By Khalid AlAmeri(@KhalidAlAmeri)
What do you want to be when you grow up? A classic question that opens the gates of dreams, ambitions and curiosity wide open; allowing kids to truly think of where they see themselves in the future. But what if you were never asked that question? What if you were never given the opportunity to think outside the four walls of the classroom into the real world? You see, I was never asked by any member of the faculty what I wanted to do after high school or university, and with the business landscape at the time, parents expected us to either become bankers or engineers. So the outcome was inevitable, its summer 2001, I am standing on stage in my high school graduation robe thinking “now what?”
After graduation, the process was pretty straightforward for UAE nationals; you handed in your transcripts to as many local universities, government companies and education councils hoping for sponsorship and you pretty much took what you could get. Our leaders have always put higher education at the forefront of our country’s development; they give citizens every opportunity to continue either locally or abroad. The only issues that come up are of misalignment & lack of career awareness during the administration process between the local authorities and citizens seeking sponsorship.
Midway through the summer of 2001, I was given the opportunity to study Environmental Science by a local education authority. Aside of that opportunity, even though I am sure I ticked the finance box on the form as the major of preference , I was somehow offered to study the marine transportation sector from a local oil company. I took the later as the oil industry was a safer bet at the time but did I want to be learning about & working on ships? I did not know, nobody ever asked me.
With the pressure to complete my studies and start working, I am sure you can all relate, I had to wait until after graduating university to truly discover what I wanted to do in life. After much self-reflection post university graduation, combined with capitalizing on opportunities that presented themselves, I realized that business, entrepreneurship and writing were my passions in life. That, however, does not mean future generations have to endure the same initial confusion and delayed discovery. So how do we go about educating our kids on the great wide world and what it has to offer them? Well it all starts with their immediate surroundings for the first 15 years of the educational life, schools.
One UAE based school’s mission statement included a line that goes “We want our students to become life-long learners and make a difference in a challenging global environment”. The way I see it, the best way to prepare kids for the challenging global environment is to find out where their skills, talents and passions lie then prepare them accordingly. Seems pretty simple but the reality of our education system is a whole other matter.
I read an article in a local newspaper not too long ago that discussed how Emirati students were pursing education and how it will affect their entry into the workforce. The article raised a good point that current arts focused students were not as equipped as their science based counterparts for the future industrial & technology based local markets of the UAE. I agree wholeheartedly.
What surprised me while reading the article was the description of Arts based curriculum as ‘wrong’. How can any education be wrong? I understand that it may not directly fit into the long-term development of the country, but what is truly important is that the education, no matter the form, fits into the long-term development of the individual. This, I believe, is how true leaders are bred; by doing things they love and becoming excellent at them. Whether its leaders of business, media, or arts, they all have a vital role to play in the social and economic development of our country.
Until today, I strongly believe that schools in the UAE and globally are not doing enough to educate our children on the diverse working world that awaits them; and if they are, the focus is restricted to traditional industries such as finance or manufacturing. A school plays a critical role in shaping the minds of our children and should create an environment where they are allowed to explore & discover their talents. Additionally, schools today should put an equal emphasis on social subjects and arts as they do math and science to at least level the playing field.
Teachers should engrain creative thinking into each of their classes and give students a chance to showcase their individual talents in their everyday education. I consider it a crime and a huge loss to society for any child to be told he or she cannot do something just because it does not fit perfectly into the school’s traditional picture of a future career.
International Author and speaker on education, Sir Ken Robinson, capped off his 2010 TED Talk with a short poem which ends with ‘Everyday, everywhere our children spread their dreams beneath our feet, and we should tread softly’. If I could go back in time and pass on a message to my teachers it would be ‘Ask me what I want to be when I grow up. Unlock my hopes and dreams, and when you do, embrace those dreams, and remember, tread softly.
June 2011’s issue:
Here We Start – Community Talk – Food for Thought – Just Another Undergrad
Living Through The Eyes of Art – Microscopic Me – Scenes From Life
Society of Tomorrow – To The Point – Words, Observations, and Ramblings
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I agree. I would also emphasize the teaching of social subjects in order to foster critical minds, so that they can not only understand the diverse working world that awaits them, but also assess its merits, and crucially, its accessibility to others in the world. While some may wish to pursue traditional industries like finance or engineering, others may choose to become agents of desperately needed social change.
Such a great read. I can totally relate to your thoughts as I had a similar experience of my own.
