Your Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing a Career

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mind the following things: - do you like meeting and dealing with people; - do you like to work inside;.- do you enjoy thinking about problems; - do you enjoy working with your hands; - do you like working on you own; - do you enjoy bet­ing creative. Analyzing all this will help not to make a wrong choice. The major­ity of jobs may be divided into several groups: clerical, scientific, practical, out­door, creative and social. I can't say the exact group, in which my future occupa­tion will be. Anyway I don't think that my future occupation is described in these groups. It can also be a mixture of different types of jobs. For example, clerical and scientific. I like meeting and dealing with people, and I'm quite sure, that it will help me in my future profession, whatever it is. I don't mind working inside, besides the weather in our region is very often not suitable for outdoor work. To tell the truth I do not enjoy working with my hands, I would prefer to think and solve different problems. I can't say that I enjoy working on my own, but it can often be pleasant and productive to work alone. I enjoy being creative, instead of feeling someone's authority on me. I am quite confident in pointing the character features needed to my future occupation and to most of the occupa­tions. These are: ability to learn quickly, politeness, creativeness, accurateness, adaptability, friendliness, capability and others. You must also be a good team member. I think that to this or that extent I possess all these qualities, but some of them need to be developed.

4 I agree that choosing a career is not a simple matter. And I'm still hesi­tating about my future profession. But I want my profession to be connected with computers, because I have a computer at home and I am learning to use it. And I think that computer professions would be popular in a few years and it won't be difficult to find a good and well paid job, especially if you can work on the computer better than the others. That is one more reason why I want to con­nect my future with computers. I am sure that human's future is impossible without modern and progressive computer technologies and that is why some new professions, connected with computers, will appear in future. Of course, our school computer lessons teach us how to use a computer and give basic knowl­edge, but it is not enough for future and it is necessary to continue education hi higher educational establishments. As I have a computer at home I have the fa­cility for self-education. I believe that it is rather effective because there are a lot of good books, which can help you learn different things about computers. Pve had a computer for several years and I've already learnt a lot about this product of the 20th century. Now I can easily make programs, print documents and pa­pers and then print them on a special machine, called printer, draw different pic­tures, which are close to professional pictures. I think that my parents, relatives and other experienced people can give me a good advice about choosing a future profession. There are not so many establishments specialized on computer in Archangelsk, which 1 want to enter. To my mind, only after getting higher edu-

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cation, we can succeed in life. I am sure that knowledge of English could be of great help in my career, connected with computers, because of the majority of "soft" in English. In computer slang "soft" means computer equipment. And that is why every computer man should possess a good or even brilliant knowledge of English.

5 When you leave school you understand that the time to choose your fu­ture profession, your future life has come. It's not easy to make the right choice of a job. I have known for a long time that leaving school is the beginning of my independent life, the beginning of a far more serious examination of my abilities and character. What do I want to be when I leave school? It's a very important question for me. A few years ago it was difficult for me to give a definite an­swer. As the years passed I changed my mind a lot of times about what science or field of industry to specialize in. It's difficult to make up my mind and choose one of the hundreds of jobs to which I might be better suited. A couple of years ago I wanted to become a doctor, you know, I wanted to help people who had problems with health. Then I wanted to become a policeman, then a spaceman, I even wanted to become, a professional football player. But all of them now are in the past, they were like children's dreams and nothing more. Now I have already decided what to do. I'd like to be an aviator. I know that it's very difficult. I should know perfectly everything about the planes, airports, weather and other things. You know that the weather is a very important thing for the flights too. I must be well educated and well informed. So that's why at first I am going to enter the Aviation University in Moscow, then when I finish studying I'll go to my country and try to get a job in air companies. You know, may be something will not be OK, because I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I know that Г11 do everything to realize my plan and my dreams. I also want to say that the profession should be chosen according to the character and hobbies of the person. That's why parents mustn't make their children choose the thing they like (parents like). Children must do it themselves. Because they must love the thing they do, believe that people need them and their job will bring them more pleasure.

