Career Guidance: Helping Students Make Smart Choices

"The one thing everyone learns in my class is that they always have a choice in life, and that they
are always responsible for the choices they make."

Sound like a psychology lecture for college students? A motivational seminar for executives? It may be
hard to believe, but these are the words of a 9th grade teacher whose students study speech and
communication at a high school on the edge of inner city Los Angeles.

At the 85% minority San Gabriel High School in San Gabriel, California, students spend an entire year
in the classroom learning how to make the decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Then, they
demonstrate their new-found power by wisely choosing academic and vocational pathways to help
them accomplish the goals they have set.

Students Have a Plan

Doug Campbell, Chair of the Communications Department at San Gabriel High School is one of the
teachers of this unique class, aptly entitled Directions. He told us how staff first realized that having
an in-depth career guidance component in place in the classroom was changing the way students
experienced school.

"Guidance counselors reported that students who had taken the Directions class seemed to have a
plan when they came in at scheduling time," he said. "They were clearly more involved in choosing
their classes, rather than simply accepting the schedule given to them by the counselor."

This trend was underscored recently, when a 14-year-old female freshman told her counselor she
wanted to take a drafting class. "What made you decide that?" the counselor asked, surprised at a
choice that was more typical of male students. "We talked about a career in drafting in my Directions
class, and I realized that's what I wanted to do," she responded. "It was the beginning of our
realization that we were on the right track," Doug told us. "Students were actually seeing that there is
a purpose for being in school."

Other students were making choices, too, and not just from among the technical and vocational
course offered. Some were requesting drama classes because they wanted to enter sales and
marketing and needed additional communication skills. Others who were not on a college prep
program, switched over to college prep. One thing was clear: students were getting more focused
about school.

Change Inevitable

It all started a year earlier when the Board of Education announced that it was looking at either
removing the district's five credit speech requirement, or revising the course's content. The population
had changed socio-economically, and the Board wanted to see a department that was more in tune
with the needs of a multi-cultural community. "We're next door to East Los Angeles, and the focus had
shifted," Doug remarked.

So, heeding what seemed like a life-threatening call to duty, the teachers in the Speech and
Communication Department got together to see what they could do. It was clear the missing piece
was a curriculum that would help these students be more successful in life, and certainly the subject
of communication was related to this need. The idea arose of the possibility of combining the best of
both worlds: speech and communication with career guidance.

Expectedly, their was initial skepticism about how such an integration of such seemingly diverse
subjects could possibly work. Also, some teachers felt threatened by having to teach something so
totally new, and wondered why the class they'd taught in the past was no longer "good enough." But
the Board quickly approved the new program, and knowing the very existence of the department was
at stake, all agreed to give it a try. Enrollment of the entire department staff in a Career
Choices training, held in nearby Santa Barbara, bolstered the teachers' courage and gave them some
practical skills to implement the curriculum.

The transition was made smoother by an extremely supportive administration. The Assistant Principal
for Curriculum made sure the new class was successful by investing time and money to give the
teachers three hour-long planning meetings, covering them with costly substitutes, and providing
money for texts and workbooks. "They're behind us 100% to do whatever we need to make it work,"
Doug told us.

A Happy Marriage

In the classroom, the marriage of career education and speech proved to be a happy one. "The more
we got students communicating through discussion, group work and other forms of verbalization, the
more we realized they were acquiring skills they could use in the world of work," Doug told us. By
interacting with each other on group projects, the students were learning to work cooperatively, a skill
which is absolutely essential to success in today's workplace. "The Career Choices curriculum gave us
plenty of latitude to do these kinds of group activities, and to relate them to the students' personal
experiences and feelings," he said.

Students teamed up to do mock interviews and practiced expository speaking by presenting reports
they researched on careers. "This built up students' self-image and gave them more confidence to
eventually enter the workplace," Doug told us.

Because there are no right or wrong answers for many of the exercises, creative solutions were found
for grading students' work. Points were given for completed assignments and no credit was given
when work was half done. "All the answers are self-generated, so there's no reason why students
couldn't give a complete response," Doug said. "By requiring this, they were motivated to fill out the
entire worksheet instead of the more usual half."

The Choice Process

When students did activities in Career Choices that dealt with clarifying their work values and learning
decision making and goal setting, they discovered that they could make choices that were related to
their own individual preferences. "Even ninth graders, who typically believe they don't have a choice
about coming to school, were able to see they did indeed have a choice," Doug reported.

To further emphasize the point, Doug took the class on a tour to hear first-hand from other teachers
how much truancy was occurring in their classrooms. A discussion followed about the consequences of
the choices truant students were making, underscoring the point that we are all making choices, good
or bad. "It may be risky to present attendance as a choice, but it gives students a feeling of
responsibility for their education, instead of one of powerlessness," he said.
But Doug believes that the real process of learning to make choices, began when his students worked
in groups and did activities in Career Choices to explore different attitudes. "They saw how unique
everyone is and so were able to express their own individual viewpoints more easily," he said.

At first, most shared that their goal in life was to make a lot of money. But when they felt safe enough
to talk more openly, their goals changed, and one student revealed, "I'd rather travel than make
money."

"New and different choices flowed out of an awareness of their own uniqueness," Doug said. "It's an
evolving process, and must be done very slowly and gradually. A lecture about everybody having
choices just doesn't do it."

For this reason, Doug recommended that all teachers go through the complete Career
Choices textbook in sequence. This not only helped keep a uniform focus for all the classes, but also
allowed students to build their awareness of the central issues: who am I, what do I want, and where
am I going, in a natural progression, much like peeling the layers of an onion. At the center were the
insights and realizations that would lead them towards making smarter choices.

Doug showed the video Forrest Gump to help students explore how choices depend on personal
values. He asked students to recall three values that were held by characters in the film. One student
focused on Forrest's love of live, and commented, "If you put love of life above all the bad things that
can happen in life, you'd probably never commit suicide." He was thinking about a rock star who had
recently committed suicide, and concluded that if the rock star had had Forrest's perspective, he
would probably still be alive today.

"It was a terrific assignment," Doug told us. "No two students told the same story, and it fit right in
with what we were doing in the Career Choices book: Clarify your values and you can enter a career
that you really enjoy."

An experiential understanding of this important lesson was driven deeper by a game Doug introduced
to the class. He asked students to choose between two groups: in one, they would get $5 a day to just
show up, and in the other, the first person who showed up would get $50, the second $45, and so on
down to $0 for the 10th person and all those who followed. Fifteen students chose the $5 group,
because they didn't want to compete. When Doug asked those who chose the $50 class what time
they would show up, one said, "I'd show up an hour before to make sure I got in." The next said, "I'd
show up two hours before." A third student said, "I'd sleep in the hallway!"

"They learned that if you pick a competitive field, somebody's always going to be sleeping in the
hallway," Doug reported. "I wanted them to see that both security and competition are fine choices,
but life is full of trade-offs, and each has its own consequences."

Ready To Move On

Towards the end of the year, Doug invited the heads of the different departments in the school to
present their subjects to his class. "Our goal is that students leave Directions knowing what all the
classes available to them are about," he told us. "When they see their choices in a format that makes
sense to them, it's more obvious what to choose.

Matching this information with what they had learned about themselves from the Career
Choices activities made the task of selecting classes an easier one. "I told them to go back to the
pages in the book, especially the Bull's Eye Chart in Chapter 3 (where they charted their personality,
preferences, and passions), and look at what they'd written," Doug said. "Then, when they're filling
out their schedules, they make choices based on what they discovered about themselves."
"Personally, I really enjoy using the Career Choices curriculum, and I'm really excited about it," Doug
concluded. "I like the personal dimension it offers, because that allows students be more alive and
alert, which is motivating and enjoyable for me. And most of all, I love saying there are no right
answers!"
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Mr Lam (Mr Fred Lam, Executive Director of the HKTDC), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
           Good morning!  It is my great pleasure to join you all at the opening of this year's Education and Careers Expo
organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).  And a warm welcome to our friends, who have
travelled from different parts of the world to be with us today.  
 
           In his autobiography – Long Walk to Freedom, the late South African president Nelson Mandela wrote
“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can
become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can
become the president of a great nation.”
 
           From Mandela’s word of wisdom, we can see how education could provide our next generation with multiple
pathways to succeed.
 
           This annual event, which has been held for the 24th time, has no doubt established itself as a premier event in
equipping our students and job seekers alike with comprehensive and latest information on further studies, training
and career openings under one roof.  
 
           Few of you would disagree that the future prosperity of any city will depend on the talents, skills and creativity
of its people.  Our challenge – and opportunity – is to build up the best trained workforce that can rise to intense
competition from around the world.  For this, it is imperative that we do our utmost to prepare our younger
generation.  At the same time, we believe in the talents in each and every youngster, and that everyone should have
the opportunity to develop such talents and grasp whatever chances life has in store for them. 
 
