Questões Militares

Career confusion in the 21st century: challenges and opportunities

        [1] The time and energy that teenagers dedicate to learning and the fields of study they choose profoundly shape the opportunities they will have during their whole lives. Their dreams and aspirations do not just depend on their talents, but they can be highly influenced by their personal background as well as by the depth and extent of their knowledge about the world of work. ln summary, students cannot be what they cannot see.

        [2] With young people staying in education longe than ever and the labour market automating with unprecedented speed, students need help to make sense of the world of work. ln 2018, the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the world's largest dataset on young people's educational experiences, collected first-of-its kind data on this, making it possible to explore how much the career dreams o young people have changed over the past 20 years, how closely they are related to actual labour demand, and how closely aspirations are shaped by social background and gender.

    [3] Studies in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States show that teenagers who combine part-time employment with full-time education do better in their school-to-work transitions. The positive benefits include lower probabilities of being unemployed or NEET (Not in Education1 Employment or Training), higher waçes, and others (see Box 1). However, the benefits cannot be taken for granted and some experiences in different countries have demonstrated that governments and schools can better support young people as they prepare themselves for working life.

     [4] Schools may provide programmes of career development activities, particularly those that include workplace experience. Experience of the world of work challenges young people to understand what it means to be personally effective in different workplaces while providing a unique opportunity to develop social networks of value. Through exposure to the people who do different jobs, young people have the chance to challenge genderN and class-based stereotyping and expand their aspirations, easing ultimate entry into the labour market (see Box 2).

        [5] However, in recent years, analyses of career preparation have focused on the challenge of misalignment: where the educational plans of young people are out of kilter with their occupational expectations. When young people underestimate the education required to fulfil their dreams, they can expect to find their early working lives more difficult than would be expected. Of particular concern is that most young people whose aspirations are misaligned with their education come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Consequently, it is now clear that career guidance serves an important service in dealing with inequalities.

        [6] Results from PISA show that the career aspirations of young people are no simple reflection of teenage academic ability. Rather, they reflect complex lives. Analyses show that the children of more advantaged families are more likely to want to go on to university than working class kids. Similarly, career thinking is often determined by gender and immigrant background as well as socioeconomic status. Disadvantaged young people are at clear risk of career confusion. lt is neither fair, nor efficient, for students to move through education with limited views of both the amplitude of the labour market and their own potential.

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

Meditation can wipe away the day's stress, bringing with it inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most.

        If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace.

        Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any special equipment.

         And you can practice meditation wherever you are - whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

        Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years.  Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.

        Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind.

        During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process may result in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Benefits of meditation

         Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.

        And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions. 

Adapted from: <https://www.mayoclinic.org/testsprocedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858>

        Six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus deter them from celebrating their happy day. The multiple brides and grooms attended a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea's Unification Church on Friday, in spite of the health scare from the coronavirus in neighbouring China. The newlyweds were joined by 24.000 guests; some renewing their marriage vows and others watching friends and family tie the knot. The church seemed well prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed out hand sanitizer and surgical masks to all attendees. They also checked the temperature of the couples. 

Adapted from: <https://breakinqnewsenglish. com/2002/200211-masswedd ing. html>