Choosing a profession

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Topic 1. Choosing a profession

I. Choosing a Career

Confusion about choosing a career is natural. Some teens become frustrated in the decision-making process because of a lack of information. Others become frozen in the fear that they will make the wrong decision and have to live in misery. And still others believe they'll end up doing something they will hate, so they stall and can't move in any direction.

If you are considering your future and where it might take you, or if you are confused about what you want to do for a living, here are a few suggestions that might be helpful:

Explore your interests, abilities and values. Begin this process by exploring what kind of person you are, because you are likely to change as you grow and gain work experiences, the images you have of yourself are more like the frames in a motion picture than a snapshot. But you can get started by making a list of things you enjoy doing. You will be happy in a career only if it measures up to your interests, abilities and values.

Discover the world of work. A national study of 30000 teenagers exploring their career development needs found that 75 % had not tried to find out how they could make a career of something they enjoyed doing. You can overcome this hurdle simply by talking to teachers and parents. As you learn more about a career field you will begin to see how you can use your particular talents and interests to your advantage.

Understand the influence of your family. Every family has unspoken as well as spoken expectations that can have a tremendous impact on your career choices. When expectations are not talked about openly, they hinder your ability to make healthy decisions. Take time to understand what is expected of you - whether you choose to do something different or not. One way of exploring how your family influences your career path is to complete these unfinished sentences the way you would believe other members of your family would: Success is…, Failure is …, Education is…, Achievement is …, A career is… . Then complete these the sentences yourself being completely honest. This simple exercise can heighten your awareness of your family's influence. Remember it's your life.

Gain practical experience. Most teens work at a part-time or summer job. But too often this is only for money, not to gain practical experience in a field where they might someday work. Make a decision to seek out work, even as a volunteer, in an area where you may want to be employed for the long haul. This will give you insight into a specific work setting and allow you to “test drive' a job before committing to it.

Looking ahead. As you explore who you are, discover the world of work and hunt down the ideal occupation, don't get too stressed out. You are in an exploratory stage. This is a time when choices are narrowed but not finalized. Commitment to a type of training or employment is a process that unfolds with time. Don't feel as if you have to settle everything today.

By taking your time, taking advantage of all the help available to you and listening to your own inner wisdom, you can make a choice that will lead to a fulfilling and rewarding future.

II. Gender inequality

There is a long-standing and well-documented male domination of all professions, even though this has weakened over the last forty years or so. For example, well-qualified women rarely get the same pay as men. "There is a 15 per cent pay gap between men and women across Europe. The situation is particularly bad in Britain. A report by the 'Women and Work Commission' last year found that women in full-time work are earning 17 per cent less than men on average...significant numbers of women enter professions such as the law and medicine every year. They are increasingly well represented as heads of professional bodies and national arts organisations. Overall, since 1975, the pay gap has narrowed by 12 percentage points.

Although in Britain, "the fulltime gender pay gap has shrunk in the past 30 years, it is still 17%, while for part-time work it is stuck at a shameful 40%....all this is happening when, at school and college, women are outshining men. In the medical and legal professions there has been a 'genderquake,'This situation is by no means limited to the law and medicine. However, the situation is fluid, and some improvements can be detected here and there. For example, in 2007, women comprised 63% of students enrolled in US professional pharmaceutical programs and 51.3% of PhD candidates in that same field. Such welcome shifts seem to herald a gradual weakening of male domination in the professions.

III. Working Holidays

Every summer, thousands of young people travel to other countries looking for work and adventure. They usually do seasonal work, mainly connected with service and agriculture. The pay is usually poor, but most people work abroad for the thrill of travel. They pick grapes in France, look after children in summer camps, and, of course, there are always jobs in hotels and restaurants. But it's not always easy for them to find work, unless they speak the language of the country well. If you want to work as a nanny with a family in Italy, then, of course, you'll have to speak Italian. When you arrive to wash dishes in a restaurant in Paris, the owner of the restaurant will ask you first if you speak French. British student have a language advantage for jobs in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Not everyone enjoys the experience of working abroad, Alice Rogers was responsible for forty children in Spain. The two teachers who accompanied the children had never been abroad. One child lost his passport, another became seriously ill, and was put on a plane back home; four children got lost in Madrid for a whole day; they were going to throw out the whole group out of one hotel because of the noise the children made. Alice said, "I visited a lot of new places, but it wasn't worth it. The pay was awful, and it really was a 24-hour-a-day job. The kids never slept!"