6 When millions of young people leave school, they begin an independent life. Some of them start working, go into business, some of them continue schooling to receive a higher education. Young people can learn about profess sions in magazines and advertisements. Magazines for teenagers often offer questionnaires, quizzes or surveys to help young people find out what their in­terests and abilities are more clearly and make a decision concerning their future occupation. While choosing a career you should take into consideration main demands that you want your future profession to meet: the profession must be interesting, you have to be sure of your future (that means that you will be able

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to find a job after graduation), a job must be well-paid, otherwise you won't be able to support yourself and your future family. During our school life we begin to think about our future life, our job. There are over 2000 professions in the world, so it is quite difficult to choose and make a decision. Some follow their own choice and some follow their relatives', teachers', parents' advice, because they can guide them and help to make a decision concerning future plans. I have never had a question, what I am going to do when Г leave my school. I have known since my childhood that I want to be a linguist, bhave chosen this profes­sion, because a knowledge of foreign languages and foreign cultures is growing in importance nowadays. Foreign languages are needed as the main and the most efficient means of information exchange between the people of our planet. Al­though there are 3000 languages, English is the most universal one. It is the lan­guage of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, and business. It is the universal language of international aviation, shipping, sports, medicine. English is the official language in nearly forty countries. It is spoken by more than 350 million people and also spoken as a second language in many parts of India and Africa. Besides, millions of people study English as a foreign language. In our country English is very popular. It is studied at schools, col­leges and universities. It is important for me to learn English because I want to know what is going on around me in the world. With recent advances in tech­nology, the world is changing rapidly in many fields, such as business, arts and medicine. These changes will affect me soon and it's important for me to read and keep up with these changes. In fact, learning English is the answer to a lot of the things that I need and want. And I can't help mentioning the quotation: "Every man is the maker of his own fortune." In conclusion I would like to say it is an advantage to choose our future career while at school. It gives us a °x)aJ to work towards and enables us to choose a right, suitable course of study. I'd also like to mention that if we don't think about our future, nobody will think for us, so we just can't have one. We must work hard to achieve our ambitions and realize our wishes, because future is purchased by the present.

7 Let me introduce myself. My name is Sergey. I am leaving school this year. My dream is to become a student of the Foreign Languages Department in Krasnodar State University. I want to study English, German and may be French. Knowledge of a foreign language opens a new world for us. If you know a foreign language you can speak with foreigners and it is a way for better un­derstanding, If you know a foreign language you can read books in the original and in a way you can better understand other people's nature and culture. But for knowing English one should learn every day. So I read the texts, translate tnem, try to find key words and learn them later. It is a very difficult work but I try to.do тУ best. I learn new words by heart, work at grammar doing numerous exercises and listen to foreign speech, trying to answer the questions. When I am

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a student Fll do my best to master the foreign language I've chosen. After graduating from the University I hope to become an interpreter and work at a foreign firm.

8              Two occupations attract me a lot. I like to talk with small children and
explain things to them and I like to write computer programs. I often think
which one is the most favourite and can not decide which profession to choose. I
was born in a family of a teacher. When I was a little girl I went to school with
my mother attending her lessons. I watched her and I wanted my mother to be a
favourite and most respected teacher and the older friend for the pupils. Once
our English teacher caught a cold. I was in the 9th form then and was fond of
English. The head teacher asked me to give an English lesson in the 5th form. I
entered the classroom and was terrified at first with all those pupils' eyes stared
at me. But I tried to get concentrated and said "Good morning" in a quiet and
friendly voice. Then it was all right. I wanted the pupils to like English just like I
did. We read, wrote, sang songs, asked and answered questions. Since then I
gave English lessons several times when the teacher was absent and it was an
exciting experience. So, I knew the job well and I was quite certain which pro­
fession I should choose. And then daddy bought a personal computer. Since then
everything has changed much. At first it was impossible for me to understand
how it worked. Now I am an amateur programmer and my father says that I cer­
tainly have an ability for programming. I still have a year ahead to decide, but
now I am not quite sure...

