The career path
Many students go to college to learn higher level of knowledge and skills that will hopefully lead to a better career and better life. However, after graduated many could NOT find good jobs or even any kind of jobs. Many are continue to live with their parents with college degrees that are not valuable in this highly competitive market. Some look at their college education as failure and wasting money of their parents. Some even wonder if their life would have been better had they not gone to college.
First, let me assure that today college education is essential. Most companies will only hire people with a college degrees as minimum. We are experiencing a global crisis where many potential job openings are temporary halted. Most companies are too afraid to hire college graduates, and some choose to hire more experienced workers because they do not have to train them. Many experienced people are willing to work with lesser salaries as they are being laid-off. In this crisis economy, it will be difficult to most graduates to find jobs unless they have degrees in the area that most companies need but could not find people such as Medical Doctor, Nurse, Software Engineer, and Information System Managers etc.
Before choosing a career, or even selecting a field of study in college, it is important that you know the global industry trends as well as understand your own personality and how it can relate to your occupation. Many students are NOT careful in selecting what they study. They either choose an “idealistic area” or follow their friends advices rather have a “practical view” of what is going to happen when they graduate. This situation is very common in Asia as many students are NOT aware about their career choices as contrast with western students, who are very active in making decision about their own careers. Let me give you some data:
Few years ago when the stock market and financial investment were hot, number of students enrolled in business, finance and banking increased 40% to 60% throughout the world. When the financial crisis happened, many banks and financial companies went out of business and hundred thousand people lost their jobs, the number of enrollment in business and banking immediately decreased more than 50% in the U.S and Europe. At the same time, the number of business students switching to Information System Management and Software Engineer increased by 35%. This year, almost every universities in the U.S and Europe reported significant enrollment in “Hot” areas such as Information technology, Software Engineering and Nursing etc. However, it is interesting to note that enrollment data in Asia does not change. From several studies on student enrollment in China, S. Korea, Japan, Malaysia and they all reported high number of students in the areas where the job markets are already “Cold” and expected to remain flat for many years. A friend in Japan told me: “With hundred thousand experienced business and financial analysts already lost their jobs, it will take at least five to ten more years for the jobs market to stabilized if there will NOT be another crisis. There is not much hope for newly business graduates for quite awhile”.
You may ask whether I would have any suggestion. No, I do NOT have any suggestion but only want to emphasize that when it comes to select a field of study, you must be aware of the global trends and the local job market situation. Basically, your career is an expression of your personality and your personality is largely influenced by your interests. It is important for you to select an occupations that you are likely to be interested in. So you must understand more about yourself, about your own interest to see how your skills and interests can relate to a career path. You need to understand that selecting a field of study is NOT a random, selecting a field of study is NOT about luck, selecting a field of study is a major investment of your family, and of your time and efforts. As an adult, you must make your own education choice that can help to shape a path that may lead you to what you want to do for your future. You can get your “dream job” by getting the right education at the right school. Having the right degree can not only qualify you for a good job, but start you on the right path for advancement. You must think careful about what area you need to study, and on what levels you will need to obtain good position that will help you to advance in your career. Once you are able to get into your area of interest, consider if you need to continue your education in order to advance to a higher position.
You need to understand that no one can give you a dream job, but you must earn it as it will take a lot of hard work and determination to get where you want to be. For example, if you want to be a high level manager someday, you must think about the responsibilities of that particular job and the type of experience and skills necessary to fulfill them. A high level manager job is to manage a team of professionals, assign works, and review their works to determine whether they achieve your goals and expectations. To do that you must be good at both technical and management skills. The path to a high level manager may consist of jobs such as a team leader, project manager, service manager, and middle level manager. If you have a specific career goal, it is important that you plan out the necessary steps you may need to take to get there. Your college educational background will not only help you build a strong foundation to build your career, but put you in a position to meet good contacts and gain valuable experience as well.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
