Job, Study and Career Preparation

Discussion Questions

A. Questions about choosing a career:
1. Have you thought about what possible careers you want to pursue? What made you want to go in this/these direction/s? How will you prepare for your career/s?
2. If you don't have a direction yet, how will you try to find it?
3. Why do you think that this is a meaningful career for you?

B. Questions about your jobs or choosing a job:
1. Do you have a job? How is it related to your future career?
2. After this job, have you thought about another possible job you will take?
3. What factors do you consider the most in choosing a job?

C. applying for a job:
1. Do you have experience of it? If so, was it a good one? What suggestions do you want to give to your classmates? 　

D. Studying here or abroad: (See some discussion here)
1. Will you go for postgraudate studies? Why or why not? Here or abroad?
2. What factors do you consider the most in making this decision?

 

Factors for Decision Making

Factors to consider in choosing a career:
1. Your interest, abilities, aptitude and personality
2. the career potential for future development
3. its values to you and to society.

Factors to consider in choosing a job:
1. your interest and current and future job market; 2. the abilities and educational degree it needs, the vacancies it offers; 3. payment, welfare system and benifits; 4. potential for advancement (its upward mobility); 5. work hour (whether it is too stressful or not)

Factors to consider when applying for a job:
1. All of the above;
2. How it prepares you for developing your career;
3. Your abilities and marketability.
4. How to package and present yourself.

Factors to consider when applying for school here or abroad: (See some discussion here)
1. your interest;
2. your family situation and financial background;
3. your emotinal life and health.

Words and Expressions Related to Study and Work

Study:1) Time Management and study habit: --What kind of learner are you? Do you know how you feel at different stages of learning? What's your direction/purpose in learning?
hectic life, distraction, concentrated, breathing space, spreading oneself too thin. workaholic
filing system, set/assign priorities
run out of time, schedule/budget one's time, plan ahead, allocate time for
fall behind, catch up on, 

study habit: glimpse/browse  through, peruse (read closely), review and memorize,digest  and absorb, internalize; intrinsic and external motivation, self-paced and automatic learner, incentive-driven, goal-oriented
2) feelings
overwhelmed, panicky, disoriented, overloaded, exhausted, stressful, burned out, lose the momentum
interested, intrigued, self-motivated, entertained, alleviate stress,
3) direction 
career preparation, cultivation of the mind, sharpening critical abilities, areas of concentration, specialities, marketability, versatility
 
Work: 1) Criteria to choosing a career area: 
personal interest, aptitude, high-salaried, lucrative, challenging, prestigious, sense of fulfillment, opportunities for advancement/promotion/continued education, paper pusher, stability, fringe benefits, flexibility, mobility
2) Job-Hunting 
qualifications: interpersonal skills, academic qualifications, qualifying exams, 
job openings/vacancies, head-hunter, starting salary, stiff competition, current trends in the job market
3) Career preparation -
personal porfolio