Most of the first year students at our university's Faculty for informatics and computing do not have a clear picture of their career and direction of specialisation in the industry in the field of computing and informatics.
The Centre for career planning employs different methods such as job showcasing, job fairs, volunteer assignments at partner companies etc, but this is done only with students that are interested in this kind of service and who are motivated to undergo excessive career assessments etc. Usually, third and fourth year students choose to enrol in this programme.
I was wondering, based on own experience, if anyone could, please, share their views, ideas or (if permitted) their institution's methods for motivating first year students to think about their career path. Students do not know whether or not to choose a career in programming or other fields of IT, such as planning, testing, consulting, security, networking etc. These are all valid and great fields, but not everyone can easily find himself or herself in this line of work.
As someone who teaches classes to first year students as well as those in the final year of studies, I would like to be able to help them understand themselves and determine career options, but on the other hand, I do not wish to bombard them with all these career planning and assessment ideas and thoughts that might scare them off from the field. Most of them come to the faculty with the idea that they want to get into IT, but not all understand how wide of a field the IT actually is.
What are some of your suggestions regarding this and how to approach first year students with this important life deciding issue?
Approaching first year IT students with the question of career planning and choosing the field of IT best suited for them. What are your suggestions?
Perhaps you can ask them to try the following:
Approaching first year IT students with the question of career planning and choosing the field of IT best suited for them. What are your suggestions?
"... I would like to be able to help them understand themselves and determine career options, but on the other hand, I do not wish to bombard them with all these career planning and assessment ideas and thoughts that might scare them off from the field. Most of them come to the faculty with the idea that they want to get into IT, but not all understand how wide of a field the IT actually is."
Dear Milan Tair,
My appreciation for your teaching motivation. It is my experience. In the first year classes, besides presenting the aims and objectives of the courses, I will also describe the positions of the courses in the curriculum, especially in its road map. I think, the curriculum itself is developed by adopting the career options--the output approach, and by adapting the stages to reach the career options--the process one. For example, the ACM curriculum guideline. It is clear that the guideline elucidates comprehensively the carrier issue. I believe, besides knowing the career options, understanding the road maps of the courses is also essential for the students, where are their existing position in the study.
May help,
Regards,
Dear Mr Han Ping Fung and Mr A'ang Subiyakto, thank you both for your answers.
I will certainly follow Mr Han Ping Fung's suggested steps combined with Mr A'ang Subiyakto's pointed out fact that I should explain to them the place of this particular course in the whole of the programme in which they have enrolled.
I do hope to use this opportunity, being one of the teachers teaching one of five courses in their first semester, to try to make them understand the importance of understanding their education path and the importance of having at least some idea about planning their career.
Thank you both for prompt answers so far in this topic. I am hoping to provoke a larger discussion on this topic because I believe that it is important to the industry, as well as for the academy.
Once again, thank you and best regards.
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