no idea about why I was really here, and what I wanted to do with my course.

To make me feel even more uncomfortable, I soon heard stories of people not working out what they wanted from their Engineering degree until 3rd or even sometimes 4th year! So, in a panicked frenzy, I set myself to work out just what I should to find direction in Engineering.  And, as a result, here are my recommendations on what to do before you even step foot in a lecture theatre.

Think about the entire degree.  I walked into first year thinking that I wanted to Mechanical and Manufacturing engineering because I liked the look of the first year subjects.  The problem was, they weren't that great, and looking forwards I couldn't stomach some of the later year subjects that would be compulsory.  So, whilst still at school and in your first semester at Uni, have a look at what certain streams involved by checking out the handbook and ask lecturers about what's on the course.

Talk to an older student.  Rather than just wandering blindly into your future, I found it really useful to get in contact with older students in various streams of Engineering.  You can easily do this at open days, or by contacting the University and the relevant Department.  With these students, you can get some first hand feedback on what it's like to study the subjects and where it leads.

What's after uni?  You don't need to know what you want to 'be'.  You don’t need to have a career planned out - but it certainly is useful to understand your options for the future.  It was really useful for me to go out and talk to real engineers, recent graduates and careers advisors about what is possible with different streams of engineering.  I didn't base my final decisions on the post-uni world, but it certainly helped me decide what my priorities and passions were.

The final word from me is that it’s all up to you on what you want to end up doing with your life.  Uni is great fun, it's an awesome experience, and something that was made all the better by good research.  Through it, you can discover so much out there that could make you more satisfied with where you're going with your degree and career.