           This is precisely the theme of this year’s Policy Address –"Support the Needy, Let Youth Flourish, Unleash
Hong Kong's Potential".
 
           As the policy chief on education, I would like to update you on some education-related initiatives announced in
the Policy Address last month which are relevant to our youngsters.
 
           First of all, we are committed to providing quality, flexible and diversified study pathways with multiple entry
and exit points for secondary school leavers.  It was announced in the Policy Address that the Government will
provide students with more opportunities for higher education in the following five ways –
(a)      First, increase the intake of senior-year undergraduate places in University Grants Committee-funded
institutions by 1 000 so that more meritorious sub-degree graduates will be able to articulate to subsidised degree
programmes each year;
(b)     Second, study the feasibility of a new scheme to subsidise up to 1 000 students per cohort to pursue self-
financing undergraduate programmes in selected disciplines to meet Hong Kong’s manpower needs;
(c)      Third, introduce a Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme so that students in need pursuing studies under
the scheme for the Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions may receive a
means-tested grant of up to $15,000 per year during their studies;
(d)     Fourth, implement a new scholarship scheme to support up to 100 outstanding local students each cohort to
pursue studies in renowned universities outside Hong Kong, with a view to nurturing a diversified pool of top talent to
spur Hong Kong’s development; and
(e)      Lastly, set up a $100 million scholarship fund under which tertiary institutions will be encouraged to admit
about 20 local students a year who excel in sport, arts and community service.
 
           Besides, the Government attaches great importance to vocational education and training which provide
valuable credentials and articulation opportunities.  As a matter of fact, mainstream education is not a straightjacket
that fits all young people as everyone has his or her own interests and abilities.  The Government will implement
measures to help young people with life planning and strengthen vocational education in a number of ways, including
(i)  strengthening career guidance service and life planning education in secondary schools; (ii)  launching a pilot
training and support scheme to attract and retain talent for industries with a keen demand for labour by integrating
structured apprenticeship training programmes with clear career progression pathways; (iii)  allocating recurrent
funding to the Vocational Training Council to provide industrial attachment opportunities for all students of Higher
Diploma programmes and students of some Diploma in Vocational Education programmes; and (iv)  setting up a $1
billion endowment fund to provide long-term support for the sustainable development of the Qualifications
Framework.
 
           Ladies and gentlemen, to prepare our young people to meet the challenges and opportunities in a knowledge-
based economy, we cannot work alone in grooming the talents for the future of Hong Kong.  All stakeholders,
especially the businesses and enterprises, have an indispensible role to play by providing training and internship
opportunities for our young people to supplement their studies and have a first-hand experience of the various
professions.  I therefore appeal to you for support in this regard.
 
           In closing, I wish the Education and Careers Expo every success and you all a fruitful event.  And as we have
stepped into the Year of Horse not long ago, I would also like to wish you all good health and prosperity in the new
year.  For those of you coming from abroad, I wish you an enjoyable stay in Hong Kong especially during this festive
season and hope you will make the most out of your time in Asia's world city.  Thank you.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear students, where are you going to be in five years? What will you be doing from
9 till 6 every day? In what sphere will you work? In other words, what are your
career objectives? Some of you must be thinking that the third year of studies is yet
too early to ask such questions. Let me assure you that it is high time to decide
upon this issue.

In fact, as my 7 year-long experience as HR-manager shows, there are only two

alternatives. Either you think about your career beforehand – now! – or you
graduate in two years with an empty track record, and cling to the very first job
available with the highest salary. “Not bad at all”, some of you might think. Still,
believe me that you will soon get bored, for money is not the sense of life. When
you hate what you do every day for eight hours, when you go to work only to
receive your monthly salary – your life is not complete to say the least. I like the
quotation by Elizabeth Kubler Ross who said that “people are like stained-glass
windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets
in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within” (3). The source of
this inner light is love for everything that surrounds you – your family in the first
place, but also your work! It should give you delight, ensure your professional and
personal growth and provide you with a sense of achievement and importance of
what you do. Trust my experience: such people rarely get bored with their work in
the course of years and are much happier than disillusioned money-earners.