When young people go abroad, they see it as a holiday. In practice, they have to work hard. At the same time they have to do casual work and they have few employment rights. As soon as the holiday season finishes, the company that employs you, will easily get rid of you. And if you don't work hard, or if your employer doesn't like you, you'll lose your job the next day.

IV. Career prospects

Up to now I've been a very business-oriented person. I used to dream of making my way up to the top of some firm or other. I wanted to work in pleasant surroundings, to keep civilised hours, to have a nice salary and good career prospects. But lately I've been thinking a lot about teaching as a career. I think the feeling of job satisfaction in this profession is the greatest. Teaching English appeals to me, though I'm not sure that I'll make a good teacher as I lack tolerance and self-discipline. Quite frankly, I wouldn't mind working in a travel agency. I'm the kind of person who finds it boring to stay too long in one place; I begin to get itchy feet. And this profession involves traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people. So I'm still in two minds what career to choose. But there is some time left to make up my mind. I simply want to be happy.

V. Choosing of the Profession

The problem of choosing the future profession has always been very important. The profession a person chooses in many ways determines his future life. This is a universal problem of our epoch. Every generation in this or that way comes across it. For most people choosing a career is not an easy task. It is one of the most important decisions one makes in life. The properly chosen career makes a person happy and successful for the rest of his life.

There are several factors that influence the decision of young people to make their choice. They concern material and spiritual aspects of the future profession. It is generally believed that professions should be both prestigious and interesting. Everybody wants to benefit from the social privileges provided by the profession. At the same time other factors are important. Much depends on the inclinations and interests of the person. Although it is wonderful when one's hobby becomes one's profession it seldom happens in reality. Another important factor is social environment. The profession of the parents often in this or that way influences the future profession of their children. Today we have dynasties of physicians, historians, lawyers, economists, pilots, and military officers.

It is impossible to forget about the material aspect of the future profession. It indicates the level of the society's values. Today all professions can be classified as prestigious and not prestigious. The problem of prestige is subjective. Nobody can explain the meaning of this notion. "Prestigious" jobs give a chance to an individual to enter the upper circles of the society. When the job is prestigious money is of secondary importance. The future profession should be interesting and meet the demands of the person.

To avoid mistakes, I discuss career prospects with my friends even today. Some of us want to become physicians, others teachers, economists, historians, historians of art, mathematicians, biologists, and computer operators. All the professions are very useful. Physicians help people to be healthy and live a long life. They save the lives of their patients. This profession requires well-educated people. Mistakes are impossible in this profession. Physicians should be very patient and attentive with their patients. So I want to become a doctor. I think it is a very noble profession. I'm good at Biology and Chemistry at school and I want to help people who have problems with health. I know that the doctor should be noble in work and life, kind and attentive to people, reasonable and responsible, honest and prudent. I try to do my best to develop good traits in myself and to become an experienced specialist.

Teachers also should be patient and kind. Teachers should not only give knowledge to their pupils but understand their problems, help them to become real citizens of their country, be honest and hard working. For education to be successful, teachers and pupils should work together. Every word and every gesture of the teacher should be carefully chosen, otherwise the misunderstanding is inevitable. Certainly, it is very difficult to be a teacher, because sometimes pupils do not behave properly. They can shout, whistle, and drum on the desk. Teachers should maintain discipline among the troublemakers. At the same time one should not forget that discipline should work hand in hand with freedom. Freedom is welcomed if it helps a pupil to learn. Teachers should encourage their pupils to do things successfully. Teachers should be well educated themselves. Unfortunately both professions - physician and teacher are not well paid in our country. One has to be an enthusiast to choose one of them. I do not know how to cope with this problem but it is said that a state declines if the government does not support health care and education.

Today the most popular professions are lawyers and economists. These professions are prestigious. After graduating from Law and Economics Faculties it is possible to find good jobs. Law and Economics students are better motivated to do their best because they have clearly set goals. Their competence and knowledge, required by the developing business economy, are well paid. To be a designer is attractive too. This profession can fit creative people who know how to make things around them look nice. For those young adults who choose the profession of a chemist, a mathematician or a physicist the determinant factor is not prestige but interest and inclination. To be a biologist is very prestigious and interesting today, because the biologists are at the forefront of cloning. They are on the threshold of great discoveries. I think that to be a sociologist or a psychologist is very interesting and useful too. Psychologists try to help people to cope with their spiritual problems. Sociologists study the health of the society.

