What You Can Expect on Your Next Micro Career Prototype Experience
WRITTEN BY AUDREY TEO
In late November, I set out to uncover a hypothesis:
Micro career exposure opportunities are more effective in helping a young person discern their suitability for and interest in a career as compared to traditional career talks.
Personally, I have attended quite a number of career talks from school. While these can be informative, it was never quite enough for me to make better career-related decisions. Of course I could apply for internships to experience the job first-hand but internships require substantial investment of time and energy that many of us cannot always afford. The extremes of dry career talks and internships bother me because there seems to be a lack of an ‘in-between option’ to explore careers.
What then is this ‘in-between option’? Perhaps it would be to provide micro career exposure opportunities for young people who are exploring different job roles or sectors out here in Singapore or who are transitioning from one career path to another -- something that Bold At Work likes to call a ‘prototype experience’.
I had the opportunity to attend one such programme in the form of a 1-day Taster Programme to learn more about the youth and social service sector at Loving Heart Jurong.
Group Photo at Loving Hearts Jurong (23 November 2020)
To test my hypothesis, I caught up with two fellow participants, Ke Wei (19, currently taking her gap year) and Dawn (16, just finished her O Levels), gathering their reflections post event. While I did not manage to test this hypothesis thoroughly, having based my finding only on this one taster programme and based on 3 experiences (including my own), I did gather meaningful insights that I am excited to share with you!
Based on our prototype experiences, I do think that micro career exposure opportunities are more effective in helping a young person discern their suitability for and interest in a career as compared to traditional career talks.
In the next section, we will be hearing from Ke Wei and Dawn on the various aspects of this prototype experience that were helpful. I will also be sharing some tips for you as you enter such experiences (hopefully in the near future)!
A Space to Self-Discover while Exploring Careers
JuraSEEK context setting & reflection activities facilitated by Bold At Work
DAWN: The Juraseek games we played in the morning allowed me to understand myself even better which was an experience I really enjoyed and cherished. This taster programme really changed my conception of social service and it broadened my horizons. I learnt more about the job and more about myself too.
KE WEI: The Taster Programme works like a key and lock matching session. The jobs and sectors of each session act like the lock and the participants come with different keys to try and see if their key fits into the different locks. Some of us are planning to come into the sector and come to the Taster Programme to try and see if their passion and goals fit into the job or sector, while some of us come without a key, not knowing what our aspirations are but we come with an open mind and an open heart to explore different sectors and different jobs.
Tip # 1
Understand the importance of discovering yourself as you explore careers
While the programme was meant to help us understand the job role, we were also given the space and tools to understand ourselves better -- for instance, reflecting on whether a particular career is aligned with our values or life goals. This is essential in the longer run as we choose our future career!
2. Hands-on activities
Youth work event planning project; Social work role-playing activity
DAWN: Being able to experience the role of a social worker, to step into the shoes of someone in the industry (through role-plays or event planning), I gained deeper insights into the potential difficulties faced as well. So this programme allowed me to discern if I’m suited for this industry which is really helpful. It was a better way to truly understand the nature of the job rather than listening to others’ experience.”
KE WEI: We took turns to roleplay as the Case Manager and as a Case Manager, we were tasked to talk to the beneficiary, fill up the case management form and try to find assistance from different organizations for them. It was a really fruitful experience as we tried our best to understand the beneficiary’s story and what kind of help they really need. Some of us also got to roleplay as a beneficiary and we were given a storyline and some background information about the situation of the beneficiary that we were roleplaying. While roleplaying, we realise that sometimes, the situation becomes complex and stems beyond things we see on the surface.
Tip # 2
Step out of your comfort zone and step into the shoes of professionals
When you have the chance to try a job with “no strings attached”, it really is a safe space to just try and not be afraid to fail. Be bold and not shy away from such opportunities! Maybe you’ll discover that you are not suited for a job or perhaps discover a hidden strength that you have.
3. Interacting with Professionals
Q&A session with youth workers and social workers
KE WEI: The Taster Programme allowed me to connect with people who worked in that sector day in and out. This really gave me the opportunity to listen to stories and experiences. I think listening to their experiences led me to bigger questions that gave me the chance to discover more about myself. “Do I prefer a start-up environment or a corporation environment?”, “Do I prefer stability or do I prefer a more flexible and dynamic job?”, “Is this really for me?”
The Taster Programme gave me much more than just the job scope, the salary and the progression. It gave me the opportunity to experience the working environment, the way how the people interacted with each other in the workplace, and it also allowed me to see and experience what they do during work.
DAWN: I have only attended some courses organised by Singapore Media Academy to get a taste of what it's like being a media personality (radio dj, newscaster etc.)
This taster programme is shorter as those I attended spanned over 3 days. Both of them are roughly similar as i got to try out the job first hand and interact with those currently in the industry. This Taster programme does however include Q&A segments which other programmes do not have.
Tip #3
Start preparing questions you want to ask and fire away when the opportunity comes
Write down the questions or concerns you may have regarding any career path you want to explore. This will help maximise your learning as you find out information that are tailored to your personal needs or concerns regarding a certain job!
4. Networking with Fellow Peers
We stayed back to make connections and keep in touch
KE WEI: The Taster Programme gave me the chance to interact with individuals from different backgrounds and aspects of life. Meeting them and getting to know one another was really fun. While sharing, we might find some “twins” within the group who share similar interests or even the same sense of “loss” of “I don’t know what I want”. Or we might even find “mentors” within the group who are willing to share about their experiences like dealing with A levels, or how they navigate through life or get lost somewhere in life. Listening to their experiences and laughing at little funny moments during the session were definitely one of the highlights of the session.
Tip #4
Make new friends with a group of like-minded youths through common discovery experiences
You’ll never know where these connections could lead to next time, who could inspire you, or what you could learn from their sharing!
Conclusion
In retrospect, I know I would have appreciated such short-term, micro career exposures back when I was 16 or 17 years old. I recall feeling really lost and unsure whether to go to a Polytechnic or a Junior College -- I had no clue what career I wanted to explore. Having access to such short-term career exposure opportunities would have proven beneficial in helping me discern my suitability for and interest in a career. Well, I guess it is never too late for me and it is never too late or early for you to start exploring too -- keep an open mind and be bold!
Now it is your turn to be On Your Way!
This taster programme was one of the many initiatives organised by the National Youth Council as part of their new On My Way resource -- a comprehensive website where you can learn about different jobs and industries, hear from fellow youth and industry professionals, and try out taster programmes for micro experiences of different job roles.