Steering for the proper career path
One of the biggest concerns for parents is knowing their child is getting the right educational support to pursue a successful career. For years, career choices were relatively straightforward. But with the age of disruptive technologies the career landscape is changing, and so are the foundational skills kids need to succeed. In fact, there are career paths that haven’t even been discovered yet.
The RBC March 2018 Humans Wanted Report: How Canadian Youth can Thrive in the Age of Disruption says that in the coming decade half of all jobs will be disrupted by technology. Many of those will disappear and be replaced by jobs that are not yet invented. The skills that will become essential include digital literacy, and “human skills” such as critical thinking, judgment, focus, analytical skills and decision-making.
So what does that mean for students when planning their future beyond school? And how are conversations with guidance counsellors changing?
For one, students are increasingly looking to combine multiple pursuits in planning their careers, says Joanne Colwell, director, guidance and university relations at Branksome Hall. “While there is certainly a growing interest in STEM-related pathways, fewer students are focusing on one discipline and are not specifically looking at careers. The biggest change I have seen is that many want to follow more than one passion. They’re not waffling between choices. They want both. They want to innovate and create and keep their options open.”
Ultimately, students want to be in charge of their destiny, even if they don’t know what that might be, she adds. “People are telling them those careers don’t exist, so they are creating their own careers. That’s what they want to pursue.”
One Branksome student for example decided on a career in equine management, which would combine her skills in biology and business management. Another interested in chemistry was keen to apply that to entrepreneurship. “She wanted to marry science and business to create her own company,” Colwell says. Others have shown interest
in combining business management and digital arts, or music and biology studies.
Perhaps the most important goal for students today is pursuing a career path where they can continue to learn and adapt, says Kate Hebdon, academic director, senior and middle school at Branksome. “A lot of students are not seeing a BA as the end game into a career. They want to keep their options open.”
She notes that many of the skills needed to succeed in a 21st century career are incorporated into their IB program. “The five skills that drive our content are selfmanagement, social skills, research, thinking and communication.”
Counsellors says in forging future careers, parents and students should not underestimate the value of liberal arts in providing the skills needed to excel in their careers. “The Canadian Registrars Council reported that people in the humanities still account for 68 per cent of the workforce at the top executive level,” Hebdon says.
David Hanna, director university counselling, The York School, admits that parents tend to focus exclusively on a specific career path, but depending on the discipline, that may not be the best approach. “The real default in their minds seems to be business. But that is not the be all and end all when their kids leave university.”
Like Hebdon, Hanna sees a great value in including liberal arts education with other disciplines. “The new workforce will require the ability to communicate, think, read, write, analyze, present and operate in groups. Things like grit and resilience and the ability to overcome obstacles — these have to be taught and instilled. That is what can lead to gainful employment.”
He adds that the advent of AI will increase the need for people who can think and feel, “because computers can’t. As jobs are displaced by AI, others will require a strong capacity to be compassionate and work well with other people.”
Ultimately, it’s okay if your child is undecided. Statistics, in fact, show that this generation will pursue multiple careers during their lifetime. The focus should be on what they are doing now to build the foundational skills to be gainfully employed and adaptable, Hanna says. “Kids have to learn to be continuously trainable.”
Parents need to accept that career choices are not always a linear path, he adds. “It’s really helpful if they can get their heads around that. It’s all right for kids not to know what their career will be. You can study comparative religion and become an entrepreneur. Many people who have been freakishly successful studied what were thought to be silly things.”