One of the most fashionable and prestigious professions of today is that of a computer operator. Although computers came into our life only in the 1960s they quickly gained the ground of the contemporary society having become its indispensable part. Today our life is entirely connected with computers. With the help of computers people can do a lot of wonderful things from controlling spaceship up to buying books and participating in virtual conferences. New programs are needed all the time to meet the increasing demands of our time. The roots of computer science lie primarily in the related fields of electrical engineering and mathematics. Electrical engineering physics and mathematics became the source of the development of computers. Boolean algebra developed in the 19-th century made its contribution to the elaboration of different programs. Computers began to be widely used 40 years ago. From the start they were used for computational support of scientific and engineering disciplines and for business needs. Mathematicians did a lot for the development of the computer science. The significance of Mathematics in the general system of human knowledge constantly rises. Modern mathematical ideas and methods are used for the control of spaceship flights, different branches of industry, and transport systems. Applied Mathematics is part of different arts and sciences, such as Physics, Biology, Medicine, and Linguistics.

I think that to be a historian is also very important today. People think that it is possible to live without looking back at the historical past. But it is a mistaken view. We cannot live without history because it is around us. By analysing the past we can avoid the mistakes in the future. If people do not use the experience of the past they will inevitably make mistake in the present. Historians have always tried to understand past human lives and societies. History helps to understand the global historical process. Historians interpret the processes of the past to explain the processes of the present and foresee the processes of the future.

VI My future profession (programmer)

What would I like to become? This question worries me greatly. Every job has its difficulties and interest. I think that all the professions are very important. But to choose the right occupation is very difficult, because we must take into consideration serious examinations we are going to face. In order to pass that very serious exam we must choose the road in life, which will be our best. Each boy and girl has every opportunity to develop mind. We must consider our personal taste and our kind of mind. At the same time we must satisfy the requirements of our society and its needs in one profession or another.

The end of school is the beginning of independent life, the beginning of using knowledge received at school. Some may prefer to work in factories or works, others want to go into construction: to take part in building power stations and new towns. Many opportunities to work and to satisfy at the same time the requirements of the society and your own personal interest are offered in the spheres of transport, building, communications and many others.

I've decided that I want to be a programmer. I like this profession because it is very interesting. In particular I want to become a computer programmer. It is an interesting and useful profession. I'm interested in computers. It is a whole new world. Many people continue careers of their parents but it is not the case with me, my mother is a teacher and my father is a doctor. And I don't want to be neither a teacher nor a doctor. My favourite subjects at school are math, physics and of course computer science. I'm not interested in such subjects as geography, biology or chemistry. My hobbies are computer games and computer programming. I have a computer at home and I can spend hours working at it. It is much easier to do things on computer, for example to write a composition. You can change the text, as many times as you want and you don't need to rewrite everything if you changed something. I think that the profession of programmer can give many opportunities. Computers are the most rapidly changing sphere of modern technology. We are living at the age of information. And I think that the future is just filled with computers. Today, in England or in the USA people can work, go shopping or even go on dates sitting at their computers. In our country, computers have been used just for a short time. So after I finish school I want to enter the university and study computer science. I know that knowledge is power. I want to be a highly qualified and a well-educated person.

VII. Еconomist

Choosing the kind of career to follow is probably one of the most important decisions in my life. I shall have a lot of thinking about who I am, about the things I like to do, the things I do well. If you choose a profession that you don't like, job will not give you any satisfaction, you never achieve good results in it & it will make your life unbearable. Choosing a profession I should take into account many factors, the most important of which are the results of my studies at school. If I have good results, I have a wide choice of educational establishments to enter. I want my educational establishment to guarantee me steady wages & good job. I'd like my profession to be prestigious, because it defines my place in society & my social status.

So al school I was interested in many subjects. In my childhood I was interested in languages & everybody considered me to be a teacher. Time passed & formed my interests. I began to be interested in exact sciences, especially in mathematics. Besides, I have an interest in economy of our country & abroad. That is why I read the articles in newspapers & magazines & watch TV program which are connected with economy. But I feel a lack of knowledge in this field. And that is why I should like to know the process of forming the national budget & its distribution, the process of banking & management in order to understand how our state lives. So I'm going to enter B-n State Economic U-ty & to be an economist in future. I'm sure that this my decision is final. This work is rather well paid. So I'll be able to satisfy my vital requirements. Besides, this profession is rather prestigious nowadays. The policy of market economy which our State provides, demands economic education in every sphere of our life. And that is why economists will be always in need. I think that the people who are connected with this sphere of life create the economy of our country. So my wish is to be one of them & I'll try to be a very good specialist in order to overcome the economic crises & to improve our state economy somehow.

