Dear Editor,
Many high school students in the West, such as the UK and Australia, would like to take a one-year job experience program after finishing high school before they continue with their tertiary education, I strongly agree with this idea. This would certainly benefit our dear Hong Kong students and should be encouraged.
A year of job experience would help the students to develop their qualities for their future and also their life goals.
Students in Hong Kong are usually looked after closely by their parents, domestic helpers and also their teachers. This inevitably forms a reliance of the students on others. Getting into a real job experience, they cannot expect the helping hands from their colleagues and bosses as much as they did since everyone has their own duties. They are required to finish their own tasks on time accurately and independently. This is a golden chance for them to learn how to be self-initiated and self-disciplined without the assistance from others. During their tertiary education, tutors and professors would not give all the materials based on your own needs. The experience could help students to explore knowledge on their own and keep them away from the temptations they will face in the future knowing how to be self-initiated and work hard in a workplace. These would surely helpful throughout their life.
Besides, by the first-hand experience in the workplace,, teenagers may know what is really expected and required to be successful and able to work well in their careers. A real jon experience is not just abstract theories and teaching from teachers. They need to work hand-in hand with others and deal with their own works. The concrete experience can let them know exactly what they are good at or lacking like interpersonal skills and leadership skills. Youngsters can explore more about themselves. They may have the chance to develop more or improve themselves. After entering the universities, they have much opportunities to train up their skills when doing projects and joining the societies as committee members. The job experience can prepare them for their further studies and their future.
Nevertheless, a job experience can let them to know more about themselves and the real world. Many students may choose to have a taste in the interviewed career during the year. Being exposing to the real situation, they can know more about their own abilities and how their dream career is worked out. On the one hand, some students may have found their right career. On the other hand, some may realize the original plan may not be suitable for them and find a new path for themselves. So that they can enter the right choice of specialty in the tertiary education which can determine their future path. This gap year allow the students to assimilate their knowledge, interests and experiences to recognize a suitable career path for the future. Undoubtedly, the job experience can benefit the students, parents should also be supportive to it.
Adolescents are still in a stage of being affectionate. Providing them with a job experience at this age, they can be able to learn and build up correct values and mindsets in them. Otherwise, it would be too late for it after the tertiary education when youngsters had developed their own minds and be reluctant to be charged anymore.
After secondary education, students already have enough maturity to learn on their own and basically take care of themselves. This is a precious chance for parents to let their children go and become more mature. This cannot be achieved if the young people are kept inside them. For the sake of the failure adults, I see no point in the job experience.
Not only would a one-year job experience not affect the studies of the students, it also provide a good chance for them to grow and become more mature. They can be better prepared for their further studies and their future integration to the society. I strongly suggest it should be encouraged in.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong