The following are my answers to a selection of the questions asked by readers.

Q. I am first-born and need to help with my younger brothers and sister, how do I study law without going to university?

A. It is becoming increasingly easy to study “by correspondence” as email is nowadays more efficient than walking with an essay to the university tutor’s office used to be! Although you don’t have the same level of personal contact, with e-mail you can communicate with top specialists world-wide!

Q. I want to be a mechanical engineer, but I am not sure of the work involved. How do I make sure that I will like the job?

A. Try “shadowing” which means coming to an agreement whereby you follow the professional around as he/she does the job, helping where requested and/or permitted. You are not paid for this activity. You would be working to compensate for the very valuable experiences of being a “shadow” who can occasionally help with the easier, more routine, or more uncomfortable tasks. You should be humble, discreet, and extremely grateful. 

Benefits:

1. There is often a huge difference between what you imagine the job to be like, and how it actually is:

2. You learn not only about the job, but about the jobs and people who ‘link’ with the professional eg. other professionals, customers, service providers etc.

Q. Too many young people are out of work and there are very few jobs free. So I want to start my own business. How do I find out what business to start up?

A. The Rotary Careers and Self-Development Handbook will help, available from Rotarian Peter Compton for the nominal price (to charity) of $2-00 per copy e-mailed. This is a wonderful resource for every student! Aim to acquire a Smartphone, as this will vastly expand your ‘universe’ of potential customers. Providing internet assistance to others like yourself might even be a good business idea!

Q. I need help with my CV. How can I produce a successful CV for job applications?

A. 1. Refer as above, to the Rotary Careers and Self-Development Handbook.

2.  Obtain formal qualifications, diploma level and above, and include these in your CV. Potential employers like to see evidence of ambition, effort and initiative. Bear this in mind for your CV, for the selection interview, and for performance on the job!

Q. How do I get professional Vocational Guidance? 

A. Recommended. A fee of a couple of hundred dollars is not much when amortized over a lifetime of successful work and leisure earned! I recommend that you call the Psychologist and “interview” by phone before engaging Vocational Guidance.

Some of the Careers Counselors of the more affluent schools have relevant qualifications and can be most helpful, at no extra fee. In which case, choosing the right careers counselor becomes the main problem.

Q. I know so many people who got their jobs out of luck alone. So why bother to make plans, why not just wait for the luck?

A. A good question, but only because so many people ask it! You make your own luck, by your efforts. 

Tel: 04-736675, 700643

E-mail: hres@ecoweb.co.zw

Website: www.hresonline.com