9              We spend a great part of our lives at our work places, so choosing a
right career is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life.
Many students leave secondary school and begin studying at a college without a
clear idea of what they want to do in future. Part of the problem is the size of the
job market itself. With so many kinds of jobs (2000) how can you tell which will
interest you? Some of occupations are already overcrowded. In old industries
there may be little need for new workers, while new and growing industries will
offer jobs now and in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important to explore
your choice of occupations from every angle, collect as much information as
you can. But above all you must evaluate yourself. Find out where your interests
and talents He. Postponing a decision is an error people make. "I'll get started
tomorrow or next week, or next year," - many people think. These people refuse
to face the problem, hoping it will go away. But if you don't take the first step
now, how can you plan for the future, how can you take the right way? Such
people miss many opportunities. First start with yourself, make a list of your in­
terests, talents and abilities. Most people have a lot of these, but at the beginning
they are undeveloped and may not seem outstanding. By concentrating on a few,
or on one you may surprise yourself at how good you can get. The interest in-

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ventory that follows covers the major fields in which most people find careers: science, art, social service, business, sales and so on. Sometimes we say that someone we know is 'a square peg in a round hole'. This means that the person we are talking about is not suited for the job he is doing. Unfortunately, many people in the world are 'square pegs'. But to be a 'square peg' is not a real prob­lem, a real problem for millions of people is to be unemployed. Unemployment especially hits poor and working class families the hardest, not because these people are more likely to be unemployed, but because they don't have a financial resource to fall back on. Unemployment exists primarily for two reasons: first -the existence of millions of unemployed people tends to prevent most of those working from asking for higher wages since they can be replaced easily, second - in their search for profits, corporations are interested in finding the cheapest labor. As for our country more than 10% of our people are unemployed. There is no lack of work force in Russia, but at the recent moment the need for profes­sional workers is increasing. Old industries are overcrowded and it is hard to get a new education for people whose age is 35-40. The problem of unemployment is also connected with the economic crisis in our country. And I think when this crisis comes to an end the problem of unemployment will not be so urgent.

10 I think that the problem of youth employment is very actual and must be solved as quickly as possible. Most of young people in Russia nowadays get higher education. They all go to institutes or universities and even academies. But the quality of education nowadays leaves much to be desired. As a result the country will have a lot of specialists especially doctors, managers and lawyers. But their quality will be very low. It is one problem. The other problem is that of finding working places for such a great number of specialists. The Federal Gov­ernment should do something about this problem. Creating those places for young people is the burning question now. There must be a lot of new plants, factories, hospitals and other enterprises to give jobs to all the graduates. But there is one more problem when people who major in one field are not satisfied with the working conditions and work in another one. As a result they have only their diplomas but they do not work according to their speciality. And it is also very bad. The government should provide good working conditions for some spheres, which are not popular (for example give more money and so on). In Russia young people are still a little suppressed, they have complexes but abroad life is quite different. Young people begin to work very early from the point of view of age, get more and more experience out of their work and have more possibilities to realize themselves.

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UNIT 4

1 Develop the conversation giving reasons for this or that decision.

1       •    ',   ■

-Fm looking for a new job, sir.

-              What exactly do you want?

-1 wouldn't mind working in a pub.

-                            Have you done anything like that before?

-                            Well, I once did a bit of serving...

-1 wonder whether you need any part-timers.

-                             What kind of work were you thinking of?

-                             A hotel job or some sort.

-                             jtfave you ever done anything similar?

-   Not so far, no. I'm more or less straight from school but I'll do my best because...              HE

-                              Do you have any vacancies for full-time staff?

-                              What do you mean (have in mind)?

-                              Something in the building industry.

-                              Have you had any experience?

- Actually, I'm a civil engineer by profession and I enjoy my job, but...

2 Find out about your friends' occupations. Use the following dia­logues as models.

Model A       - What do you do for a living?

-                                                                  Actually, I don't work yet. I go to Manchester Business School and study management.

-                                                                  Why have you chosen management as your future profession.

-              Because it's a demanding and prestigious job today.

Model В              - What does your friend do?

-              Oh, he wants to take up computers.

-              Why does he want to study computer programming?

-              Well, he lost his job last month and hasn't been able to find an­
other one.

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Model С       - What's your present job, Sam?

