Navigating the vocational landscape. Which direction is the right one?

We’re born. We’re raised. We’re sent to school. And then…we enter the working world. But with the vocational landscape of the workplace changing rapidly, due to advancement in technology and a booming economy, how on earth can we even begin to think about where our place in this world may be?

Traditionally, schools have been built on the nineteenth century ‘factory-model’ of education. Jobs were far more predictable then and there wasn’t such widespread uncertainty about the vocational landscape of the future. That was then and this is now. The 21st Century. It’s no longer a simple ‘crossroad dilemma’ at the end of the high school highway but rather spaghetti junction, overpasses, one-way streets and an autobahn of rapidly changing vocations. It comes as no surprise that the American Psychological Associations recent survey on ‘Stress Levels of Teens in High Schools’ reported that teens are testing higher on stress levels than previously before. Imagine that. You’ve arrived at a roundabout. You’re driving a manual. There are countless lanes all merging on. These emotional stalls that teens are experiencing are a direct result of the lack of guidance and support around understanding the working world they’re trying to calmly merge on to.

This brings light to the need for a ‘driving instructor’. Now more than ever Generation Z, or our iGen, needs guidance, support, reassurance, a pat on the back. It’s a scary thing leaving the familiar comfort and security of school but there are resources and services out there that can aid in this transition. These services are the ‘vocational driving instructors’ young adults need. A quick google search brings up a smorgasbord of online vocational services and career possibilities. However, navigating this place in itself is a whole different level of instruction. You’re back at that roundabout but this time there’s flashing lights, loud music, the person behind you is beeping. You need that guidance, personal reassurance and pat on the back. You need someone that can give you a personalized, authentic careers programme. A service that cares for your passions, interests, skills and vocational wellbeing, such as Swivel Careers.

The role of a Guidance Counsellor in schools is in some cases becoming redundant. Without on the ground experience and a critical understanding of the changing vocational landscape, many Guidance Counsellors can be likened to a ‘vocational ranger’. They’re present and available but they’ve got no map, no resources, and they’ve turned up outside the wrong park. Personalised services, such as Swivel Careers, are founded on years of experience, up-to-date research and thorough psychometric testing. They are the vocational instructor in the passenger’s seat. The vocational ranger with a GPS. The person that can confidently guide young adults towards the right vocational choices after leaving high school. Deciding which lane to turn off at this roundabout is no easy task. But with assertive coaching and support, you can feel assured with the direction you choose.

Submission to a traditional workforce is no longer an option for young adults. The advancement in technology has also resulted in the ease of accessing information online. It gives birth to a rare moment in history where our emotional intelligence may surpass the importance of our intellectual intelligence. After all, what value is a fact we can look up online in a few seconds? How we then comprehend and approach the fact is the new skill. We talk about emotional competence as a modern-day commodity. This goes hand-in-hand with the need to grow resilient, adaptable young adults that have both social and cross-cultural skills. Personalised testing and vocational coaching seeks to grow these attributes and promote productivity, accountability, leadership and self-direction. So before we let our young adults pull up to this busy roundabout let’s ensure that they’re aware of the direction they’re going. Let’s ensure that we’ve done everything we possibly can to make sure they can navigate their way through the vocational landscape.