'Busy-dipping' into university entrance exams for "hot" majors: Is it worth it?

Should I apply to "hot" majors?

The 2023 High School Graduation Exam is approaching, but at present, many 12th graders are still struggling to find a suitable major, and more difficult is choosing a university that suits their abilities.

Dr. Dong Van Ngoc, Principal of Hanoi College of Electromechanics, believes that the mentality of valuing degrees in Vietnam is still very strong. Through the admissions consulting process, it can be seen that almost every parent wants their children to graduate from high school and then get into a university.

Many 12th graders are still struggling to find a suitable major. (Photo: QH)

At this time, except for the top universities, many lower-ranked universities are opening their doors, loosening all conditions for enrollment, making it easier for candidates to enter university. According to information from the Ministry of Education and Training , on average, universities can only recruit about 70-80% of their quota.

"So, just by graduating from high school, the opportunity to enter any university is completely possible, not difficult at all," said Dr. Dong Van Ngoc.

However, how to choose a suitable major, Dr. Ngoc said: Many students ask teachers when consulting on admissions that they want to choose a "hot" major but are afraid of not having enough capacity. If they choose other majors, they are afraid of losing the opportunity to enter those very attractive majors.

In fact, in a developed country, any profession is necessary and closely connected to each other. In my opinion, there is no profession that is "hot".

If the tourism industry develops, it will lead to the development of the aviation, transportation, and hotel and restaurant services industries... Or if the automobile industry develops, it requires auto parts, wires, screws, etc. to produce finished products and bring them to market, which is related to marketing, trade, and services...

“Obviously, a developing industry will lead to the development of many other industries. Currently, students only understand that the industry with high salary is a “hot” industry,” said Mr. Ngoc.

Besides, we are entering the 4.0 industrial revolution, when robots and artificial intelligence can cause some current occupations to gradually decline and disappear. Therefore, it is impossible to say which industries are "hot" or not "hot".

Students should base their choices on actual conditions such as academic ability, strengths, interests, and social needs for different professions, and avoid the mentality of following the crowd.

Agreeing with this point of view, Mr. Ngo Minh Tuan, founder of Vietnam CEO Business Training School, said: There is no hot industry, the job in which you are good at your job and bring the best value to customers and society is the hot one.

Mr. Ngo Minh Tuan, founder of Vietnam CEO Business Training School. (Photo: CEO)

“I do not encourage chasing after hot jobs, because no job is hot for a long period of time. Only hot people - good at that field - will be welcomed wherever they go,” said Mr. Tuan.

Mr. Ngo Minh Tuan emphasized that 12th grade students should not focus on hot jobs but need to focus on their own strengths. From there, look deeply into your own nature, research which career your nature best meets, if you like it, you will become the champion of that field, then you will always be hot, without needing a hot job.

Schools compete to open new majors, is it good?

MSc. Pham Van Minh, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Business Administration, Nguyen Trai University, said: When choosing a career, students need to base on 4 factors.

First of all, you need to choose a career you love. Only when you love it will you have the motivation, interest, and dedication to do it. With jobs you don't love, it's easy to fall into a state of doing it just to get it done.

“Choose the major you like, but you have to be good at it, better than others and better than yourself. There are jobs you like but are not necessarily good at, so you should not choose them,” said Mr. Minh.

Third, it must be a profession that society needs. Even if it is a profession that you really like and are passionate about, but society does not need it, you cannot choose it.

Fourth, in addition to the factors of interest, ability, and social need, society also needs to be willing to pay for students to pursue that career.

"A student choosing a career to pursue in the future needs to at least synthesize all four of these factors. If they can do so, they will definitely stick with and develop in the profession," Mr. Minh emphasized.

Mr. Tuan assessed that there is a reality that students graduating from school are not employable. (Photo: CEO)

Currently, universities are expanding their training programs to many different levels, creating opportunities for students at many levels to access them. Regarding this issue, Mr. Ngo Minh Tuan assessed that this is not unusual, but attention must be paid to the implementation stage. Because in education, there are 4 levels to evaluate an educational program.

At the very least, there is a good education program, but a good education program is not as good as a good education team, and a good education team is not as good as a good environment (throw it into an environment where you constantly interact with businesses, then even an average teacher can lead good students).

“Currently, students are not exposed to a professional educational environment. The fourth most important thing is the aspiration of the learner. Therefore, expanding the training profession does not affect the quality, the important thing is how they do it,” said Mr. Tuan.

According to Mr. Ngo Minh Tuan, there is a reality that graduates cannot be employed.

“I don’t know how the training is in school, but with old habits, all the knowledge is old knowledge. Besides, their attitude and tolerance for hardship are very weak. So they are almost unusable, if they can be used, they have to be retrained,” said Mr. Tuan.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cam-dau-cam-co-thi-dai-hoc-vao-cac-nganh-hot-lieu-co-dang-post240964.html