Making career decisions in a fast-changing environment
In the previous step, you shared your own perspective on how AI is shaping skill requirements in emerging and traditional job roles. In this step, you will explore how career education can address some of the challenges related to education-to-work transitions in this uncertain and fast-changing environment.
In the video for this step, Charlotte talks to Morag about her experience as a careers consultant, and about the challenges graduates currently face when making career decisions.
If you are speaking to students or young people about these challenges, here are three tips from Morag that can help to:
- redress the effects of a faster-changing world for all students
- mitigate for equity and inclusion.
Tip 1. Instead of just asking ‘what did/do you like or enjoy?’
Ask: ‘what was it that you particularly liked or enjoyed?’ – This encourages deeper reflection.
As a follow on question, ask: ‘can you see similar ‘X’ in other modules, experiences or job roles?’ – This encourages those listening to look for connections in other places.
This supports the idea of spotting something you are interested in and making connections across other spaces. It recognises that young people need to start with a concrete example to work from but encourages them to broaden that into a more abstract concept to take forward.
Tip 2. Encourage the student or young person to break down the skills and other qualities that are being developed through studying a particular subject.
This helps individuals to better identify how they might contribute to a skills-based economy. The labour market itself is currently exploring this as a way to keep up with the changes it is experiencing.
Tip 3. When talking to alumni or those already in a role, encourage young people to focus on things that will help them understand themselves in the role and the current context, rather than just focusing on the entry route that the alum took.
So, for example:
- In your role, how often do you work with other people on-site and/or remotely?
- How do you interact with new recruits in your team?
- Which are the main skill sets that you use in your role?
- How is AI changing your sector or individual work area?
When you have completed this step, you will have learned about how career-related learning happens in a fast-changing and highly uncertain world of work. In the next step, you will reflect on the value of interdisciplinary learning in a higher education setting to prepare learners for an AI-driven world.
References
Blakemore SJ, Inventing Ourselves : the Secret Life of the Teenage Brain. London: Doubleday; 2019. Print.
Frith U, Frith A, Frith C, Locke D, Two Heads: Where Two Neuroscientists Explore How Our Brains Work with Other Brains. London: Bloomsbury Publishing; 2022.
Yates J. Career decisions in the real world. 2023 [cited 2023 Sep 26].
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