The confusion between learning a foreign language and studying a language major, along with the lack of clear career orientation, makes many young people struggle to determine their future.
Ambiguous future
Right from high school, many students tend to choose English Language to find a "safe" career solution. Trinh Quoc Phong - a 12th grade student in Tay Ninh , said: "I don't like engineering, nor am I good at block A00 including Math, Physics, Chemistry, so I chose English Language because the standard score is within my reach. I heard people say that after studying English, it's easy to get a job, so I feel secure."
In fact, many students do not distinguish between studying English and majoring in English Language. While the English Language program is highly academic, training in phonetics, syntax, culture, translation, etc., most students expect to learn practical communication, serving their work. This discrepancy makes many students feel disappointed when entering university, which makes them easily discouraged or choose to work in a different field.
Le Gia Han - a 4th year student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University) said that in her second year, she interned at a business in the marketing sector, in the position of customer service manager, with an income of about 2.5 million VND/month for 5 working sessions/week, but she went to work completely opposite to what she had studied. Han's main job was to take care of customers, reply to emails, and coordinate work between departments.
“Sometimes I translate some English-Vietnamese documents for customers, but actually the job has nothing to do with what I studied, it is completely different from my field. At first, I thought that as long as I knew English, I could do anything,” Han said.
For many new students, the reason for choosing a major sometimes comes from emotional factors. At the same school as Han, Vo Nguyen Hoang Lan - a first-year student majoring in English Language, shared: "I like learning English, want to travel to many places, so I chose this major to make it convenient for my future job, especially in fields such as tourism or business. I used to be an English tutor, but I don't plan to pursue teaching in the long term, I'm still uncertain about the future."
Choices based on personal interests like Lan’s are quite common. However, without a clear understanding of the training program and career requirements, students can easily fall into a state of aimless learning, leading to graduation not being ready for work.
Learn right to avoid losing direction
Faced with the reality that many English Language students are disoriented in their careers, education experts believe that early orientation and creating an environment for practical experience are prerequisites to help students correctly recognize their own abilities and choose the right direction.
According to MSc. Nguyen Ngoc Nguyen - lecturer of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Van Lang University, the situation of English Language students being confused about their careers is the result of choosing a major without doing enough research. "Most students choose English Language because they don't know what to study, or simply because they like English. That's not wrong, but if they just stop at liking it without planning their career, it can easily lead to a loss of direction later on," MSc. Nguyen said.
According to Master Nguyen, orientation should begin in the first year. Although it is not necessary to determine exactly what job after graduation, students need to have a rough idea of the environment they want to work in, the fields they can pursue such as teaching, commerce, translation, tourism, marketing or international communications. “Knowing what you like is not enough. You need to experience it, get in touch with reality and see if it is suitable for you or not. That is the only way to determine a long-term path,” said Master Nguyen.
At Van Lang University, the English Language training program is designed with an application orientation, helping students quickly approach different career fields. Students are taught a variety of subjects such as business English, tourism English, teaching methods, translation and interpretation skills, etc. Starting from the 4th year, students are able to participate in internships at businesses or do projects integrated into their subjects to gain practical experience.
However, Master Nguyen believes that schools and lecturers are just companions. Effective learning still depends on students' ability to self-discover and proactively learn. "We can provide tools and suggest paths, but students are the ones who decide which direction to take. If they are not proactive, they can easily become confused among the myriad of career options available today," the lecturer emphasized.
Not only in universities, for high school students, choosing an English major also needs to be based on ability and clear orientation. Master HM, director of an English center in Dak Lak province, said that being good at English is an advantage, but it is necessary to determine whether you love working with languages at an academic level, and whether you want to become a teacher, translator or tour guide. If you cannot answer these questions, choosing a major just because it sounds familiar can easily lead to mistakes later on.
“Students should take advantage of their first year to try out many activities such as teaching assistant at a foreign language center, writing content in English, participating in small research groups, etc. Each experience is a way for students to identify themselves. Students should also participate in career talks, seminars or soft skills programs to get more practical information about different directions after graduation,” said MSc. M.
In fact, being thoroughly consulted, participating in experiential activities, and talking to people in the profession are effective channels for students to better understand the industry. In many universities, the first-year civic week for freshmen is the starting point for that journey.
During a few lessons, first-year students will be introduced to the major, training program, regulations and policies, as well as participate in career orientation sessions shared by alumni and businesses. This is an opportunity for new students to have a clearer view of the industry, understand what skills they need to prepare and which direction is suitable for them.
However, if it stops at the first week, orientation can easily become a formality. Career guidance support needs to be implemented throughout the entire training process, from the first semester to the final year, through academic activities, practice, real-life connections, and psychological support and soft skills. When students are properly oriented, try and correct mistakes early, they will no longer be lost, even if the initial major is just a pure interest.
“The Citizenship Week is an activity to help students admitted to universities and colleges get acquainted with the university education environment; raise awareness and sense of responsibility for the learning process; properly implement the Party's policies and guidelines, the State's laws, and school regulations; gradually adapt to the new environment, strive to become good citizens, and contribute to the development of the social community,” said Dr. Tran Thi Roi - lecturer at the Faculty of Basic Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law .
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/loay-hoay-chon-nganh-chat-vat-xac-dinh-tuong-lai-post739306.html
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