📘 Part 3: School, jobs and young people

This episode's vocabulary

Relocation (noun) - the act of moving or moving something or someone from one place to another, or an example of this.

Savoury (adj.) - if you say that something is not savoury, you mean that it is not pleasant or socially acceptable.

Bullying (noun) - the behaviour of a person who hurts or frightens someone smaller or less powerful, often forcing that person to do something they do not want to do.

Conducive (adj.) - providing the right conditions for something good to happen or exist.

To nurture (verb) - to feed and care for a child, or to help someone or something develop by encouraging that person or thing.

Curricula (plural noun) - the subjects studied in a school, college, etc. and what each subject includes.

Setback (noun) - something that happens that delays or prevents a process from developing.

Grief (noun) - very great sadness, especially at the death of someone.

Extracurricular activity (noun) - an extracurricular activity or subject is not part of the usual school or college course.

Circumstance (noun) - a fact or event that makes a situation the way it is.

Earning potential (noun) - the amount of money that it is possible for you to make in your work.

Student loan (noun) - an agreement by which a student at a college or university borrows money from a bank to pay for their education and then pays the money back after they finish studying and start working.

Concomitant (adj.) - happening and connected with another thing.

Vocational training/school (noun) - a school where students learn skills that involve working with their hands

Apprenticeship (noun) - a period of time working as an apprentice.

Apprentice (noun) - someone who has agreed to work for a skilled person for a particular period of time and often for low payment, in order to learn that person's skills.

Entrepreneurship (noun) - skill in starting new businesses, especially when this involves seeing new opportunities.

Democratisation (noun) - the process of making countries or organizations use democratic ways of making decisions.

Obsolete (adj.) - not in use any more, having been replaced by something newer and better or more fashionable.

Rigid (adj.) - stiff or fixed; not able to be bent or moved.

To be smooth sailing (idiom) - to be easy and without problems.

Emotional intelligence (noun) - the ability to understand the way people feel and react and to use this skill to make good judgments and to avoid or solve problems.

Cognitively (adverb) - in a way that is connected with thinking, or conscious mental processes.

Critical thinking (noun) - the process of thinking carefully about a subject or idea, without allowing feelings or opinions to affect you.

Tolerance (noun) - willingness to accept behaviour and beliefs that are different from your own, although you might not agree with or approve of them.

Networking (noun) - the activity of meeting people who might be useful to know, especially in your job.

Decision-making (noun) - the process of making choices, esp. important choices.

To compartmentalize (verb) - to separate something into parts and not allow those parts to mix together.

Tight-knit (adj.) - closely connected

Intimate (adj.) - having, or being likely to cause, a very close friendship or personal or sexual relationship.

Agile (adj.) - able to move your body quickly and easily.

Bed of roses (idiom) - an easy and happy existence.

Position (noun) - a job.

Seniority (noun) - the advantage that you get by working for a company for a long time.

To daunt (verb) - to make someone feel slightly frightened or worried about their ability to achieve something.

Attitudinal (adj.) - relating to people's attitude towards something.

Work-lifebalance (adj.) - the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy.

Ossification (noun) - the process of habits or ideas becoming fixed and unable to change.

To jump ship (idiom) - to leave a company or organization in order to work for another, especially in order to get a higher salary or better working conditions.

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Questions and Answers

M: Why might some children change schools?

R: Well, generally speaking, events like family relocation or access to better opportunities if a different school provides more challenging curriculum or specialised programs might be good reasons. There are less savoury things like bullying or health conditions that would be better addressed at a different school, maybe with a more conducive or nurturing environment. And of course, the old school could just have closed. Not everything has to be dramatic.

M: How does changing school affect children?

R: Well, in general, there are things like social and academic adjustment to new classmates or curricula and teaching styles. I suppose, they may also experience some academic setbacks as they adapt to the new material. There's also the emotional impact as well, especially if they're leaving behind friends and familiar surroundings. And children may experience grief, sadness or anxiety during these transitions. However, there are opportunities for growth as children may have the chance to try new extracurricular activities and develop new interests and meet new people. It certainly worked for me.

