College is just one of many paths...

Even though university is still the most basic path, bringing the most opportunities for students, that does not mean that not going to university is... the end.

Translator Nguyen Quoc Vuong believes that going to university to seek success and change your life is just one of many paths. (Photo: NVCC)

Nowadays, more and more universities only use the results of the high school graduation exam as a reference or initial step for admission. It can be said that going to university to seek success and change your life is one of many paths.

The diverse and rapidly growing economy creates many different paths for students to choose from. Although university is still the most basic path, bringing the most opportunities for students, that does not mean that not going to university is... the end.

There are many other paths such as vocational training, college, going into production, business, the important thing is to realize that school is not limited to four walls. It is every opportunity, every space, beyond all limits, you can learn from friends, colleagues, people around, from the job you are doing, from the Internet, from online courses, distance learning...

The problem lies in sincerely identifying the purpose, goals, and philosophy of learning and having the determination to pursue it. Choosing what to study that is suitable for yourself and your family circumstances is also very important. There are no noble or humble professions, only honest, suitable professions and vice versa. When you choose a suitable profession and are dedicated, the chance of making a good living from it will be high.

In developed countries, the vocational education system, including both general and professional schools, is built early, systematically and operates well. University is just one option among many. In Japan, right from high school, students have been trained in a very professional profession. Vocational colleges (kosen) and vocational schools (semon) also provide very good training. It provides many options for students with diverse needs. It is worth mentioning that a strong economy, diverse types of occupations, and industries also create good and rich output opportunities for students. Higher education is an option but not the only option. The awareness that it is the only path is decreasing.

Today’s jobs require important skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. Jobs will change both their names and their content, and the requirements will become increasingly higher and more diverse. Learning a certain job in advance so that it will be useful after graduation is gradually becoming impossible. The important thing is to learn the basics for all jobs, which are the ability to concentrate, the ability to self-study, the ability to detect problems, and the ability to cooperate.

For example, no matter what school or profession students attend, they will need health, basic knowledge, and thinking methods. These factors do not come purely from studying for exams in textbooks but from everyday life, through rich experiences, from reading books, communicating with people around them, and from role models. Therefore, learning should be diverse in many spaces, with many learning materials, and many methods instead of being communicated purely by spoken language as it is now.

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), learning should not be blindly considered as stuffing knowledge and information into students, forcing students to remember, understand and then repeat solving existing problems. In my opinion, we should focus on minimum basic knowledge and thinking methods as well as the ability to concentrate and solve problems. When having the right and good methodology, students can learn by themselves any knowledge needed to detect and solve problems in their studies and life. Flexibility and sharpness in thinking are much more important than the ability to find the absolutely correct answer like exam preparation.

It must also be said that parents need to have a normal attitude towards their children's studies from a young age, regardless of whether they succeed or fail. Success or failure in independent life is very normal, let alone success or failure in studying in some tests, scores or exams. In fact, failure in school is the least costly failure in all aspects. That failure can teach us many things and help us realize where our true strength lies, what we should pursue as our forte or at least what we can do best.

Parents should consider their children's achievements or failures as normal and guide them to study regularly, persistently, continuously, and consciously improve their mistakes every day. If they fail this school, they will study at another school; if they cannot study this way, they will study another way. Children should be guided to study consciously, have the will to overcome difficulties, and be able to calmly perceive and solve problems rather than considering this school or that school as their entire educational career. Parents' attitude towards their children's failures will greatly determine how they accept those failures...

Faced with the constant changes of the world, to cope with change, we need to be calm and composed. That is, to be calm in the face of interference signals, with entertainment means to focus on learning the basics, basic thinking methods, cultivating basic cultural knowledge... That is, returning to the nature of learning is to discover new things, perfect oneself, and desire to understand the unknown. The more we chase after achievements, the more we learn according to the trends, the more exhausted and out of breath students will be.

Learning has a very broad content, it is not just about learning to do math, write essays at school, nor is it just about doing homework to get grades. Learning is a process of constantly perfecting yourself. Moreover, learning at school is only the most basic path, creating the most opportunities, there are many other paths. If you have tried on the most basic path but failed or are not as good as expected, there may be a side path that is more suitable for you, waiting for you. Young people should search, explore and courageously go on that path.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-hoc-chi-la-mot-trong-nhieu-con-duong-278705.html