Career Planning: Passion and Practicality
When teaching in Asia, I found that many college students did not have a career plan. Some did not set learning goals or could not decide what to do with their education. Students often told me: “We will think about it after graduate.” It means that after complete school they will apply for numbers of job and work for whoever hires them. I asked: “If you graduate in engineering but only find job in advertising, would you take it? A student answered: “You are lucky to get a job. You cannot be choosy when there are millions of unemployed graduates.” When I asked a graduate whether she prefer to work or continue to study for advanced degree. She replied: “I do not know. I have to ask my parents.” It reflects an Asian's tradition where students choose their field of study based on what their parents want rather than decide for themselves. Of course parents want the best for their children but many do not know enough about current market or have time to investigate job opportunities. Many still believe that the higher the degree, the better so they encourage their children to continue to study in advanced degrees such as Master and PhDs without knowing that higher degree limits their chance of getting job. (See my blog on PhD degree) Many parents do not know that the world has changed and there are many excellent career choices that they may not even heard of.
Without career plan, Asian students have difficulty to choose between what they like and what they need. Each year, after passing the college entrance examination, many students are facing difficult decision of selecting the appropriated field of study. Sometime there are conflicts between what they like and what their parents want. A student complained: “My parents want me to study Medical to be a Doctor but I prefer to study music and be a Musician.” The problem is when students did not select something correctly, the results can be disastrous. Few years ago, I had a student who was very talented in literature. He wanted to be a writer but his parents forced him to study Software Engineering. He struggled with the conflict and did not do well in classes because he had to study something that he did not like. After graduated, he could not find job although he had the degree so he had to work in his parents' restaurant. Of course, following what ones like does not result in a good position either. There are many frustrated graduates with degrees in the fields that they choose but cannot help them to make a living.
In career planning, students learn about keeping a balance between “Passions” and “Practicality”. Students must plan their career based on both of these factors by making the right decision when they can weigh both factors equally. They must learn about themselves, what they like, what are their strengths and weaknesses, what they want to be, and how to get there. They must learn how to explore certain occupations and areas that interest them. Once they have some idea of the occupational preferences, they must investigate specific skills and qualifications required for those occupations then compare with their strengths and weaknesses to identify their options then narrowing down their choices to a few options on what suits them best at that time. From this list of options, they should investigate the job market to identify future opportunities that fit their current situation and weight the advantages and disadvantages of each option. They should learn to balance what they like, and what fields of study that would be best for them that fit the job market and create a career plan with learning goals as well as the skills that they need to acquire to fulfill their education journey.
Many students often confuse “hobby” and “passion.” By definition, a hobby is “a pursuit of something outside of one's occupation, especially for relaxation.” But passion is something that becomes part of your life, it drives you to achieve it. A person may enjoy music as a hobby but to be a professional musician is completely different. Among my software engineering students, there are many who play music instruments, some even sing very well but they are not professional musicians. They consider that as “hobby” to enjoy whenever they have time but not to make a living with that. Students must take time to plan their career with this clear understanding. A career plan is your guiding roadmap that helps you to travel for your long education journey as well as your future but along the way, you can still enjoy your hobby to make your life more meaningful and enjoyable.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
