A good friend of mine has recently decided she wants a career change which has subsequently caused an uproar by her close family members. This has left me wondering about how people chose the career they have. I, for one, only decided I wanted to go into Marketing at the age of 21 after leaving school after A-Levels to go to agricultural college and attempt, what later turned into, a failed career in the Equine industry (once I realised that for me, horses were a hobby that should be left as that!). I then took up an admin job for an e-recruitment solutions company which gave me an insight into all the different industries and roles available – which is when I realised a career in Marketing was for me – and my experience in the recruitment industry has helped me adapt to marketing a specialist online job board.
More and more nowadays we’re seeing people changing their career paths later in life, and younger people generally avoiding embarking on their career as they’re not entirely sure what it is that they want to do.
I can’t help but wonder why it is that the younger people of today’s societies change their mind so often – many going to University because it is the “done thing” despite them not fully intending to have a career in whatever it is they’re studying. Are young people today given too much choice? Careers that never existed years ago have emerged with job titles getting more bizarre by the year – and universities and colleges offering degrees in subjects I’ve never heard of. The Independent released a list of “weird and wonderful university courses” which noted that traditional English University, Durham, offers a unit in “Harry Potter and the Age of Illusions” as part of their Education Studies degree. Similarly, Queen's University Belfast offers an open learning course in “Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way”. The Independent stated that, “the course teaches the real-life psychological techniques behind Jedi mind tricks, as well as examining the wider issues behind the Star Wars universe, like balance, destiny, dualism, fatherhood and fascism.” No offense to anyone who has studied these subjects, but I struggle to see how this can add to ones career path?
I’m interested to know people’s thoughts on this matter. Have you always known you wanted to work in the Housing industry? Or did you just ‘fall’ into it? Perhaps you’re looking to kick start a career in the industry?
Should people really be frowned upon for not knowing what they want to choose as their career path? Is it not better to change your direction in aid to be happy within your role, or should people stop thinking the grass is always greener and “crack on with it”?
Hello, I'm a Malaysian mature student who recently went back to complete my degree in Mass Communications. Previously I studied and worked in the bio-science and Telco fields. I think there should be a compulsory course offered to all students right after their O-levels or equivalent that teaches them all about every major industry and what the job specifications are like. This would surely help those of us (who I believe are the majority) who aren't quite sure which career path to take.
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