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Career Guide |
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Choosing Your Career |
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As a working adult, you will spend more than 50% of your waking
hours on your job. A right career choice can thus ensure that, for the most part
of your life, you will find happiness, enjoyment and fulfillment. Much thought should
therefore go into planning for your career. |
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Besides, a career is not like a computer game where,
if you do not like the way things are going, you can simply reload the save file
and restart. Oftentimes, there is no turning back or the price of turning back is
high. |
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Career planning is therefore very important. It involves a
self-searching process, careful planning, diligent and conscientious studying and
lifelong learning. Choosing your career is the first step in career planning. Let's
start here. |
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Walk with us through these simple steps and answer some questions
to discover your chosen career today
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1- Self Assessment Worksheet |
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- What do you want to achieve in life? Everyone has his or her dreams, hopes and aspirations.
No matter how farfetched yours may seem, write them down.
- What have you accomplished in life so far? This will give you an idea where your
skills lie and what you are good at doing.
- What are your interests? This helps you identify what you really enjoy doing. A
job is a daylong and lifelong activity so you'd better be in one you truly enjoy
working at.
- What skills, aptitudes and abilities do you possess? Ask people who know you well.
They will be able to help you both identify and/or confirm the skills and abilities
you possess.
- What personal values do you have regarding life and work? Identifying these is important
because work that is congruent with your values will give it meaning and fulfillment.
What are your personality traits and characteristics? Now, now, be totally honest
with yourself and identify not just your strengths but your weaknesses as well. |
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2- Job Research |
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- Find out exact job descriptions by reading career books and magazines, attending
career talks/fairs, surfing the net etc.
- What are the academic requirements? This is very important for you as it determines
your course of study or whether your current course of study is appropriate.
- What specific skills, training and experience are required? By knowing this, you
can give yourself a head start by taking relevant courses and working during school
holidays.
- What are the job trends today? For example, jobs in information technology are in
great demand today. Which jobs pay best? Which jobs offer opportunities for advancement
etc?
- Talk to people. Parents, teachers, friends, relatives, school counselors and working
professionals are excellent sources of good advice .
- Practical experience. The best way to know about a job is to "get your hands and
feet wet". Working at different jobs while schooling will help you discover more
about yourself, how you relate to others and give you invaluable hands-on experience.
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3- Your First Career List |
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- By studying and matching the results on your self-assessment and your research on
jobs, generate a preliminary career list.
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4- The CAREER FIT test
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For every career on your preliminary career list, ask these
3 questions: |
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- Can this career help me achieve what I want in life?
- Is this career something that interests and challenges me?
- Can I find enjoyment, satisfaction and fulfillment in this job for at least 10 years?
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If the answers are "Yes" for all 3 questions, put a tick against
that career. If any of the answers is a "No", go on to the next career. Do this
for all the careers. This should narrow down the career list to just a handful.
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Voila! You have just decided on careers you might work at for
the rest of your life. It wasn't that difficult, was it? But remember, this process
should be repeated at different points of your life as your aspirations, dreams,
interests, values and the environment around you will change. |
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We bet you are now thinking to yourself, "OK ... OK, I've made
this list. But I'm still in school and a career is a good ten years away from now.
So what's the use of this list? And what do I do in the meantime?"
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But ah.... Thinking about your career now is not too early nor
is it a waste of time. Your intended career will influence your current and future
course of study. It should also affect your selection of extra-curricular activities
in school, how you spend your time during school vacations etc.
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For more, keep your fingers surfing for our next update on:
Choosing your course of study
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Back on Top |
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Examination
Tips |
PEAK PERFORMANCE ON EXAM DAY |
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You have spent months preparing for this day. Stay calm, follow
our tips and breeze through your exam!
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Outside The Examination Hall |
- Get to the exam room a little earlier so that you will be more relaxed.
- Keep away from your fellow classmates
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No last minute discussions! That will only send you into the
PANIC ZONE!
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Before Starting Your Paper
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- Write your name and class on every sheet of paper.
- Check that there are no missing pages in your copy of the exam paper.
- Allocate your time properly.
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Stick to your schedule so that you'll have time to answer all
the questions.
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Spend more time on questions that are worth more marks.
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Watch your time like a hawk!
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- Clarify with the examiner if in doubt of anything.
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The Exam!
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- Read and follow instructions and questions very carefully E.g. if instructions want
you to mark "Cross" for the correct answer, do not "Tick".
- Answer the easier questions first.
- They give you the boost in confidence needed to tackle the rest of the questions.
- Come back to the difficult questions later.
- NEVER leave questions unanswered .
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If you are out of time, give your answers in "point" form.
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Examiners award marks for facts and not long sentences
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For MCQs, make a guess if you don't know the answer.
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- Get to the point when answering short-answer or essay questions.
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There is no time for flowery language.
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Remember KISS - Keep It Short and
Simple!
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- DO NOT panic if your mind decides not to function!
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Relax and you'll recall what you'd studied.
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- Leave the last 15 minutes to check through.
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Look out for omitted questions/fact
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Back on Top |
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Study Tips
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Listening In The Classroom
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Have you ever listened to someone
only to realize later that you cannot remember what the person said? You heard the
person's words but you didn't listen to what was said.
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Hearing and listening are not
the same. You hear with your ears but you listen using your ears and mind. |
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You stand to gain if you listen
well in the classroom. We are not born with good listening skills. However, we can
learn these skills. Below are some ways you can cultivate good listening habits.
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1- Go to class with an eagerness to learn |
- Sit in the front of the classroom.
- Pay attention to the teacher.
- Follow the outline of the lesson if it's on the blackboard
or on a piece of paper.
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2- Listen for the main points |
- Ask yourself these questions:
- How does the teacher organize the lesson?
- Is the teacher giving you points from the most important
to the least important and vice versa?
- How does one idea lead to another?
- Listen for words and phrases like "The three most important
factors...", "On the other hand...", "Now let's turn our attention to...", "Finally...",
etc. These words help you to follow the sequence of the lesson.
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3- Be an active listener |
- Summarize the main points of the lesson during pauses.
- Draw conclusions for yourself.
- Make connections between ideas in the lesson and real
life. You will remember better this way.
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4- Go to class with an open mind |
- Pay attention to what the teacher is saying. Below
are some poor listening habits and how you can correct them.
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Poor Listening Habit
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Don't.... |
Do.... |
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Label a subject boring
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Decide that the lesson is going to be boring and shut your
ears to what the teacher has to say
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listen closely for information that can be useful and important.
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Allow yourself to be distracted
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Fiddle with your pencil and eraser during the lesson. Neither
should you allow your thoughts to wander
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Cast away all distractions and concentrate on what the
teacher is saying
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Only listen for facts
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Just concentrate on the facts and think that everything
else that the teacher says is unimportant
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Understand how other ideas and examples support the facts
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Pretend to pay attention
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look at the teacher and pretend that you are listening.
Don't expect to find everything that the teacher has said in the textbook.
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know that a good lesson may not contain the same information
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Back on Top |
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