CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter contains the review of related literature and related studies done by the researchers after
a thorough search in any different resources. This part also contains conceptual framework, and definition of
terms

for

better

comprehension

of

the

study.

Review of Related Literature

The review of related literature on this study focuses on how the in demand courses affecting the
choice of incoming college freshmen students. Making a choice is a huge responsibility for everyone,
according to John F. Kennedy (n.d.)Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest
responsibilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into
benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.
Throughout most of the 20th century, a high school diploma was usually enough to assure American
employers that job applicants could handle most basic tasks. In fact, many large companies operated their
own internal training and development programs for recent high school graduates. As a result, many
Americans enjoyed long, successful careers, usually working for the same companies their entire lives.
Because of that they have a chance to give their family a brighter future, most especially their children.
Recent changes in the global job market have put an end to those traditions. Very few people experience the
stability of working for only one or two employers throughout their careers. In fact, most workers entering their
first job today will change career paths at least seven times before they reach retirement age.
With workers jumping ship more frequently, few companies can afford to invest heavily in employee
development. Therefore, more employers rely on job seekers to develop their own skills before joining a
company. As a result, the demand for workers with college degrees has skyrocketed over the past few
decades. (Benefits of a College Degree: Preparation for Todays Job Market,n.d)

Choosing a college major for some is easy; some people know exactly what they want to be when
they grow up. For others, choosing a college major is probably one of the hardest decisions they will make in
1

their life. It doesnt help that there are now a lot of college courses and college programs among which you
have to choose.
There was once a time when choices were simple: good or evil, ketchup or mayonnaise, Bachelor of Science
or Bachelor of Arts. Nowadays, you have to choose between shades of gray, one gazillion condiments and a
plethora of majors.
The trick in making a college major choice, they say, is to narrow things down as you go along. This article will
help you do that. The following are some of the things you must consider when choosing a college course.
Choosing your college major consideration # 1: Your Interest
The most basic consideration in the choice of a college major or college course is, of course, what you want.
Is there something that youve always wanted to get into, something that resonates within the very fiber of your
being? If so, that may be where youre meant to go.
In the event that you dont know or dont feel that siren song, fret not. You can always go for career
assessment care of your local guidance office. That would certainly make choosing a college course more
systematic and easier.
Choosing your college major consideration #2: Your Aptitude
Choosing a college major also entails an assessment of your skills and talents. You may know what you want,
but do you know what youre good at?
Interest and aptitude are two different things. Ideally, you should pursue a college course or choose a college
major that allows you to explore both. In this less than perfect world, however, this is usually not possible for
some people. In that case, youd have to weigh your priorities: pick a college major you will be good at or pick
a college course that is in line with your interest? Better yet, find a college course that you will be good at and
has the potential of arousing your interest.
Choosing your college major consideration #3: Your Values
Every career comes with non-quantifiable stuff: fulfillment, meaning and purpose, pure altruism, you name it.
They help determine what youd like to get out of a career (and a college major) besides material
compensation.
Choosing your college major consideration #4: Money Matters
2

