SINGAPORE: “It’s a jungle out there. Disorder and confusion everywhere. No one seems to care.” For those who are old enough to remember, these are the lyrics from the Emmy-Award-winning theme song of the early 2000s detective TV series Monk.
The words seem an apt description of the way our youths today view the working world.
Who can blame them? Not a week goes by without news of yet another company retrenching workers. Fresh graduates are taking a longer time to find jobs, and rapid advancements in technology are changing the nature of work as we know it.
The Singapore Perspectives 2024 conference in January by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) highlighted a concerning trend - about half of the respondents aged 21 to 34 in their survey expressed uncertainties about their future in the workforce.
During the conference, NTUC’s Acting Director for Youth Development, Ms Natasha Choy said: “Many of them feel ill-prepared when entering the workforce.”
This resonates deeply with my own experiences as an educator. Many students frequently express anxieties and uncertainties about their future employment prospects.
WIDENING GAP BETWEEN YOUTHS AND ADULTS
When students come to me seeking career advice, I would suggest they explore professions that align best with their abilities and interests. Yet, a significant number of them would express reluctance to explore these roles.
As I explored this issue further with them, it was apparent that those struggling to envision themselves in professional roles often lack meaningful interactions with adults who can share their experiences.
This creates knowledge gaps about various professions and fosters unrealistic expectations about the qualifications and personal traits needed for these careers. They shared that they felt a need to pursue additional qualifications like a master’s degree or other certifications, even though these were not explicitly required for the job.
One student I talked to felt unqualified for roles in both the public and private sectors - despite his stellar academic and co-curricular accomplishments. He did not know anyone he could talk to learn more about the working world.
His was not an isolated case - many others faced a similar problem. This is symptomatic of a widening gap between the world of our youths and the world of adults.
A good number of parents I spoke to felt disconnected from their children’s worlds. Not only are their children’s lifestyle vastly different from their own experiences as youths, but the lingo their children speak and what they do online can appear mysterious - these can make some adults feel disempowered in their efforts to connect with youths.
As traditional sources of guidance recede, youths turn to social media. Often, this skews their perception of the working world, painting an intimidating picture marked by an illusion of perfection and an impatient intolerance for errors - one cannot help but feel vastly inadequate for the working world.
YOUTHS’ THIRST FOR STORIES
Conversely, students who displayed significantly less apprehension and more realistic views of entry requirements typically shared a common trait: Strong personal relationships with older working adults. Oftentimes these are older siblings, cousins, or friends - people they can relate better with. The stronger connections they have, the greater their confidence.
These relationships provide a window into the working world, making the daily life of the working profession more visible and familiar. Their stories and experiences significantly reduce perceived barriers, encouraging youths to venture into new and unfamiliar territory.
For example, a Japanese Studies graduate was drawn to banking due to the influence of a sibling in the sector, while another, a Chinese Studies major, is exploring a variety of internships across various sectors, inspired by her father’s stories as a consultant and her interactions with various professionals whom she had befriended along the way.
These examples highlight an important truth:No matter how much the world has changed, no matter how different our youth’s lifestyle are to ours - the human condition is still the same.
Youths are still thirsting for stories on managing difficult life situations and navigating the complexities of interpersonal relationships - be it in a personal or professional context.
Our youths are trying to seek these stories out on their own - but this is challenging. My students shared that many times, the adults around them respond in the form of prescriptive advice, or top-down commands on what they ought to do with their lives - not only does this fall on deaf ears, but it also discourages them from asking further.
HOW CAN PARENTS, SCHOOLS HELP?
What youths really want to hear are our personal stories.
At home, parents can share their own personal experiences, particularly those involving failure and how they overcame it. Some may worry that their children will think less of them if they share such unflattering tales - I used to have similar worries, and I discovered that my own stories of professional and personal setbacks have been profoundly instructive for young people.
When presented as stories, youths are more receptive to learn that failure can be an opportunity for growth - they are assured that it is not the end of the world when they make mistakes, that struggles and mistakes are part and parcel in the working world and in life.
Schools can organise more platforms for students to interact with professionals through small-group dialogue sessions, mentoring programmes, or collaborative projects. These initiatives provide students opportunities to see the human side of these professionals, a realistic glimpse into various career paths, and dispel any myths or fears they might have about the professional world.
One thing youths can do is to explore doing informational interviews, where one connects with professionals (through e-mail or LinkedIn), learning more about their jobs and industries in a casual conversation over coffee or a meal.
This can feel very intimidating - and this is where the entire family can work together. Parents can help to build their children’s confidence by conducting practice interviews and share their stories in the process. They can also use this as an opportunity to invite colleagues and friends to share their stories and experiences as part of the practice.
Ultimately, these stories are powerful in demystifying the path that lies ahead of them, empowering them to make their own decisions and try new experiences.
By fostering open dialogues and a sharing of experiences with working adults, we can help our youths to bridge their world with ours.
Jonathan Sim is Associate Fellow of the NUS Teaching Academy and Lecturer with the Department of Philosophy at National University of Singapore.
