By: Jeanette Teh
High school seniors about to embark on the next chapter of their lives are likely facing questions about their career choices, a confusing decision for eighteen-year-olds.
The average job tenure for the younger generation is about two years which means they could work in twenty jobs in their lifetime. What adds to the complexity is that 65% of school children will be working in a job that does not currently exist, rendering it difficult to decide what to study in university when the field or job students may end up working in have not even been dreamt of yet.
What does this mean for incoming university students and their choice of study?
Information is power. Research potential careers of interest to learn about the job prospects (i.e. is the industry expanding or becoming obsolete?) and daily responsibilities and requirements of that career to determine if this might be something that you can genuinely enjoy and excel in.
Talk to senior students to get a sense of the course load and work in that program and especially with professionals in the field to learn about the career.
Get a broad-based education by choosing diverse courses, incorporating the sciences, math, technology, business, languages, and the arts even if they are outside your core curriculum. After all, what an engineer learned in her Psychology elective could prove infinitely useful in resolving a conflict with her colleagues. Likewise, music lessons have been linked to higher scores in math and in enhancing creativity while Philosophy will hone sought-after analytical reasoning skills.
Trying out different courses before declaring a major is especially important in your first year. Remember, that a major is merely a selection and not carved in stone. Majors can be changed and even graduating with a particular major does not lock you into that career.
Get social! Your time at university will be some of the best years of your life and the most memorable moments will take place outside of the classroom. Getting good grades is important, but so is being involved in the different sports, social, artistic, and academic clubs on campus. It is a great way to make new friends and create a network of future business contacts as that girl in your film club could very well be the next Zuckerberg. Employers will also be looking for well-rounded employees and an A average will not be enough to get a job. Participating in student clubs and competitions will help develop tangible skills and introduce you to industry professionals.
Learning how to learn. Doing well in university is not merely about studying hard, but studying in the right way that matches your learning style.
Auditory learners do well with lectures as they learn by listening while linguistic learners prefer words and will require rewriting their notes to learn. Visual learners, on the other hand, may need to use mind-maps, colour-coding, or graphs while kinesthetic learners work on problems and cases to learn.
Irrespective of one’s learning style, however, there needs to be active learning. Students must take responsibility for their learning by summarizing what they’ve learned, using mnemonic techniques, participating in class discussions, and reflecting on what they have learned.
Life-long learning. Education is not merely about reading textbooks; it is also about keeping up with global affairs, and not merely with the Kardashians. Learning will not stop upon the receipt of a degree, but will continue every day at work and in corporate training.
Pursue your passion. Don’t just choose a course to “get an easy A” or pick a practical program that you do not find interesting. Instead, focus on what you are passionate about which will make you want to learn. After all, as Leonardo da Vinci said, “Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.”
This article was originally published in print and online at http://www.khaleejtimes.com on March 28th 2016.
Jeanette Teh is a legal and corporate trainer, adjunct (assistant) professor, non-practicing lawyer, writer, coach, and founder of Kaleidoscopic Sky. You can find more about her at http://linkedin.com/in/jeanette-teh-601115.
Image courtesy of AlexasFotos from https://pixabay.com/en/student-professor-uni-books-study-2052868/