Sharing at a college admissions counseling seminar, Ng.H.Đ., a female student who recently took the 2024 high school graduation exam, said that she applied to more than 30 different majors because she didn't know what she liked or wanted.
Students attending the 2024 college admissions counseling program (Illustrative photo: Hoai Nam).
D. confided that she had good academic performance and was a good student throughout her high school years. However, for the past 12 years, since starting school, D. has only known how to study and study, focusing on achieving high scores in exams, without ever knowing what she liked, what her strengths, abilities, or passions were.
"I only know how to study; I get high marks in every subject and do well in every exam, but I honestly don't know what my strengths or interests are. So, when applying to university, I chose all the familiar majors," D. said.
When asked about her greatest passion, D. seemed hesitant and stammered. It was only after a while that the student confidently confessed: "I don't like anything; I'm only obsessed with money. What kind of profession should someone who is intensely obsessed with money choose?"
"If you're obsessed with money, what kind of job should you do?" D.'s blunt question might shock many, but it's actually a concern for quite a few students facing the decision of choosing a major or career.
In many university admissions programs now, there are numerous questions from candidates about choosing a career that leads to a high income, whether they need to study a lot, whether they need to pursue their passion, or simply whether they need to earn a lot of money…
Those questions also partly reflect the reality that many 18-year-olds, on the verge of entering adulthood, are completely unaware of their strengths, interests, and passions.
This is also reflected in the fact that many students choose majors randomly, choose "hot" professions, or simply choose based on the advice of their parents or friends... rather than based on an understanding of their own abilities and career paths.
"If you're obsessed with money, what profession should you choose?", this seemingly shocking question from a female student is actually an old question that has existed for a long time, according to Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Education Association.
Mr. Tuan said that each person's future depends on the profession they choose. However, the important thing is not whether a profession earns a lot of money or builds a reputation, but whether that profession suits them.
Only with a "skilled" perspective in career choices will any profession and excellence in that profession be the decisive factor in achieving success.
Mr. Tran Anh Tuan emphasized that when entering the labor market, success is determined by knowledge, qualifications, skills (knowing how to apply technology, understanding a foreign language), and always adhering to professional ethics, awareness, and discipline.
Mr. Tran Anh Tuan (Photo: Hoai Nam).
Therefore, choosing a career is choosing your future, or in other words, choosing the most important things for your future journey.
This career expert stated that, in modern life, it is perfectly normal and should be encouraged for students to have dreams, ambitions, and goals to strive for in order to get a good job, high income, and a deserving position.
But more importantly, each person must know how to turn their dreams into reality through practical actions and concrete deeds.
To achieve this, a solid foundation of learning and good professional results is essential for opening up a future for each individual.
Furthermore, during the course of their professional lives, they must constantly improve their knowledge and stay updated on information technology, foreign languages, communication skills, critical thinking, dynamism, discipline, etc., in order to become more proficient and suitable for each situation.
From another perspective, according to some education experts, the female student's "not knowing what she likes" is actually a feeling shared by many students today.
Many students, like D., have only known studying since childhood. They excel in all subjects, scoring 9s and 10s in every subject, their report cards are spotless and impressive, but looking back, they don't know what they want, what they like, or what they're good at.
Many students struggle to choose a major or career because they don't fully understand their own abilities and passions (Illustrative image: Hoai Nam).
Education beyond the race for grades doesn't seem to help children understand and awaken their inner dreams and aspirations.
When introducing the "Design for Change" movement – the world's largest children's movement – to Vietnam, educator Nguyen Thuy Uyen Phuong shared that, in response to questions about their concerns, anxieties, and desires regarding global issues, children in many countries answered very naturally, with great understanding and concern for social and community issues.
But Vietnamese children are different. Most express anxiety about grades, only wanting to get a perfect score, or complain about having to study too much and wishing they had time to play on their phones or iPads.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nu-sinh-hoi-soc-em-me-tien-manh-liet-thi-chon-nghe-gi-20240802114908695.htm
