It's Back to School Time
As the school semester is about to be opened (for some it may have already started) I have decided to dedicate a series of blog postings to students, specifically targeted to high school and post-secondary students as it relates to the next big step: the world of work.
I will preface today’s blog by saying this; I do believe that most of the learning we do is done outside of the classroom, however I am not one of those free thinkers who thinks that a structured education is not required. Frankly, a formal education is pretty much a must have. School is probably the first structured environment that we all find ourselves in and if nothing else, it tells potential employers and society at large that upon graduation, you can operate in a structured learning environment. That said it is up to the individual to decipher as to how far they go into the academic journey.
Individuals who are thinking about what field of study they want to pursue are advised to research the type of employment that they want to take up when they graduate and find out what qualifications they require. Your studies should generally be aligned with what you discover. The big challenge with this approach is that many students who are about to graduate high school, or have just entered university do not have any clue as to what they ultimately want to do professionally. Hence they trend toward what they like or are good at in hopes of it paying off in the long run.
How then do you avoid making a huge mistake and or wasting time by pursuing a particular direction to then change your mind? Truth is, even with the best planning situations/ideals can change. But as I mentioned in my book, HOW TO MAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE CUBICLE, you can only pick one at any given time. When you get into a car, it is impossible to drive in two directions at one time and you can only focus on one destination. The only time more than one destination is permissible is when the second comes after the first, and then the third after the second. This brings us right back to the original statement of you can only pick one at any given time. The same goes with picking a field of study and launching a career. But how do you prevent wasting time?
In my experience I found that the only sure way to fully evaluate if a particular profession is right for you; is to try. Internships, externships, co-ops or full-fledged work will reveal to you the skills, time commitment, stress, etc. required for a given profession and it is very advisable that you get one as early in your matriculation as possible. That way, if you complete an internship and you realize that the particular line of work is not for you, you can think of other disciplines within the same field, or even change direction all together if it is possible. Try not to pay attention to the actual position on these introductory jobs, because if you desire to be an engineer, you are probably not going to do exactly what an engineer does during an internship, but you will be exposed to the work environment which is equally important as the job itself.
The next best thing is to learn from others. There is nothing like learning from others. It saves you the stress and it is virtually low risk. However, the important questions to consider when looking at the experiences of others are:
- How successful is this person at their job?
- What motivates them (this is important because this may differ from yours)?
- What qualifications did they need to get that position and are they relevant today?
- What were the challenges faced?
Your approach may differ, but the general theme must be the same. You will never know until you try and it is only when you have gained some experience that you will get a sense for how comfortable you are. Best wishes on the new semester. Do your best and let God do the rest.
Until next time remember: As long as you have life, you should live it to your fullest potential.
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