02 Oct 2019

To major work, or not to major work, that is the question! And while an easy question to ask, it can be a very difficult one to answer.

Taking on a major work is a huge commitment. It involves choosing an idea and sticking to it (harder than it sounds), it requires excellent planning and use of time, and if you take one on, you’re going to be getting very familiar with whatever topic you choose to dive into.

Before you decide to complete a major work, you need to seriously consider if it’s going to be for you, because there’s nothing worse than getting stuck doing a huge, year-long assessment which you resent. But at the same time, choosing something you’re passionate about and love spending time working on will make your school year fly right on by.

To be sure if a major work is up your alley, try asking yourself the following questions:

What type of major worker would you be?

People who choose to do a major work tend to fall into one of two categories:

The first are those who are super passionate about their subject matter and are keen to get stuck in, sensibly working on their project over the course of the year.

The second are those who like their free time (like yours truly) and operate under the mindset that they're at their most productive when they're under pressure - which means that the most logical thing to do is nothing at all until the month before it's due.

Now, unless you’ve developed a method for some sort of super-productivity, let me tell you right now that if you’re part of the second group of people mentioned above, then you should be giving major works a wide berth.

While the idea of cruising and doing frick-all for eleven months in exchange for one month of pure stress and mayhem seems like a fair trade, it’s not worth it. Your marks, your sleep and your mental health will all suffer.

Are you willing to hate the things you love?

If you’re one of the passionate studiers mentioned in the example above, then you probably couldn’t imagine ever saying something bad about the work you love. But trust me, by the time twelve months is up, you’re probably going to be saying all sorts of nasty crap about your precious baby.

The old saying 'too much of a good thing' has become a cliché for a reason - it's bloody true. If you don't believe me yet, come back after a few more months of extensive one-on-one time with your masterpiece and we'll see how you're traveling. 

Do ya manage ya time well?

A major work is a huge task and once you get started it just seems to keep growing. If you’re going to commit to doing one, you really need to be doing a little bit of work on it every other day, from the very beginning.

However, while it won’t always be smooth sailing along the way, the payoff at the end is 100% worth it. You’ll be prouder of your major work than anything else you do in Year 12.

Can you deal with hindsight?

You will never completely love your idea. The moment you actually commit to a concept, you will spend the rest of the year thinking up even better ones and dreaming of what could have been. The most important thing to remember in this situation is that literally everyone is in the same boat.

How well do you handle criticism?

Because major works are such a big, important task, your teachers are going to take it very seriously. They’ll be honest about parts of it they do and don’t like and they might tear apart pieces you thought were incredible.

While you may have to re-do some chunks of your work, it’ll definitely be worth it in the end when you’re looking at your amazing, refined, completed product.

 

Hopefully, this hasn’t completely put you off ever doing a major work. Sure, they’re hard work, but the best things in life most definitely do not come free.

If you’re willing to put in the hard yards and fight through the blood, sweat and tears of a major work (don’t worry, this is an exaggeration. If you’re seeing blood, maybe reconsider your concept), you will find yourself at the end of the year with something completely original, that is entirely yours. Now that’s something to be proud of and something worth fighting for!