Money matters, in more ways than one. Money matters because it will dictate what course you can or cannot
afford. Money matters should therefore be part of your college major choice.
If its one thing you must always factor in, its reality. This can be broken down into a number of subconsiderations. How much money does the course require you to invest? How much money do you actually
have on hand to invest? How much money will you (approximately) make if you take up a career in line with
that college major? How much money would you like to earn after college?
Choosing your college major consideration #5: Time and Practical Considerations
You should also be aware of what youre getting into when choosing a college major. What will your college
course require you to do? Are you willing to do it? As a case in point, if youre squeamish about the sight of
blood, why should you decide to go for a Nursing Degree?
How much time are you willing to invest in your college course and major? If you want school to be over and
done with as soon as possible, then you should probably not choose a college course that wont be useful
without further study.
Choosing your college major consideration #6: Your Commitment
Choosing a college course requires you to look inwards and assess your commitment to your chosen path.
Assuming that you have the issue of money and other practical considerations settled, do you actually possess
the skills and the patience to go the distance? Moreover, do you actually want to do so? Theres also a
chance that your parents may be expecting you to tread a certain academic path; will you have the strength
and the will to stick it out against all odds?
Choosing your college major consideration #7: The Times
Nope, you dont have to read the Times to know what college course to pick (Yup, thats a lousy joke). Kidding
aside, dont ever forget to consider the times in your decision-making process. Case in point: the global
economy was in a bit of a slump at the time I wrote this article. There are instances when certain courses may
appear to be more profitable or more popular than others due to current circumstances.
Choosing your college major consideration #8: Other Peoples Feedback
Besides guidance counselors, family and friends, you may also want to ask other people for their opinions
regarding the matter. College alumni and alumnae always make for interesting interviews-been there, done
that. Professors and classmates will also have a lot of significant input to offer.
3

Choosing your college major consideration #9: Your Choices

Also, do remember that there are some benefits to doing things by the book-or more specifically, the colleges
catalogue of courses. Take a peek and note the unit and credit requirements for each course, along with
whatever minors and electives you can take as part of the package deal.
Choosing your college major consideration #10: Spiritual Considerations
Finally, know this: youll most likely change courses-even careers!-as you go along, so dont be overly fixated
on any one course. No one course is the end all and be all. There are numerous examples of people out
there who majored in one thing and built a career or three out of another.
If youre a believer, though, I strongly recommend that you pray about it ask God what He wants you to take.
After all, only He knows what path you will ultimately tread. (10 Things to Consider when Choosing a College
Course or a College Major,2009)
Many freshmen often try to schedule courses that they have heard are easy. This may be a symptom
of laziness, but it may also be fear. Sometimes taking a course that seems easy is a practical concern: When a
student enrolls in challenging courses, she may offset the workload by enrolling in one "easy" course so that
she can still carry a full-time credit load for financial aid purposes and allow enough time and intellectual space
for more challenging courses. In fact, College Board, a student advisement organization, recommends this
approach (Reynolds & Media,n.d; www.classroom.synonym.com).
Picking a program what to pursue in college is quite hard to those students who dont really know yet
what course they really wanted. One strategy is to find out what most college courses people are into these
days. Dont sweat it, as weve compiled a helpful little list for you. (The Current Most Popular College
Courses in the Philippines,2009).
Here they are, in no particular order.
Medical Courses:
The aging population of developed countries, medical tourism and the expansion plans of
developing ones have given rise to the increase in demand of health care workers. According to the
Department of Labor and Employment, the manpower request for graduates of health related courses
has been steadily increasing by 2.3% yearly.

Nursing: while there seems to be a temporary surplus of nurses in the country, it is expected
that the demand for graduates of this course will continue to increase within the next 10 years.
The current top overseas destination of graduate nurses are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore,
Kuwait, United Kingdom, US, Qatar, Taiwan, Ireland and Trinidad and Tobago.
Specialized nurses [operating, ER, anesthetic, scrub, theatre, critical care/ICU, pediatric,
cardiac, burn, pediatric, oncology, catheter, and trauma] will also be in demand in European countries
like Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Asian countries like
Bruniei, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan on the other hand will need Dental Nurses, Chief Nurses, Head
Nurses and Nurse Managers.
Other medical workers like Doctors, midwives and Physical therapists will also be in demand
in countries like Poland, Belgium, Germany and Singapore. A more detailed list of countries needing
such

personnel

are

listed

below:

