Choice of college education
Between now and the middle of July, colleges and universities in the country would, depending on their academic calendar, commence the first semester, or term, of the 2026-2027 academic year.
It is common practice that when prospective college students take qualifying entrance exams, they state in the application form the priority of courses they want to enroll in.
This information enables schools, especially those that are privately operated, to make a preliminary assessment of the academic and logistical requirements they have to make provisions for when classes start.
Students who are accepted in government-run colleges and universities can study without paying tuition and miscellaneous fees, courtesy of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
For private schools, the costs of education would depend on the fees and charges approved by the Commission on Higher Education. That approval would be given only after compliance with the requirement of prior notice and consultation with the school’s stakeholders.
College, or tertiary, education is considered a major crossroad in a student’s life. It will have a significant impact on his or her future.
If the chosen course meets expectations and he or she excels in it, fine. That would be a good start for his or her professional plans
In case it does not, and he or she goes through it half-heartedly, that could result in four or five years of wasted time, money and effort that cannot be recouped. Worse, it may even give rise to mental issues.
In our country, the choice of college course is often decided upon or influenced by the parents. If either or both of them are, for example, engaged in the medical profession, chances are their children would lean toward or be under subtle pressure to follow in their footsteps.
If the student may want to take a different course, he or she may be hesitant to assert his or her intention and instead be obliged to go by the parents’ wishes out of respect for them or to avoid possible conflict in the family.
Besides, in our culture, the saying “father or mother knows best” is considered a sacred family mantra.
Of course, there are parents who give their children a free rein on the choice of their course, subject only to their capacity to meet the financial requirements of that choice.
But parents cannot be faulted for wanting to have a say in taking that action because, after all, they only have the best interests of their children in “advising” them on what course to take.
Today, whether parent-inspired or based on the student’s personal choice, that decision is challenging in light of the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) in practically all significant aspects of professional life.
Financial and education analysts have warned that AI would gradually take over jobs that are dependent on digital technology, such as accounting, software engineering and content creation.
The threat of job extinction due to AI could be highest in repetitive tasks, e.g., clerical work, data entry and customer support, where human participation is capable of being substantially reduced, if not, totally eliminated.
In the legal profession, AI may take over the preparation of contracts and other commercial documents, including research work for materials needed in court proceedings.
To date, no official statistics have yet been released to show how AI, which appears to be still in a nascent state of development in the Philippines, has affected the domestic job market.
For obvious reasons, jobs or professions that require direct human intervention, such as nursing and engineering, are less vulnerable to the adverse influence of AI.
Their performance may even be enhanced or made easier through the skillful application of AI processes.
Under these circumstances, incoming college students and their parents may have to carefully weigh things first before they decide on what course to take. INQ
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