The first 5 years…

Hello People, trust you are all doing well and you took some time out in the last couple of weeks to think of your career objectives! The first years, after leaving school, that is from 20-25 years happens to be probably the most crucial period of your career. Unfortunately, many spend their years trying to figure out what they should do and suddenly find themselves in their late twenties and wonder what happened! The way I see it once you leave school , you have 3 broad choices. 1.Enroll on a Degree 2.Take on a professional Qualification 3.Start Working Let’s look at enrolling on a Degree today. The most important decision you can ever make is choosing the right career. Understanding the right profession and choosing the right area of study will help you succeed, prosper and live a happy life. However, picking the right course is one of the most complicated issues that a student will face; many things such as personality, skills and ambitions should be considered. Identifying the right degree for you can be an extremely difficult task. More often than you tend to take on a course cos your friends are doing the same or because some program seems to be the popular thing around. This is the worst mistake you can make! While friends are important as you get older you interest change. You will develop other friends in your work place and while your school friends will always be you buddies that you can act as if you are 16 even when you’re actually 40, your life cannot and will not revolve around them. Take time to understand your self and the career that you want to embark on. I often come across students who tell me, I want to do ‘Marketing’. If I ask the so what part of Marketing exci tes you, invariably, after a few minute of blank facial expression I get told ‘Branding’! Yes, branding is exciting and can be a lot of fun, but there are only so many jobs available in branding in Sri Lanka. A qualification in Marketing can lead you to so many other career choices, Marketing Research, Public Relations, Corporate Communication, Digital Marketing just to name a few. Marketing is just an example, the principle is the same irrespective of what qualification you choose. When you decide on a career or a degree, do you really understand what it involves? Have you done careful research into the industry, do you know the tasks involved, the working conditions? For instance, do you really want to be a doctor, or is it just because your stereotypical Asian parents want you to be? The easiest way to find out is by asking yourself how much you really know about your chosen career. If you’re actually keen, you would’ve done a lot of research on it already by yourself. If you really want to be a “doctor”, you would know that the term “doctor” is much too vague to describe a career. Medicine has so many sub specializations, yet I rarely hear anyone saying they want to be a cardiologist or a Eye Surgeon. Its always ‘ I want to be a doctor. There is an interesting career test that I have found online, and I’ve posted it on our FB page. It’s a test done by an employment agency and they ask you a range of questions about your likes & dislikes, strengths & weaknesses, and based on your answers, they recommend a series of job openings. If course these opening are overseas buts it’s a good exercise to find out what jobs they recommend based on your personality and skills. It can be a real eye opener. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/ LASFoundation/ Now for my last bit of advice on choosing your degree: “A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left.” Ok that might not be the most suitable quote in that : 1. You might not be a girl  2. Most people would probably not think Marilyn Monroe the best mentor when choosing degrees. But the part “listens but doesn’t believe” is relevant. Seek advice and ask for personal experiences from as many people as you can, but know that they’re subjective. When you listen to other people’s advice, consider their position, expertise, knowledge, motivations, and consider your relationship with them. The stereotypical Asian parents mentioned above might be considering your future financial and perhaps social wellbeing, but they might not be considering your passion, happiness, or talent. In fact, their definition of “success” and “happiness” might be completely different to yours. Next week lets discuss professional qualifications. Till then have fun and send any questions, comments and thoughts to dusty@lifeafterschool. lk or just post them on FB ! Have a good week !