Medical Doctors: Australia, Korea and Saudi Arabia

Pharmacist, Orthodontists, Pediatric Technologists: Saudi Arabia and USA
Medical Technologists: Saudi Arabia, USA and New Zealand
Physical/Occupational Therapists: USA
Speech Therapists: USA
Optometrists: Oman
Male Dieticians: KSA, Qatar and UAE
Dental Lab/Dental Assts: KSA, Qatar and UAE
Medical Technicians (BioMedical, Anesthetics, Laboratory, Respiratory, Emergency, Medical Gas and
Medical Records): Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Microbiologists: Saudi Arabia
Caregivers: Israel, Japan, UK, Switzerland, Taiwan Belgium, Libya Macau
Education:
The growing lack of skilled educators in developed countries has also sparked the rush
towards education courses. Specially needed are elementary, secondary, science, math, physical
education and childcare teachers, professors and lecturers in KSA, Libya, Seychellles, Macau, US and
South Korea.
5

Culinary Arts and Hotel & Restaurant Management:

The rise of tourism as part of the development plan of quite a number of countries here in
Asia, the Middle East and some parts of Europe has also catalyzed the demand for Chefs, tour
guides, hotel managers and other tourism related workers. Demand for skilled workers in this area
has been increasing steadily by a factor of 3.5% yearly for the past 5 years garnering a total of
160,300

manpower

requests

from

several

countries.

Top destination countries of graduates of these courses are Libya, Kuwait, UAE, CNMI, Oman, KSA,
UAE, Korea, Macau, Singapore and Romania.
Banking and Finance Courses:
The increasing inter-connectedness of the global economy as well as the growth of the global financial market
has also increased the demand for graduates of banking and finance graduates. Of special mention in this
category are Accounting Clerks, Bookkeepers, Auditors, Cashiers, Credit Card Analysts, Finance
Analyst/Specialists, Accountants (Account Officer, Analyst), and Risk Management Officers. These workers
are in demand in developing countries and financial centers such as Libya, Kuwait, Singapore and
Switzerland.
Engineering Courses:
Projects regarding megacities construction in the middle east, plans to increase manufacturing
capacity, and the rise of renewable energy have all resulted to the shortage of skilled engineers
worldwide. The last 5 years alone have seen 256,000 manpower requests from different countries.
The demand for engineering graduates has been steadily increasing by 2.5% yearly.
Engineering Graduates of the following fields are poised to take advantage of this global demand:
Civil Engineering: Structural, Design, Safety, Planning and Contract
Electrical Engineering: Manufacturing, Construction and Renewable energy
Mechanical Engineering: manufacturing, real estate and renewable energy
Mining Engineering: Mining
Geodetic Engineering: Mining and real estate
Metallurgical Engineering: Mining
6

Chemical Engineering: Manufacturing

Industrial Engineering: Manufacturing
Top Destination countries are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Macau,
Belgium, Germany, Norway and the USA.
Cyberservices:
A particularly interesting development in the most popular college courses based on global
demand is in relation to cyberservices. Demand for skilled workers in this industry has been
increasing rapidly at about 6.4% yearly which is more than twice the other courses. The last 5 years
alone has seen more than 400,000 requests for manpower both locally and internationally.
In demand workers under this category are:
Creative Industries
Broadcast Engineer
Video Editor
Video Graphic Artist (Animators)
Visual Artist Designer
3D modelers
3D Artist
3D Animators
Flash Animators
Animation Artist
Clean-Up Artist
In-between Artist/In-betweener
Clean-Up Art Checker
7

In-between Checker
Animation Checker
Web Designer
Multimedia Artist
Library builder
Layout artist
2D digital animator
Graphic Assistants
Programmers:
Java Programmers
Oracle Developers
Web Developers
IT Programmers
Software Development
Computer Programmers
Developer (Software, Web)
IT/Information Technology (MIS Developer, Platform Engineer)
Specialist (Learning Solution, System and Technical Support)
Systems Analyst
Backoffice:
Accountant (Back Office Processing)
HR Outsourcing Specialist (Back Office Processing)
8

Call Center Agent

Medical Transcription Editor
Medical Transcription
Financial Accountants
Technical Support Engineers
Autocad Operators
Legal Researchers
Legal Analysts