The Dream Job

The current system of education in many countries is geared towards academic excellence as opposed to preparing learners for self-employment, entrepreneurship or the job market. Majority of learners leave their academic facilities; may they be schools, colleges or universities, without the slightest hint of what to do with their knowledge. Almost all of them know that they are expected to get a job somehow sometime somewhere but the modality of securing that first job is a mystery to many.

In class, many teachers or lecturers engage their students in parrot-style learning; feeding them with notes and materials that they are expected to reproduce during examination time. The more the notes, the busier the student. Theory is the common practice with ‘practicals’ a long forgotten story unless it is unavoidable. But does this really help the students?

Gone are the days when industrial attachment was mandatory before one could qualify in their field of study, nowadays, those who attend do it as a formality but not to gain the much needed skills necessary for the job market. Picture a college class of over fifty students who have to source for industrial placement for themselves. Many of them are very green in public relations. Telling them to source for attachment is similar to telling them to go job searching. This is why many of them land in firms and organizations that do not add value to them simply because they have to get attached somewhere for them to qualify for graduation.

Do you wonder why we have so many jobless young people? They are not prepared for life after school. They are let loose like weaned birds to vent for themselves but, unlike birds, they need guidelines and control in these tumultuous waters of the job market, guidance is not offered. Majority of school leavers land jobs by chance and not qualifications. It is very common to find people doing jobs completely out of line with their profession. The trend is, leave school and get a job. The job specification for most is ‘doable’, as long as the job is doable, count them in; they will learn the rest on the job.

To prepare learners for better days in job search, there is a lot to learn and practice. Students need to be helped through motivational and guide books and informative websites. This will guide them through sourcing for and securing that that much needed work. Unfortunately, not many writers consider this niche. Now I have a vision, a vision to help these people. Be on the look out.