M: Some people think it's essential that people go to university, but what do you think?

R: Well, broadly speaking, ultimately that depends on individual circumstances and goals. While university education can be valuable for some, it may not be the best fit for everybody. There's a higher earning potential, since on average university graduates earn more than non-graduates. Well, that's over the course of their careers, I mean. On the subject of which, they have more career opportunities and opportunities to advance in general through their academic achievement and networking. By contrast, however, university costs a lot, leading to student loan debt, and it's a massive time sink with concomitant academic pressure. And there are dozens of alternative paths to university, such as vocational training or apprenticeships or entrepreneurship. Also, with the democratisation of information and training, universities may soon become obsolete. So that's something to bear in mind too.

M: Some people say that school was more difficult at the past. Would you agree?

R: As a general rule, yes. While schools have evolved over time to match the challenges of their contexts, in the past a combination of a lack of technology, less individualised instruction and more rigid curricula could make school feel less engaging or relevant and less adapted to children's or students' lives. Since we've addressed those issues now, you could say that school is easier, but something being more difficult doesn't always mean it has more value. You could learn all the moves in karate, but a single pull of a trigger would stop the most experienced master in their tracks. And it's not like it's all smooth sailing nowadays either. There are issues such as increased pressure to perform academically and socially and the constant presence of technology and social media distractions. Ultimately, the difficulty of school probably depends on a variety of factors, including individual strengths and challenges, as well as the school itself.

M: And is socialisation important for children?

R: Well, yes, overall. Socialisation is like a crucial aspect of a child's development and helps prepare them for success in their, well, professional and personal lives. It's the process by which children learn to interact with other people. And it helps them develop their emotional intelligence, that involves like understanding and managing their own emotions and empathising with other people. And they can also develop linguistically and cognitively through their self-expression or critical thinking skills. And they gain knowledge about their environment and the world around them. I suppose there's also an aspect of cultural awareness, as children learn about their own culture and those of others. And that promotes acceptance and tolerance of diversity. So, this is all extremely important for individual people and the globalising world.

M: Is it better to work in a big or small company?

R: All in all, on balance, it's probably better to work for a small company. I mean, while big companies typically have more resources, networking opportunities and recognition, they also tend to have more layers of bureaucracy which can make decision-making processes slower and less flexible. That leads to less autonomy in decision-making power as tasks and responsibilities are more specialised and compartmentalised. Meanwhile, employees in small companies often have more autonomy and decision-making power, because their tasks and responsibilities are varied and flexible. And that's aided by a more, well, a hopefully more tight-knit community. That's more intimate and fosters a more collaborative work environment. They're probably more agile too, which is extremely useful in a fast-paced economy like that of today.

M: And what are the advantages and disadvantages of changing jobs?

R: As a rule of thumb, changing jobs can provide a fresh start and the opportunity to work in a new environment that's a better fit. You can also broaden your experiences through work in different industries and sectors. It's not all a bed of roses, though. I mean, there can be a lot of uncertainty and risk, especially if someone is leaving a stable job for a new position. There may be uncertainty around job security and company culture. And of course, the future career opportunities would be radically different if you moved to a different sector. It might mean giving up certain benefits as well, like a retirement plan or health insurance. And that can be a financial burden. Starting over from the bottom of the corporate ladder with less seniority than you had at previous job would also be quite a daunting challenge to overcome.

M: Why do many young adults keep changing jobs?

R: I suppose, at the present moment there are some huge social, economic and attitudinal shifts underway. Young people are seeking better job opportunities, including higher salaries and more challenging responsibilities and the ability to learn new skills. They also lack the job satisfaction and want to find a job that they enjoy and are passionate about. And that ties in with people seeking a better work-life balance with more flexible hours and remote work options. Speaking of which, young people are a little bit more sensitive to, well, I suppose you would call it institutional ossification. And they might get easily frustrated with cultures that are inflexible and unresponsive. So all of this contributes to them just jumping ship for a new one.

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