In the final year at high school, Li Yonghong knew that a career at university was not for her. Her parents had not wanted to pay for any other type of education, but had offered her some money to set up a small business to sell cigarettes. However, that was not what she had in mind. Instead, she asked a couple of friends to lend her some money so that she could take a one-year training course to become a hairdresser.
Looking back, she congratulates herself on this decision. Soon after completing her course, she found a job in a barbershop. Things went smoothly. As the years went by, she worked in many places, always improving her position and gradually getting more and more experience. She had made herself independent, and was able to manage her finances well. Two years ago, she decided to put that money to good use. She decided to go back to school. This time she decided on a practical course to learn how to do make-up. Once again this proved to be an excellent choice. The combination of being an experienced hairdresser and knowing how to do commercial make-up for brides and bridegrooms made her much in demand.
The story of Li Yonghong is not exceptional. Life at high school is the time to find out not only what we are really good at, but also what we really want. It is not always easy to discover our strengths while we are still at school. Many people tend to listen to their parents or to their teachers who often have expectations that are hard to live up to. The ideal for many people at that age is to go to university, but is going to university really the ideal career for most people?
At the age of 17 to 18, many young people dream of going to university, because they think a university degree is the ticket to success and happiness in life. Too many people forget that in order to become successful, you must first explore your talents and get to know yourself so as to find out where your real interests lie. Not going to university is not a shame.
No matter how hard you try, working towards a career for which you are not suitable is not going to get you there. Think of the following little experiment. Write your name on a piece of paper. Now do the same with your opposite hand, the one you do not usually use for writing. How about the results this time? This example shows that we can be really good at something when we follow what feels right.
It is no use for everybody to try to pursue the same career. What would the world look like full of managers and financial specialists? We must make the most of our special talents and interests. By following your own interests you will ensure that you arrive at the best possible-station in life.
It has become quite common now to distinguish various people's different talents or "intelligences", and accept their influence on human functioning. People have different personality types, and connected to these types are different learning styles. Schools and universities tend to serve people whose mental, intellectual type is strongest. People whose learning style is to try, experiment and find their way through hands-on experience, often find that school life does not accommodate their learning style.
These characteristics combine in unique ways in each person, forming personality types, each made up of different inner processes and ways of functioning in the world. It is important to recognize that each personality type is of equal value. No "way of being" is better than another. Each offers gifts and processes that complement the others, contributing in a unique way to the qualitative functioning of the whole, whether the "whole" is a team, a class, a family or a society. |