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n my years of providing career coaching, education and guidance to students (& adults), I have often asked the question “how do you know which higher education course/university to take/apply to?” I have found that an estimated 1 out of 2 individuals actually have no idea how best to choose a higher education course for their educational progression. Here are some of the usual reasons I hear or encounter from students. “My parents will decide for me”. “I’ll apply for the ‘xyz’ course because I will get a high paying job upon graduation”. “Most of my friends are going to this university/school, so I will join them”. “It’s the easiest course in this university” “The university is closest to my home” “It doesn’t matter what course, as long as I graduate with a degree” Enrolling in university is an extremely important point in a young person’s life. So is choosing the right course. A wrong academic choice not only brings about a lot of doubt about their capabilities (especially if they are not doing too well in school), it may also create a situation where there are too many graduates with the wrong set of skills or knowledge out in the market which has no need for their training. A 2017 Forbes article highlighted that 1 in 3 university graduates are not working in jobs which they studied for. Up to 43% of these graduates found themselves in jobs which paid similarly to those without a degree! If you’ve read up to this point, you may be asking yourself, “so what must I do to ensure that I choose the right course?” There are 2 things all students (and parents) should do to ensure that you’re on the right track. 1. Find out more about your Career Attributes. Career attributes are facets or characteristics of ourselves that predetermine us towards certain types of job roles or industries. In my practice, I operationalise career attributes as ‘VIPS’.
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Values—Values are cognitive structures and beliefs which motivate us to behave in certain ways. Values give us purpose in life and govern the way we function within our families, community and society. It is important that we figure out what our values surrounding careers are. Knowing our top values will enable us to have clarity around the kind of work we are motivated to engage in because those same values will be the ones that determine whether you bounce out of bed every morning, eager to go to work or you drag yourself out, dreading the idea of stepping you’re your office. For example, if ‘working on the frontier of knowledge’ is an important value for you, you will definitely find yourself highly motivated should you be working as a scientist or a researcher. However, you will be very de-motivated should you find yourself working in as a sales manager for a beverage company because this role has very little alignment with your personal career value. Interest—Career interests are areas of work that individuals are particularly
Higher Education Digest November 2019