You and Your Career Path - Pt.2

Part 1 here  

In one of my employability articles, I posted a few weeks ago, one brilliant comment struck me.

He says," My child must tell me how the course he wants to or is given to study in the university will help him upon graduation."

I read the comment and shrugged it off, but it kept ringing in my mind for the rest of the day. What if parents make such resolve before investing heavily in their child's course of study?

That aside, how about you, the student who's about to start studying a course. Have you asked yourself what career prospects does this course of study hold for me when I'm through? I mean, you are going to invest at least four years of your life, time, comfort and energy on this course, so wouldn't it be only rational that you intentionally know what's in it for you at the end of the day?

I speak with young people all the time, and I can tell you confidently that most of them made the first career mistake of studying a course that's not related to their talent, passion, choice and interest! The school system in some countries does not even help matters at all. A candidate would apply for medicine and dentistry, and he will be admitted to study Botany or Statistics!

Now, I'm not saying when a candidate doesn't qualify for his chosen course, and he shouldn't be given a lesser course according to his perceived intellectual strength, what I'm questioning is this:

After changing their choice course, why isn't there a follow-up?

Here's a clearer picture of what I'm talking about:

Margaret aced all her subjects in secondary school. She was particularly a young Maths champ as her numerical problem-solving skill was on a genius level. Won several competitions amongst others. Great feat! The future seemed very bright.

1. She applied to study a degree course in Maths and Statistics but was admitted to study Zoology.

Today, she still thinks she would have been a statistics wizard if she'd been allowed just to study Maths or any related field. You know - subjects where she doesn't need to write lengthy essays but provide sound solutions to problems that need numerical reasoning.

2. As an undergraduate, there was little or no in-depth career guidance. No real seminar on what a Zoology degree will offer her out there.

Upon graduation, she will start job hunting in sectors like ICT, Accounting, Auditing, etc. and then complain that there are no jobs!

If she luckily gets a job that relates to what she read, she won't be fulfilled cos she doesn't have a natural flair for it.

I hope you are seeing how a system sets people up to fail.

It was at the employability training at Norwood that a graduate like her was guided to correct each of these mistakes by doing a self-evaluation of who she is and what career she wants. Then follow step by step on a postgraduate course(s) she needs to undertake to learn the skills and knowledge needed in her chosen field. And already knowing what she wants, she runs with the tools she had gained in the training.

I've come to realise that many graduates are victims of one or both mistakes Margaret made because there are very few people to guide them better.

To stop the vicious cycle, I help undergraduates, and fresh graduates get on track ON TIME!

I want to know more; then Click on www.norwoodemployability.com