My first encounter with the Careers Group was during the induction of the first year at University. We had a speech from one of the careers Advisers and I remember her saying “It will be a few years yet until graduation and most of you probably aren’t even thinking about your career yet, but do remember that we as a service are here for you when you need us.” I think I first entered the careers library during my final year of University. I didn’t really have any idea what I wanted to do and sort of expected the Careers Adviser to tell me what it was I should do. As a result I came away a bit unsatisfied.
Having worked at C2 at the Careers Group, I have had the opportunity to work with and get to know a number of Careers Advisers. This has enabled me to learn (or unlearn) a great deal about the very important subject that is ‘Careers’
Being good at ‘Careers’ means a high chance of finding and maintaining job satisfaction throughout your life, neglecting it can mean a life of stress and unfulfilled potential.
As a final year undergraduate, my ‘Careers’ ability was pathetic. I knew only a little bit about a small proportion of jobs in the economy, and as I hadn’t had much work experience, I didn’t really know what sort of things I liked to do, or was good at.
But the amazing thing, in retrospect, was that I wasn’t even aware of this. I was under the impression that for most people their vocation just popped into their head without any particular external effort. However I have since concluded that this, more often than not, is a myth. Very few people have the best possible choice of career simply occur to them like that, and a lot of people just end up going for ‘popular jobs’. For the majority of us a serious active effort to become fluent in the subject that is ‘careers’ is essential if we are to make an informed and sensible choice.
But it maybe isn’t surprising as a great many of us have been told exactly what to do throughout Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education; all of a sudden the onus is on us to actively take control and decide the best use of our time for the rest of our lives. The range of choice can be exciting as well as daunting. In addition, the amount of ‘careers coaching’ most of us receive throughout our formal education is next to nothing so it is not surprising that this transition can be difficult.
The Careers Adviser cannot tell you what you should do. You could do anything you wanted! If you don’t know what you want, the careers adviser can help you think about it, (and in this role they are indispensable) but ultimately it is you who is going to have to develop your own ideas. It will probably take a lot of time and effort, but it is definitely worth the investment as choosing a career that makes you happy is arguably one of the most important choices you will ever make. As Confucius says,
When you can randomly pick a stranger out of a crowd and convince him/her that you understand what their job entails; its good and bad points.
When you can talk convincingly (with examples as evidence), about what job related skills you like using, don’t like using, are good at and aren’t good at.
When you can talk knowledgeably about the job market as it relates to you, what is popular, how to beat the crowd, what different employers are looking for in candidates etc.
It really is its own subject, the knowledge of which, I feel, is underdeveloped in many of us.
