Young People Ask . . .

How Do I Choose a Career?

“WHEN my 60-day evaluation came up,” explained Emily, a young woman in her 20’s, “my supervisor informed me that she had given me a very high rating . . . that I could count on a career with the company.”

Emily had a decision to make: accept a promotion to a well-paying job and all its advantages​—special training, prestige, material benefits—​or look for part-time work so as to pursue another career that she had been training for. Her decision would have far-reaching effects in her life.

Though Emily was already out of school, her choice of a career had yet to be determined. And if you are in your last few years of high school (known as secondary school in some countries), you are likewise in a decision-making period of your life. ‘Should I continue my education in a university?’ you might be asking yourself. ‘Should I be learning a trade?’

Where to Find Good Advice

A proverb says: “The one listening to counsel is wise.” (Proverbs 12:15) Some schools provide counselors for students to help them choose a career or help them set goals. If your school has such a program, you may find that the advice given very often encourages you to take full advantage of your required school years and to complete them. Why? Because education is essential to finding a place in the working world.a The Royal Bank of Canada, in its Monthly Letter, explained it this way: The one “who does not make the best of all the learning opportunities of school years will be at a disadvantage in competition with others in later life.”

Cutting short your education in high school by dropping out may handicap your success in getting a job. One report frankly revealed that “dropouts are more disadvantaged today than they were 30 years ago . . . While the dropout rate is increasing, so is the education level of the work force as a whole, making the competition for jobs even more difficult for the dropouts.”

Well-meaning counselors, however, may feel that higher education is a must in this high-tech society. However, the Bible warns, ‘Do not put faith in every word.’ (Proverbs 14:15) Indeed, a man once said: “I have no technical and no university education, and have just had to pick up a few things as I went along.” Who was this? Statesman and author Sir Winston Churchill! Many youths have likewise discovered that a university education is not the only alternative. Eighteen-year-old Jane observed: “Many teens jump on the college bandwagon simply because they think it’s ‘the thing to do.’ . . . If only they would stop to consider the many other choices available to them and dare to be different!”

No wonder, then, that the book Adolescence by Eastwood Atwater observes: “More and more young people are thinking twice about attending college.” For one thing, a close look at the job market reveals that so-called higher education is not necessarily the best avenue to a job. Many, even with university degrees, are having problems finding work and are often considered overqualified for well-paying jobs. “Today four out of five jobs do not require higher education and, furthermore, a degree may be more of a handicap than a help,” reported the San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle. The fact is that in many fields, colleges are simply turning out more graduates than there are jobs.

So when looking for advice, it’s best to go to those who really have your best interests at heart and who have valuable experience in the working world. Likely your parents can be of great help in this regard. (Proverbs 23:22) They know your capabilities. And if they are God-fearing, they would have a different perspective on careers than school guidance counselors would. A calm and frank discussion with them may provide you with just the direction you need to find a successful career.

Young people among Jehovah’s Witnesses also have the advantage of getting advice from those with experience in the congregation they are associated with. Have you tapped this source of guidance?

Alternatives to University

After consulting their parents, many young people have decided against long-term education because of the uncertainty of the future. “The time left is reduced,” says the Bible. (1 Corinthians 7:29) And isn’t it true that specialized training in a certain field may be obsolete within just a few years due to the fast pace of technology? So consider your future carefully. Stephanie, a teenager, decided to take courses in high school that would help her to develop skills and that would be useful in finding a job. As she says: “That way the time spent in high school won’t be a waste of time.” When asked if her high school courses really prepared her for making a living, a youth named Alice replied: “I was able to learn practical skills and get a job.” What skills? “Accounting and secretarial,” says Alice.

Have you examined the courses your school offers? Is training in vocational skills offered? Or is there a high school near your home that will provide practical training in a skill that you feel would be appropriate for you? For example, many schools offer training in auto mechanics, computer programming, plumbing, and so forth.

‘But who wants to be a carpenter or a plumber?’ ask some youths. As a youth, Jesus was taught carpentry. Although it was not to be his career, he learned the trade so well that he became known as “the carpenter.” (Mark 6:3) Solomon also saw the benefit of becoming skillful at a trade: “Have you beheld a man skillful in his work? Before kings is where he will station himself; he will not station himself before commonplace men.” (Proverbs 22:29) Today, not enough people place value on the trades. As a result, the demand for these skills is increasing! Paul McCracken, a professor of the Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Michigan, made this comment: “I would, at the proper time, put much more emphasis on vocational training for such jobs as auto mechanics. Assuming the economy will continue to expand, a lot of those kinds of jobs​—and they’re good jobs—​are going to open up.” Would a vocational skill be just what you need to provide for your present and future needs?

Being Realistic About the Future

A Christian’s view of the future should also affect his choice of career. With ‘the world passing away,’ a career based upon worldly ambitions is most unrealistic. (1 John 2:17) Bible prophecy indicates how short-lived such a career would be.​—Luke 21:29-35.

For this reason, many young people among Jehovah’s Witnesses are choosing a career in full-time Bible education​—a volunteer work of helping people to understand the Bible. ‘But,’ you may ask, ‘how can somebody make a living that way?’ In order to support themselves financially, many have first received practical training in a trade. The apostle Paul did this. (Acts 18:3) And his advice, based on personal experience, was: ‘Do hard work, doing with your hands what is good work.’​—Ephesians 4:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:11.

Choosing a successful career is therefore a result of getting advice from the right people, getting trained in courses that will help you reach your goals, and being realistic about your future. Interestingly, Emily, mentioned at the outset, at first accepted the prestigious job as an executive secretary. However, she then realized that she could not succeed at two opposing careers. (Compare Luke 16:13.) So she decided in favor of a full-time career of helping people in Bible education. This meant getting a part-time job to support herself. Her feelings about giving up a lucrative job for her chosen career? “I am very happy to say that I was able to attain my goal of the full-time ministry,” says Emily. “I have developed a real love for this work.”

With careful planning and prayerful thought, you can likewise choose a career that you will be happy with​—a successful career with a future!

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 16]

“Today four out of five jobs do not require higher education and, furthermore, a degree may be more of a handicap than a help.”​—San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle

[Picture on page 17]

Many find that learning a trade is a practical way to prepare for future employment