Yep, I doubt that most 17-18 year olds have anywhere near the life experience to know what their true passions are.
What would you tell your kids to study?
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Depends whether they have a clear direction/vocation like medicene or education or whether they are in the don't know but i lean towards science/logic/arts so will take something more generic and see what i will work in?
I think in Ireland the cost of college if you are not paying for housing is relatively low so apart from opportunity cost of time, the experience of higher learning is in itself worth it. Especially as a lot of students could have a side job or part time work to learn workplace skills as well as an income. Or use their college years to travel like Erasumus or J1 etc.
I did a generic degree course and professional exams and that got me in the door but i learned most of my skills and knowledge on the job as the jobs and the workplace evolved. And those that did well in their careers tend to have great people skills, great self confidence and an ability to learn rather than any particular technical skills.
I think in Ireland the cost of college if you are not paying for housing is relatively low so apart from opportunity cost of time, the experience of higher learning is in itself worth it. Especially as a lot of students could have a side job or part time work to learn workplace skills as well as an income. Or use their college years to travel like Erasumus or J1 etc.
I did a generic degree course and professional exams and that got me in the door but i learned most of my skills and knowledge on the job as the jobs and the workplace evolved. And those that did well in their careers tend to have great people skills, great self confidence and an ability to learn rather than any particular technical skills.
I friend of mine moved to Texas about 10 years ago with his then teenaged children. Because we've been told how good our education system is and how bad their is he expected his children to breeze through school but they really struggled, particularly in math(s) and science classes where the standards were much higher.
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Very few children have worked in hospitals. How do they know that they want to be a doctor?
Liking the idea of something, or more specifically liking your idea of what something will be, is not the same as having a vocation for it. I'm very sceptical of the notion of having a vocation. I would ask if someone would still do the job if they won the Euromillions, or would they do it for free. If the answer is yes then it's a vocation. If the answer is no then it's a job.
An artist will always paint, a musician will always play music. They will do it for nothing and in some cases pay to do it. They will do it if they are rich and they will do it if they are poor. Those are vocations. Most of those people also have jobs in different fields. A lucky and talented few make a living through their vocation.
Sarah Ryan
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What about the kids who are not academic at all, I feel sorry for them. College is just not for everybody, I can barely read two pages of my book every evening before I zone out.
I went straight from 6th year to work (well started working in the family business from about 13 onwards)
Foundation level maths yet somehow find myself in finance the last 25 years without a formal qualification to my name.
Not sure people can pull this off these days?
I went straight from 6th year to work (well started working in the family business from about 13 onwards)
Foundation level maths yet somehow find myself in finance the last 25 years without a formal qualification to my name.
Not sure people can pull this off these days?
To quote Bob Dylan "may you have a good foundation, when the winds of changes shift", I suspect that foundation has stood to you in the intervening 25 years and like any good foundation, gave you a solid base to build something more substantial on. That's the key!
Indeed. I always wonder about those kids with the maximum points who get into medicine. (And other similar courses.) How many of these really know enough about the profession to know they will enjoy it relative to something else? Certainly you need to be a great student to get through these courses, and you will probably have a lucrative career, but there no aptitude test at entry for understanding the field, for empathy and bedside manner, or the other aspects of what makes a good doctor.
That is why unfortunately the system produces far too many planks, with all the socialibality or empathy of a stone. They may be great doctors or academics in terms of their knowledge, but their social skills often leave a lot to be desired
The bould Bob spoke volumes in that song. If you never sing it, read all the lyrics sometime, it's a pretty decent template for a fulfilled, productive, and fulfilling life. Spoken as an old unbroken (as yet) hippie.
I'm with the people who advocate for education rather than merely vocational training; education and travel tend to broaden the mind and focus, vocational training can tend to narrow both.
Best of luck out there kids, most of all try to enjoy the journey.
Yes but robotics in machinery and car assembly plants is already well established and operating way back in the 1980s. I still fail to see how AI and robotics will deal with wet corrosive and heavy concrete, if something goes wrong, it would be an awful mess. Think of a broken down robot with huge amounts of concrete setting inside, i wouldn't want to be a robotics engineer sent to sort out that problem. Also cars and machinery are very high value products worth the investment of robotics but each individual process in house construction is not that valuable, only the completed house on site becomes valuable.
Sarah Ryan
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I'm too nosey to let something slide, I won't leave something until I get to the bottom of it. Annoying for my colleagues, but good for the customers lol!
(I have never heard that song, not a fan but of Bob I am going to go and listen to it now!)
I think you can know what your strengths are at a young age and know what careers might suit you as a result. I am sure we all know or knew someone who is a born teacher, farmer, doctor, nurse etc. Not hard and fast and I doubt two people working in the same career have the same experience in the workplace, but I think some kids do know whether they love the education environment, the healthcare one (I have spent plenty of time in urgent care with mine and various follow ups!), being with animals etc. I don't think many people know they want to grow up to be an accountant or software developer, but those that do end up in those fields probably could identify parts of their mind and aptitudes that are there from a young age. I guess the good news is that careers are dynamic now, and plenty of people can find variety in a field or pivot to an entirely different one.
I think you need to be a good student with a tremendous capacity for hard work - for many years. I am not at all sure that the academic entry requirements are justified by the intellectual demands of the course, though. I'd guess that there are other areas of study that are easily as intellectually demanding (but don't have a career path that is as lucrative). I would favour an entry system that has a lower academic requirement an random entry by lottery for those that meet the standard. Less (pointless) points race pressure and a greater chance for those with a "vocation" rather than just being nerdy.
I am skeptical of the notion of aptitude testing for such a diverse vocational area though. What aptitudes have (say) pathology and psychiatry in common? Public health medicine and brain surgery?
...and may you stay Forever Young!
Current construction already uses large machines that reliably pump massive quantities of concrete, some can pump concrete hundreds of meters vertically. We already have 3D concrete 'printing'. The smaller scale robots that will replace human labour have no need to carry any concrete within them, but they'll manoeuvre heavier loads than humans can handle with better balance and stability. One getting crushed under a falling load won't cost a life or close a site for days either.
Wet and corrosive loads are far easier for machines to handle already. We also shouldn't assume that we'll stick with already outdated construction practices.
A car can't be sold half way through construction, just like a house, people generally only pay for them once they are complete. Robotics were introduced to the motor industry because it's a low margin game and the machines could do it better and faster. The projected costs for humanoid robots in the short term is in the region of twice what a skilled worked earns in a year.
Many doctors don't have careers, they just have jobs. They qualify as a doctor but don't specialise then go into General Practice working for an actual GP. They are the part time "GP's" who make up around half of all doctors working in general practice. Nothing wrong with that at all but they are people who either aren't that into the job or prioritise other things like their families or their unpaid vocations.
They may also be mediocre doctors.
We use CoBots in work. They pay for themselves within 3 months. Since we started introducing them 6 years ago our workforce has increased and our average hourly pay rate has increased as we have removed low value added activities and so can pay people more for the higher value added activities they are now doing.
I always think that about Pharmacists. The only reason to do such a meaningless and boring job is the money. There's a job that AI could already replace.