VIII. Interpreter

Choosing a kind of career to follow is probably one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life and that's why it demands careful consideration. You should realistically consider your abilities and how you can make use of them. You should also ask yourself a question if you are suitable for it and how much you know about the reality of your future job. If you choose the profession not taking into account your interests and abilities your life will become a boredom. Every morning you will get up with a head-ache and the only thought about your unbearable job. You will become nervous and begin to irritate your fellow-workers, you will never get satisfaction and pleasure from your job and you will never realise yourself as a personality.

Your future employment depends on the level of your school education. If you study well at school you can enter a prestigious higher educational establishment. After graduating from an Institute or University you have you will be able to find a steady job which will provide you with steady wages. It'll bring you pleasure and satisfaction. It will define your range of interests, your level of communication and finally it defines your place in society and your social status. And people who surround you will respect you.So if we are not indifferent to our future while thinking about the future career we are to pay attention to a number of important things. As I have said before we should determine our abilities and inclinations. So taking into account my interest in foreign languages and a sociable kind of character I decided to take a career of an interpreter.

I have always realized the importance of foreign languages in modern world. Firstly it is essential for the development of international contacts. It is also required in the sphere of business and cultural relations. Secondly it offers good job opportunities and it enables you to find work almost anywhere in the world.

An interpreter is a person on whom the success of any kind of summit depends. He should create the atmosphere of friendliness, he should be not only precise in translation, but guarantee mutual understanding of the problem. He is a transmitter of the ideas, thoughts and mood. Such job demands not only good command of the language, but also to be a good psychologist and specialist in different kinds of people's activities. An interpreter should be an engineer, an economist, a doctor, a politician, a sociologist. He should know deeply the essence of the problem being discussed at the moment and foresee the results of the talks. He should always remember that he is a citizen of his own country and present its interests.

So whatever hard and responsible this job is it brings excitement, thrill and great satisfaction to those who perform it. I think so.

IX. Dialogue

1. - Have you made up your mind which profession to choose?

- No, I have not made up my mind which profession to choose. There are neither good nor bad professions. The problem is that every profession should fit the person to make him happy.

- What should be done to choose the profession properly?

- It is necessary to know your own inclinations and interests. A person primarily should listen to himself and not to the recommendations given by others. He should not keep company with the friend following his choice, too.

- Will you make the decision concerning your future profession as soon as possible?

- I think the sooner a person chooses his future profession the better it is. He can attend specialized classes to be well prepared for the entrance exams. Some people try to postpone taking a decision. They think that they will take it later. They pretend that such a problem does not exist at all. I think that this way deprives the person of a lot of opportunities. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the necessity of making a conscious choice of the future profession. Some pupils simply follow blindly the footsteps of their parents, relatives or friends. Such approach can bring about terrible mistakes.

-I agree that it is necessary to start thinking about the future profession as soon as possible. It is high time for discussing this problem with parents and friends.

X. Youth and unemployment

- What do you know about unemployment?

- Unemployment is the condition of one who is capable of working, actively seeking work, but unable to find it. It is important to note, that to be considered unemployed a person must be an active member of the labor force and in search of work. Statistics on unemployment collected and analyzed by government labor offices in most countries is considered to be the chief indicator of economic health. In the United States an unemployment rate of two percent is often cited as a "base" rate.

- What do you think about the problem of unemployment in Belarus?

- The problem of the youth unemployment is one of the most important ones. The number of the young people looking for job is constantly increasing In Belarus young people are looking for job not only for the sake of earning money, but because they want to be independent from their parents. Moreover, job gives the young people a chance to adjust themselves to the real life of adults and stir their ambitions.

- Is it possible for Belarusian school-leavers to find any job?

- Yes, it is. But unfortunately, they are able to find employment only for shorter than normal periods. School-leavers can be part- time workers, seasonal workers, day or casual workers. In general their job is not welcomed. Very often preference is given to adult people. To ensure a balance of working groups in our society the government should work out some social employment programs.

- Is it easy to find a job for a graduate in Belarus?

- It depends upon the ability of the person, his qualification and an element of luck by which he or she can find a job. Sometimes the graduates are overqualified for the jobs offered to them. But if the person is persistent he will always find the job he is looking for. Unfortunately not all the required professions are well paid Underpayment can also be regarded as a kind of unemployment. Certainly to find a job for a student or a graduate is easier than for a school-leaver.

- Have you ever tried to apply for a job?

- No, I have not. But my friends have. And the results are not optimistic. Employees prefer to hire an undergraduate than a school-leaver, who can sit with a baby or wash dishes in a cafe.

