Decisions for the future

Filling your resume is assumed to be more and more important than before. Students are not only focused on getting a high GPA, but also trying to involve in organizations, having work and abroad experiences, and more. I believe that our current decisions as students are important for the future, however more roads lead to Rome. Thus, the decisions we make aren’t guarantees for a perfect job in the future.

In my previous post about opportunism in the DJ scene, I’ve mentioned that I went to Cambridge because of my brother and dad. My father believes that taking a gap year after high school is an opportunity to live abroad, learn a language and to develop yourself. So after high school I went to Cambridge for 6 months and 2 months to California – Santa Barbara and San Diego - where I attended the language school Kaplan. I’ve achieved the Cambridge Advance Exam (CAE), made contacts all over the world and developed myself. This decision was also made with an eye toward the future, because the achievements and experiences are good for my resume and my personal development.
            For kindly the same reasons I choose to study abroad during my study. Not only is UIUC a highly ranked university, but also going on exchange gives you the same advantages as taking a gap year abroad. I experience a different education system and a totally different life style; furthermore I make a lot of contacts and develop myself. I believe that all these abroad experiences increase the chance to get for example a more international job in a company.

Another decision that is important for your future is the decision of your major. I believe that everyone should choose his or her major based on what they like most, unregarded the future possibilities with this major. However, this is not the case because in some job markets there is more demand for workers compared with other markets. Choosing a major that guarantees you a job is good, but do you want to work for 40 years at a job that you don’t like?
            During high school I went to a research office where I did tests and talked to psychologist for a day and at the end I got advice about study major choices and a summary of my good and bad qualities. With this feedback in the back in my head, I choose the Economic major. I believe that everyone should get the opportunity to do this kind of tests, because a lot of the students in The Netherlands quit their major after the first year and choose a new major, what a sin for them and the education system is.

Finally, working experience can also benefit in order to reduce income risk. Especially work that is related to your major can have a lot of advantages. I have worked back home for 3 years but this wasn’t mainly for future purposes; it was just extra money that I could use. By working you experience different issues that you normally won’t face. I haven’t had a job yet that is related to my major Economics, moreover I’m thinking about doing an internship after graduating. However, I don’t want to think about working yet; student life is in my opinion one of the best times in our life and I’m enjoying it at fullest.


In conclusion, I believe that certain current decisions can have an influence on your future. Being more active in organizations and having work and abroad experiences can increase the probability of getting your dream job. However, you will never reduce the income risk to zero, because social skills and luck will always play a role as well. Many famous people who dropped out of college, has reached the top. I’m convinced that if you put as much effort as you can into your study and try to do social stuff beside, you will be fine in the future. So Every person is different and more roads lead to Rome.

Comments

  1. Professor ArvanOctober 21, 2017 at 12:45 PM

    The study abroad and gap year that you mentioned is surely good for your development. But there are probably some requirements for doing that which you may have been too modest to mention. Many students who go to college end up being quite lonely there and that actually drives much of their behavior. To do what you did requires a sense of self-confidence that you can meed new people, enjoy their company, and thrive in the new environment. Note everyone has that confidence. I wonder if your father who advised you on the gap year already knew that you were in possession of those abilities.

    The idea of a pre-test to determine your abilities and inclinations and then match you to a career is an interesting thought. I would think even rigorous screening of that sort might not be so reliable. There is quite a history of your behavior in high school (and earlier too). You might reflect on that and ask whether there were any indicators from then that economics would be a good fit for you. Also, if you do plan to work in your home country, I'd be curious about whether economics offers good jobs after graduation. Here I believe many students are drawn to economics because it seems to be a major associated with high paying jobs, rather than because of any intrinsic interest in the subject matter.

    I think work experience can be beneficial, even if unrelated to future career, just so the student learns about performance expectations in the workplace and also to learn about the social dynamics on the job, which might be quite different than what it is like at school. In that sense it offers preparation, even if the work tasks in the summer job won't be done later after graduating from college. However, it probably is important to work at a company that is successful and has good business practices. Then there will be something to emulate later.

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    1. John Hicks Econ 490 fall 2017October 24, 2017 at 10:53 AM

      I think that a gap year is less common in the US compared with Europe. The main goal of the gap year was to speak English fluent and achieve a certain certification. All the other advantages such as networking and building self-confidence were additional. I believe also that taking a gap year is only useful if you have a good plan, so sitting home on your couch watching TV in your gap year isn't a good way to fill in the year.

      During high school everyone needed to do this test matching thing, however this was just on the computer and was very basic. I did mine at a professional office and for me it helped me a lot. I agree with Glenn Hubbard that many people only discover them self during college. I heard that the UIUC offers general studies, thus in Freshman year you don't choose a major yet. This doesn't exist in The Netherlands; after high school you have to choose a Major such as Economics, History, Medicine etc. and if you want to switch majors, you have to start all over again.
      Furthermore, in class today you told us that many students transferred from different universities/schools and from many different majors. Because this is possible, a lot of students do it and I believe that this is a good thing. I would love to see this possibility at my university in Amsterdam. I believe that this would help against students dropping out of majors and/or universities. I have a friend who already started 3 majors, so you can say he wasted 3 study years before finding the major he really likes. Starting as a general study student or the possibility to transfer from majors without losing a year, could have been a good solution for him.

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  2. Glenn Hubbard Econ 490 fall 2017October 22, 2017 at 8:32 PM

    I would echo Professor Arvan's first paragraph comment that taking a gap year is a good way for you to develop independence and self-confidence attributes that you might not have had previously. While I know of 1 or 2 people who chose this option rather than go straight to college, I feel like it is a less common route people take, at least in the United States. Maybe for international students like yourself who plan on attending college in the states, this is a more common choice because it allows you to immerse yourself in the culture that you will spend the next 4-5 years. For me, I didn't really consider it because I feel there a lot of financial and social pressures to go to college, earn your degree, and immediately enter the workforce. But I do think that there are a lot of benefits of this option.

    I also have had experience with personality and aptitude tests as it relates to potential career options. For me, it was something that educators encouraged and sometimes required us to complete to prepare for the future, but I never really got a lot out of it. I feel like I didn't truly know myself until I started college and thus those tests were never a great reflection of what I would actually like in a major or career. I also felt that the results were often sporadic and didn't really reflect my interests very well. I think its impressive that you were able to choose your major based off these tests. Like many students here, I chose the Economics major due to future job and salary prospects and because I have a strong aptitude for math.

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    1. John Hicks Econ 490 fall 2017October 24, 2017 at 11:07 AM

      As I said in my comment on Prof. Arvan, I agree with you that a gap year in the States is less usual than the countries in Europe, because I met no one yet who took a gap year after high-school. Besides, in a lot of countries you get money from the government if you want to go on a gap year or if you want to study abroad. On my I-20 for my J-1 Visa it states that I get sponsored for 17 thousand dollars to go to the UIUC. My tuition fee in Amsterdam is 2000 Euro's for the entire year. I'm not sure who pays for the 17 thousand dollars for one semester, but I believe it is my university which indirect get money from the government.

      You are stating that it is a financial and social pressure to go to college and this is the thing that mind-blows me since I'm here. With such a high tuition fee and other costs, how do you pay all of that? As I said, our tuition fee is 'only' 2000 a year and if your parents has too low income, the government will support you. Beside, every student get 'STUFI' and this means that every student who lives with their parents get 150 euro a month, but if your living away from home (as I do), you receive 450 euro a month from the government. Furthermore we get free public transport and you can lend money with 0 interest rate. I don't know how it works here in the States, but I feel bad for all the students who go into deep debts because they want to develop their selves.

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