Choosing a career: A difficult decision.

It is often said, "University is not the only path to success in life." This is absolutely true. The path to success in life is not a single one. "All roads lead to Rome." To survive, and even more so to live a happy and successful life, we have many different paths and choices, depending on our circumstances, understanding, and determination.

The most crucial question is: what field of study and what profession should we choose that will not only provide us with a livelihood and happiness, but also offer good opportunities for advancement, while also benefiting the community and society? This is not an easy question to answer.

Some people are lucky enough to choose a suitable career right from the start, while others have to pay the price in time, money, and health to find the right answer for themselves. So, what do we need to do to choose a suitable career?

There are three important criteria to consider when choosing a career:

1. Choose a profession you can do best.

2. Choose the profession you love the most.

3. Choose a profession that society needs most.

Before embarking on adulthood, each person must independently research, compare, consider, and ultimately make their own decisions. By the 9th or 12th grade, students have already acquired a certain foundation of knowledge and critical thinking skills.

From childhood to adulthood, we've all had countless dreams about our future careers. Boys often dream of becoming police officers, soldiers, athletes, doctors, or lawyers… Girls like to become teachers, models, singers, or actors… Children's dreams about their future careers are often so innocent and naive: today, because we like eating chips and lollipops, we dream of growing up to be grocery store owners so we can eat all the snacks we want; tomorrow, because we love reading comic books so much, we might change our dream to owning a huge bookstore! Hobbies and passions are often very changeable. So how do we know what we're truly passionate about? That's another difficult question.

When we do a job that we feel drawn to, becoming more and more passionate about it, exploring and discovering, finding no difficulty or hardship; the more difficult and challenging it is, the more attractive it becomes, motivating us to overcome all obstacles to conquer the heights of the profession; working as if we are enjoying it, savoring the work, doing it as if we are not working, always having creative inspiration to develop… then that is truly a job for you. But the problem is that we have to decide on a profession when we have never tried it, only learning about it in theory, through images and observations from others, so mistakes can still happen.

There's nothing more wonderful than being free to choose a profession and a job that matches your interests and abilities. This is called "active career choice," where we have the right to choose and take responsibility for that choice. However, many people have to "passively choose a profession," meaning they choose a career based on circumstances, the wishes, and the arrangements of others, specifically their parents. They choose a particular field simply because their parents or relatives have worked in the profession for many years, have a guaranteed job placement, or have good connections to secure employment after graduation. Getting a job immediately after graduation is the dream of all students. Some students from very poor families, unable to afford tuition for several years, are determined to enroll in schools that provide subsidies throughout their studies and guarantee job placement after graduation, such as police, security, or military schools, even though they prefer a different profession.

But getting a job easily doesn't mean it's easy or without difficulties. Every profession and job has its ups and downs, its joys and challenges. If you don't truly love your job and are passionate about it, you won't have the patience to overcome the challenges, you'll feel bored, easily discouraged, and give up. Having to do a job you don't like is like living with someone you don't love. It's incredibly boring and monotonous, even like torture.

Besides subjective factors, we also need to consider objective factors when choosing a career. When we work, we are selling our labor. Therefore, we must follow the law of "supply and demand." We shouldn't just sell what we have, but also what the market needs to be in high demand. The demand for human resources in society is not fixed or immutable; it's seasonal and can change at a dizzying pace. A particular industry or profession might be in high demand this year, with applicants flocking in, entrance exam scores sky-high, and people earning a lot of money, but it could become outdated and lose its appeal in just a few years. Therefore, choosing a long-lasting career is not simple at all; it requires immense mental effort and sometimes even relies on luck.

The Vietnamese labor market is constantly plagued by a "surplus of academics and a shortage of skilled workers." Everyone hopes to graduate from university to secure intellectual jobs that are less demanding, offer higher incomes, and provide better career advancement opportunities than purely manual labor. As a result, the manufacturing and construction sectors are always short of skilled workers, especially highly skilled ones. Many graduates are immediately unemployed. Those with better financial means continue their education to pursue higher degrees and wait for job opportunities. Those under financial pressure are forced to discard their bachelor's degrees and take on temporary jobs to make ends meet, even if they are unrelated to their field or are unskilled laborers. Some even enroll in additional vocational training, wasting 4-5 years of university education.

To address the "oversupply of teachers - shortage of skilled workers" situation, reduce wasted training costs, and better match "supply" with "demand," the Government has approved the "Career Education and Vocational Training Program for High School Students in the period 2018-2025," which notably states: "The goal by 2025 is to have at least 401 high school graduates 'switching' to vocational training at the elementary and intermediate levels; and at least 451 high school graduates continuing their vocational training at the college level." This is a macro-level policy from the central government. However, each student also needs to assess their own abilities and consider the needs of the labor market to decide whether to continue their education at a higher level or switch to vocational training accordingly.

No profession is inherently noble, and no profession inherently distinguishes between high and low social classes; such distinctions are merely self-imposed and imposed by humans. Every legitimate profession has its own value and necessity. Working to support oneself, benefit one's family, and contribute to a prosperous and happy society is always worthy of respect. Teachers, parents, educational institutions, and employment agencies should pay attention to, advise, and guide students in their career choices so that they can make the most correct, wisest, and realistic decisions. This will enable each student, after completing their vocational training, to quickly find employment and work with enthusiasm, passion, dedication, and to achieve great success in their career. Or at the very least, to feel happy and fulfilled in the profession they have chosen and studied. So that every moment, every hour, every day of living and working is a joy, not a burden or a responsibility.

Every wrong choice has consequences. Some mistakes cost a lifetime, and there's no turning back. A wrong career choice will cost you money, time, effort, and opportunities for success. I hope that when young people face crucial decisions, they will remain calm, level-headed, and wise in analyzing, choosing, and making the most suitable career choice for themselves. If they realize it's not a good fit, they should dare to step out of their "comfort zone" to change and start over.

Source: Great Unity

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Author: Viet My College - Date written: July 31, 2019

Category: News - Events

Tags: APC, Viet My College, choosing a career, university