Is Career Choice Made Too Early?
8 June 2015
Read by 3852 persons
Right after secondary school, young people face choices that gradually (but rather quickly!) guide them toward their future career. Math or history? Humanities or pure sciences? Technical program or DEC?
However, a recent Statistics Canada study confirms what many already suspected: For most people, career choice is an ongoing process that generally continues well into adulthood. In fact, even at age 25, 10% of young people surveyed had not yet made a professional choice, changing study programs, for example. Furthermore, only 10% of them kept the same career choice from age 15 to 25. Surprisingly, the survey conclusions did not differ for girls and boys.
To conduct this research, the agency surveyed the same group of young people from across Canada every two years, from age 15 to 25, to analyze the evolution of their professional paths. In addition to age and career choice, the study showed the significant influence of parents in the decision-making process. Thus, children from families that place a high value on post-secondary education are more likely to decide quickly.
Never too late to change your mind
In any case, many deplore this rush to choose a career. This is the case with the Ontario organization People for Education, which recently published a report deploring that adolescents are placed in situations where they have to make choices that impact their future. This includes being able to choose math courses from the age of 13, for example, or to choose a more technical path (applied courses).
Guidance counselors often repeat: it's never too late to change your mind. Even if university studies are well underway, it is better to retrace your steps than to find yourself in a position that does not fulfill you.
Some questions to ask yourself
Why did I choose this profession?
How important is it to me to impress my parents/society?
Does the reality of the job market meet my expectations? (To be validated with an internship or interviews with professionals)
Can my disinterest in my studies be justified by external reasons? (personal, family problems, etc.)
Is there a way to finish my studies and then get a job that I like but that is not necessarily related to them?
Takwa Souissi.
Workopolis.com
Published June 9, 2015.
Posted online June 8, 2015.
However, a recent Statistics Canada study confirms what many already suspected: For most people, career choice is an ongoing process that generally continues well into adulthood. In fact, even at age 25, 10% of young people surveyed had not yet made a professional choice, changing study programs, for example. Furthermore, only 10% of them kept the same career choice from age 15 to 25. Surprisingly, the survey conclusions did not differ for girls and boys.
To conduct this research, the agency surveyed the same group of young people from across Canada every two years, from age 15 to 25, to analyze the evolution of their professional paths. In addition to age and career choice, the study showed the significant influence of parents in the decision-making process. Thus, children from families that place a high value on post-secondary education are more likely to decide quickly.
Never too late to change your mind
In any case, many deplore this rush to choose a career. This is the case with the Ontario organization People for Education, which recently published a report deploring that adolescents are placed in situations where they have to make choices that impact their future. This includes being able to choose math courses from the age of 13, for example, or to choose a more technical path (applied courses).
Guidance counselors often repeat: it's never too late to change your mind. Even if university studies are well underway, it is better to retrace your steps than to find yourself in a position that does not fulfill you.
Some questions to ask yourself
Why did I choose this profession?
How important is it to me to impress my parents/society?
Does the reality of the job market meet my expectations? (To be validated with an internship or interviews with professionals)
Can my disinterest in my studies be justified by external reasons? (personal, family problems, etc.)
Is there a way to finish my studies and then get a job that I like but that is not necessarily related to them?
Takwa Souissi.
Workopolis.com
Published June 9, 2015.
Posted online June 8, 2015.