-                                                              I work as a personnel manager at a big firm but I want to trans­fer to the International Sales Division.

-                                                              What for?

-                                                              Well, I don't really like to work at the office. 1 just want to travel, to go to Africa or Latin America, for example.

-                                                              Hrara, that's exciting.

Model D       - What would you like to be, Philip?

-                                                              Actually, I don't know yet. I think I'd rather be a writer.

-                                                              Are there any special reasons for that?

-1 see only one: I like to see my name in print.

3 Answer the following questions:

1.                            Is career an important part in your life?

2.                            What's your idea of an ideal job?

3.                            What are some good jobs to have and why?      £H

4.                            What are the worst jobs and why?

5.  What job would you like to get after you graduate from the university? (What career would you like to follow ... ?)

6.                            What business are your parents in?

7.                            How long has your father (mother) been in trade?     ^

8.                            Does he (she) hold any important post?

9.                            Is there a lot of stress connected with his (her) work?

10.                              Do you think his (her) present career is the right one for him (her)?

11.   Would he (she) continue working at his (her) present job even if he (she) won or inherited a lot of money?

12.                              Would you agree to get married and not to work?

4 Comment on the following:

A woman was being interviewed for a job. "Do you understand that be­fore we can offer you a position you must take a short test?" "Of course", she answered. "Well, how much is two plus two?" "Four".

A second applicant entered the room. After a short interview the recruiter asked, "Are you ready for the test?" "Yes". "Well, how much is two plus two?"

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The applicant answered, "Whatever the boss says it is". The second appli­cant got the job.

5.  Choosing the right profession for a child is one of the most impor­tant decisions for parents. Act out a scene where two young mothers (fa­thers) discuss the problem. Give some reasons to support your ideas.

6.                               Speak on your future profession in as many details as possible.

Для составления рассказа о будущей профессии студентам специ­альностей ХБ, БЖ и ЗС предлагаются тексты в приложении А, остальные три приложения предназначены для студентов всех специальностей. При­ложение Б содержит список современных профессий по сферам деятельно­сти, приложение В - тест для более успешного профессионального само­определения, приложение Г - образцы документов (резюме и сопроводи­тельного письма), необходимых при устройстве на работу.

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ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ А

(обязательное)

ADDITIONAL TEXTS FOR READING

Chemistry

Chemistry is an experimental and theoretical study of the composition of matter and the changes that take place in matter. Chemistry is very important for modern society. Without many discoveries made by great chemists the advance in technology would be impossible. It is so much a part of our lives that it is very easily taken for granted. Metals, glass, dyes, drugs, etc are all made of chemicals. Chemistry occupies a central position among the basic sciences and it is closely connected with physics and biology, it plays an important part in the development of geology and physiology, enters every industry as well as medi­cine and agriculture. There are many reasons for studying chemistry. First, there is a cultural reason - a well-educated man or woman needs to have an under­standing of the material world he lives in. Second, there is a practical or profes­sional reason. Chemists and chemical engineers are needed for many activities. A man or woman who selects chemistry as a profession does not place narrow limitation on what he will do with his life. He still has many roads open to him -he may become a teacher, may be a research man, working either with inorganic substances or with organic substances; he may help to control great industrial process, to develop new ones; he may collaborate with medical workers in the control of disease. Even if he selects a profession other than chemistry, he may find himself using his chemical knowledge not only in his everyday work but also in overcoming unexpected problems.

Our university provides great opportunities to get theoretical and practical knowledge of chemistry and other disciplines closely connected with any major chosen by students. First and second year students study such subjects as mathematics, physics, chemistry, foreign languages, engineering drawing and so on. To get all necessary knowledge students should attend lectures and seminars In addition to it they can take part in the research work. Jn order to master the speciality perfectly an industrial training is introduced in the course of study Second year students of our faculty study Organic Chemistry, Analytical Chem­istry, Strength of Materials, Planning and Management of Production etc ты;/^ State Technical university in Komsomolsk-na^Amure trains hmhly-ofiXstryPeC1       ' °UF SkiUed engineers can work Practically in ail the fields