I totally agree with your approach, it should start at early stages and really, school is the most critical period since children spend the majority of the day there. However, I also believe that a part of it should come from the family; parents must identify their children's talents and strive to further enhance them whether it was at school or outside.
Thank you for sharing this article; I found it to be very inspiring and is definitely an eye opener as to how twe can contribute towards creating a better future for younger generations, our prospective leaders.
Loved it. Amazing read, I can relate to many of the thoughts mentioned. I strongly agree with your approach!
This is a very good article MashAllah, and I can totally relate to it. My dad just dictated that I should become a doctor … I dint want to. Dint help me realize then what I wanted to be .. it took me alot of various work fields, and years to come in line with what I want to do! Cant wait to read more of your writings. mwaffag inshAllah!
Great article Khalid! I agree with you 100% This is exactly why I decided to start coaching teenagers. Their dreams are so young and beautiful they need support to help them translate these dreams and blossom into the best version of who they can become. The sky is the limit and we shouldn't be putting our children in a box.
Hammam – Thanks for your insights, In addition to teaching, I strongly believe once the non traditional industries open up for on-the-job focused summer training/internship programs during high school the students will be able to further assess the merits of the industry and really answer the crucial question 'Is this what I want to do in life?'
Hamad Al Suwaidi – Appreciate your feedback and support brother … couldn't agree with your more that parents play a critical role in the process and that it is up to them to build the confidence in their children to go out and lead their own charge and not compensate on fulfilling their dreams. As you mentioned you had a similar experience, I hope you are on the path of doing what you are passionate about and loving what you do, day in and day out. Allah yiwafgik brother.
Heba AlSamt – Thank you so much for the feedback and the amazing support. It means alot.
Shaima Al Sayed – Thank you for the great feedback sister! … happy to hear that you are doing what you love to do …. it is such a critical part of living a happy, fulfilling life …. and like your journey, a lot of people should realize that sometimes it is a case of trial and error before someone figures out what they truly want to do in life. Allah yiwafgich sister.
Mona Al AbdulRazzaq- Excellent article .You described exactly how most of us face in life.Starting from our first choice what to study in university ? then we join the working life not sure that we are doing what we really like.
I changed my career from a programmer to HR field,it took me more than 10 years to realize that i dont belong to IT field & kept asking my self what i want to do ? Many key elements are missing in our educational and cultural system……Thanks for sharing this article with us.
spot on,,, it’s not the people in the educational institutions / field that should ask that questions ratherthan it has to become a question raised in early years by parents to somehow pave the roads for the community & education & the child/person to choose a dream and fulfill it, to seek the right path & become extraordinary
Thank you Khalid:) Your support means a lot! I'm glad we're sharing this platform and we're members of this Sail family.
This is indeed a very interesting piece of writing; I really am incapable of imagining the amount of creativity that the coming generations will present to us when they’re allowed to do what they love and what they do best.
The question is how will the society digest that, you see we are a society of shame, it’s crazy how things are like after all this openness, discoveries, revolutions, there are people who lecture their children “You should become a Dr.”
We still apply some stupid judgmental standards to "HOW" our children should be formed into something "WE" prefer or like.
To be honest, the education system in a complete mess! First of all they don’t believe in the National asset and potential in the market. They prefer to bring us people from outside to evaluate our instructors and teaching methods claiming how experienced and knowledgeable they are.
Here's my one simple question: What knowledge would a 60 years of age retired individual, who's been an architectural supervisor know about educational methods, children psychological habits while learning and etc.
Honestly it’s absolutely SAD!
Is it absolute alignment between education, and 2030 plan sort of consortium that would identify talent from a young age? If you look closely, you will find that we do it as a society very well in the sports section of the school.
Why don’t we think of the workforce from the perspective of talent, and you know what? from the perspective of winning! After all, whether it’s a football match, or a basketball game, we are all in for the winning, the sports people see it, the rest of ministries should see it too, go to schools, identify young talents, and prepare them for what’s coming, for what we want to achieve at a global scale to win…
SNO – Amazing feedback and model on how to identify talent at a young age, couldn't agree more it is critical that we build our youth not to be just good but to be Winners!,
Mona – Thanks for the awesome feedback and sharing your journey from a 'Job' in IT to your 'Calling' in the HR world. It is equally important to share stories like yours that it is never to late to pursue your passions, Allah yiwafgich and please keep the feedback coming in, it means alot.