The most difficult thing here is to find the right kind of job. Every person is unique
and is best suited to a particular sphere or position. You will never know which
exactly is perfect for you until you try. In two years you will graduate the Linguistic
department. Where will you go when the diploma is in your pocket? The earlier you
start searching, the sooner you will know the answer. Some of you will pursue the
direct specialization and work as translators, interpreters or language teachers.
Others will plunge into a neighboring sphere and will carve out a career in the
tourist business, management etc. Whatever sphere you choose, it should be your
cup of tea, not just means to earn your living or beguile eight hours of your day. I
call upon you to assume an active attitude to you career, and investigate the
possible fields of interest right now, while you still have time to be mistaken and
opportunity to work part-time. Two years is the term long enough to understand
what you actually expect from your job and find at least the direction of your path.
You will know the practical advantages of a definite job – and its drawbacks as well.
The more you do now, the less confusion you’ll feel when the university door is
flung open and you are welcome to go – but where? Even small working experience
will help you to answer this question and find your true self by becoming a skilled
professional.
According to my deepest conviction, happy person is the person who always brings
his own sunshine, wherever he goes and whatever the weather (3). Hope to see
these sparks in you in two years by the time of your graduation. Thank you.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Good afternoon, and thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

It has been many years since I was in your position — wondering what career I
would pursue when I graduated. Oh, yes, I spoke to my high school career
counselors and discussed it with my parents but I still had only the vaguest idea
what I wanted to study in college. I did have a pretty good idea what I didn’t want to
do. My parents owned a beauty salon and I was sure I didn’t want to do that. Also,
insurance, accounting and embalming were pretty low on my list. I thought I might
want to be an engineer.
I graduated from high school and found myself a freshman at an engineering
college in New York City. During our first week we were all required to go to an
orientation program and at the end of that program we were asked to decide what
field of engineering we wanted to study. Uh, oh, what kinds are there? I was asked
to choose between mechanical, chemical, electrical, architectural or aeronautical
engineering. I chose chemical engineering without having any idea what a chemical
engineer does. (And I have to confess to you that, to this day, I have only a vague
idea what a chemical engineer does.)

So I began my college career studying to be a chemical engineer but for reasons too
detailed to go into, I did not finally get my degree until 43 years later, and then it
was with a degree in business administration. Hmmm.

What advice can I give you about choosing your career path? Let me answer it this
way: I know a lot of people in all kinds of professions and all kinds of businesses.
Almost all of them are working in fields that are totally different from the college
degree that they graduated with. I know a very successful art dealer who has a
degree in marine biology. I know another person who owns a highly successful
cosmetics business who has a master’s degree in psychology.
The answer is this, no matter what you choose at this stage in your life and no
matter what degree you eventually earn, you will always be able to be happy and
successful in a totally different field if you study hard and get a good education. I
know it’s a cliché’ but it’s true. A good education will never leave you. A few years
ago when I had a business of my own, I found myself using some skills that I had
learned in my freshman year in high school — about 60 years earlier! Another time
I was managing a printed circuit-board company and discovered I was using
knowledge I had acquired 30 years earlier in a college sophomore class. You just
never know when something you learned years earlier will be useful to you. Hate
algebra today? I can almost guarantee you will find it of value a few years from now
— perhaps when one of your kids needs help with her homework.

Now let’s talk about the day you graduate from college, proudly holding your hard-
earned diploma. Chances are that you will be looking for a job soon afterward. And
of course in the field you studied. And let’s assume that you are successful in
finding that job. What does your employer expect from you?

He expects an honest day’s wok for an honest day’s pay. And the pay will depend
on what results you can produce for the company. It will not depend on how much
you think you know, how good your credentials are or how much you think you’re
worth. Your worth will depend upon how much you can contribute to the
company’s profits. Please do not be offended by the idea that your employer wants
to profit off of your labor. Profit is not a dirty word. Profit is the reason for all
businesses.

Why else would anyone risk his own money and effort to create a business?
A McDonald’s franchise costs around $500,000 these days. You have to have a
minimum of $250,000 cash before they will even talk to you! Would anyone put up
that kind of money if he didn’t expect to make it all back and then make a little
more in addition? Or do you really think he invested in a McDonald’s because the
neighborhood high school kids need date money?

One more idea about being a new employee. Believe it or not, your employer very
much wants you to succeed. He did not invest in advertising the job and the time
spent interviewing numerous candidates plus the initial training time needed for
you to learn his company’s procedures — so that you will fail. He wants you to
become one of his most valuable employees. Therefore do not believe that your
new boss is hiding around every corner waiting for you to make a mistake so he can
fire you. He expects you to make mistakes but that they will be “honest” mistakes
and that they help you become valuable to his company. Remember that on your
new job.

Thank you again, and I wish you the best in your careers.