Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Which career are you made for?
OPINION: It seems that about one third of our life is spent at work. A 2018 Business Insider article stated that the average person spends more than 90,000 hours of their lifetime at work. So it’s safe to say your occupation can make a huge impact on your life. But having to choose a career so early on in life can be scary.
A pirate, a princess, a cosmonaut ... When you are a six-year-old, it is easy to know what you want to be when you grow up.
Unfortunately, answers are not that obvious when it comes time to choose paths and consider the ‘right’ career to pursue.
There are so many options out there, and the impact is so big on your future!
A lot of students that I met at the Future of Work conference said they were experiencing stress around planning out their future.
How can I choose a career path that’s right for my skills and interests? A profession I can enjoy and do well in? A job that make me plenty of money?
Pressure is high when it comes to long-term life choices like choosing a job, especially when you are only 16.
I consider myself very lucky because from a pretty early age I had a strong calling to be a journalist.
When I was younger, I used to interview my mum with my
Playmobil video camera.
I’ve also been caught a few times, presenting the news in the bathroom ... A real vocation.
Marlborough’s students asked me why I chose journalism.
I told them the story of how one day I was strolling at the library when I came across a magazine with a front page about ‘the 1000 facets of journalism’. I knew that job was for me: I love writing, talking to people, being on the ground, and this job combine it all.
What I like best about it? Every day is different.
One day, you are reporting on labour shortage in the wine industry, and the next, you are speaking to a man about how he ended up in a David Bowie video clip. That’s how I was picturing my future as a grown up.
But I told students it was a process.
You need to assess yourself, make a list of potential occupations, explore the options, narrow down your list, set goals ... but also talk to people.
I wish I had attended more events like the Future of Work conference when I was still an undecided teenager myself.
Young girls told me they were a bit overwhelmed by the number of stalls at the conference, but they certainly found the initiative interesting and helpful.
A good way to help you to choose a career is meeting people, asking questions, discovering industries ...
That’s actually journalist does!
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