School students are encouraged to make their own higher education choices but also need some support. With so many degrees, institutions, and study destinations to choose from and amidst a lot of hearsay about this topic, it is important to gently nudge young people towards making informed decisions based on comprehensive and reliable information.
During one of our conversations, Dr Jamil Salmi, an education economist who used to work for the World Bank, once mentioned that school students must ideally be able to choose their future degree subject with “full awareness of the employment prospects for various programmes.” However, education economists like him also often emphasise that economies continue to evolve and are usually subject to changes and that, therefore, the matching or alignment of higher education courses with the needs of a job market is not and cannot be an exact science.
Dr Salmi also explained that young people are expected to always benefit from taking courses at learning institutions that can help them acquire and strengthen the “complex transversal competencies and skills” needed for most, if not all, of the 21st-century jobs. He mentioned critical thinking, collaboration, communication, curiosity, creativity, and the ability to continue to learn, unlearn, and relearn new knowledge and skills.
Plus, not all careers require a professional degree pathway. Sure, if one wants to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, one will need to pursue a specific degree. Still, many other professions can be based on more generic degrees, which is why many CEOs, managers, entrepreneurs, and civil servants pursued higher education courses which, subject-wise, did not always directly relate to their profession but helped shape their analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, and other transversal skills they have been able to apply in various work environments. As they say, “A manager cannot become an engineer unless they have pursued a specific degree, but an engineer can become an excellent manager thanks to their way of thinking.” Dr Salmi also encourages students to, perhaps above all else, choose a career they are passionate about and explore various courses they feel intrinsically motivated to take. The education economist is convinced that when people love what they study or do, they are more likely to become good students and hardworking professionals.
Students will also find the entire higher education decision-making process considerably easier if they start by choosing the subject they want to study and then look at different types of institutions and scholarships that offer and cover this subject. All in all, choosing a preferred subject degree should be based on a holistic approach; other than the increased possibility of successful job prospects and contributing to the nation’s economic requirements, one also must take into consideration one’s passion. After all, our intrinsic interests drive us and usually allow us to go the extra mile during our studies and careers and turn our talents into meaningful career options.
Representatives from the reputed University of St Andrews in Scotland once explained to Omani students who wanted to pursue their Medicine degree programme that an “excellent effort in school is only one part of being considered a potentially successful candidate.” To them, it is not about statements like, “I want to become a doctor because of job security and reputation while I excelled in Chemistry at school.” They explained that choosing Medicine as a degree subject is also about attitude, learning styles, and an intrinsic interest in their programme based on wanting to help people. For this reason, the university advised students to “link their abilities and interests to the qualities they think a doctor would need.” The same approach should be applied by students choosing any other course or career at any learning institution.
On this note, another important factor in higher education decision-making is one’s learning abilities and styles, which I will focus on in my next column.
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