- What are you going to do after finishing school?

- Unqualified jobs can be good for pupils or students. But if one wants to get a good job and reach something in this life one must continue education. I am going to enter the University. I want to become a journalist. Journalists are always at the forefront of the people's activity.

- Are your friends going to enter institutions of higher education?

- Some of them are going to enter universities, others are dreaming about colleges, others are intending to work and study at one and the same time.

XI. Break Rooms

profession gender youth unemployment

People say that it is important to do extremely well at school to enter Break Rooms.

Lucky enough to have a break room at work? Break rooms can be a boon if you want to nosh or socialize at the office. But they can also bring out the less-than-appetizing side of many people.

A recent survey asked employees about the break-room behavior they found most annoying--and, occasionally, disgusting. Here are the results.

Sloppy Joes and Josephines

People who make a mess for others to clean up ranked highest on the list of break-room offenders. They're the ones who leave melted muck in the microwave and coffee grounds on the counter. Every office has one. Most have several.

Few confess to their crimes of neglect. But Brenda R.recognizes herself as a Sloppy Josephine. "I'm a slob at home, and it drives my roommates crazy. How can I be a neatnik in the office with all the work I have to do? I try, but sometimes people give me grief."

Sticky Fingers

Stealing a coworker's food was second on the list of annoying behavior. There's nothing like dreaming all morning of the scrumptious lunch you've prepared only to find that it's gone away when you open the fridge.

Linda Poirier is a senior sales coordinator for a high-tech company full of engineers, scientists, and other highly educated employees. Her break room is notorious for workers taking other people's food and drink from the refrigerator--even if it's labeled, she says. She'd had plenty of food items stolen during her tenure, but a recent one topped them all:

"I was scheduled for a colonoscopy one afternoon, and I put a bottle of the laxative you have to drink beforehand in the fridge--clearly labeled, "NOT WATER. DO NOT DRINK. THIS IS MEDICINE." Someone took it.

"I made a public announcement on the intercom: 'I will be waiting just outside the bathrooms to see who spends hours in there today, because what you took was not a bottle of water; it was a very, very, very strong laxative. Enjoy!'"

To be fair, sometimes a heist is unintentional. Paula Estes, communications director of an upscale stationery company, was at home writing out a grocery list and was suddenly shocked to discover that the pen had a handwritten note securely taped to its length: "DO NOT REMOVE FROM BREAK ROOM."

"I'd never seen that pen, so I was not the one to steal it--at least I don't think I was," she says. "But every time I use it, I think of how annoyed someone must have been to find it missing after taking the time to affix the note."

Oldy Moldy

Companies like to see growth in their companies--not in their refrigerators. But most office refrigerators are home to at least one or two would-be science experiments. Old, expired, spoiled foods sprouting molds of various textures and colors came in third on the list of annoyances.

Who cleans these furry, smelly wonders out eventually? It's usually an employee who can't stand it anymore. Meet marketing manager Taylor V., who cleaned the company fridge many times in her previous job. "The first time it smelled so bad that one of the girls working on it with me threw up ... It's amazing to me that as grown adults, people let these things happen."

The Stinker

Last but not least (at least in the olfactory department) on the list of break-room grievances is the person who cooks or eats smelly food. Tuna is such a commonly abhorred workplace food that one department-store manager says she wishes she could ask prospective employees if they eat tuna for lunch. "Especially warmed tuna dishes. It would be a deal buster," she says. "Or anyone who burns microwave popcorn."

So I want to become a doctor. I think it is a very noble profession. I'm good at Biology and Chemistry at school and I want to help people who have problems with health. I know that the doctor should be noble in work and life, kind and attentive to people, reasonable and responsible, honest and prudent. I try to do my best to develop good traits in myself and to become an experienced specialist.

Choosing a profession for a school leaver is always the main topic for discussions in the family. Do your parents support you in your choice? What factors in your opinion should be taken into consideration while choosing a job?

1. People say that it is important to do extremely well at school to enter a university. Do you agree with the statement?

2. Say whether you know all the advantages and disadvantages of your profession.

3. You can often hear that this or that man is a very good specialist. What qualities should one possess to be successful in a job?

4. Say if there are any differences in career aspirations of boys and girls.

5. Are you eager to leave school and start working?

6. Does our school help you in your choice of future profession?

7. What professions are the most popular and prestigious with young people today?

8. What is your idea of a good job?

9. What is more important for you: a good career or a happy family life?

10. Would you like to follow your parents' jobs?

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