Choosing a career

On August 28, the Department of Education of the Republic of the Philippines will be conducting its National Career Assessment Examination to all public and private 4th year high school students.

The NCAE is aimed at assessing the possible career tracks of each student. This will help guide students at the course they will likely to succeed in.

Most Filipinos dream of having at least one child finish college. Due to the large number of families in the lower income bracket, the hopes are left with the eldest child. They either finish their degrees draining up most of their families resources or they skip college and immediately go to work.

Most popular professions are: entertainers, actors, dancers, physical therapists, nurses, doctors, and teachers. Most of those try to get into the arts are disappointed not because they lack talent but because there is a lot of competition and there are just too many others with even better talents. As for those trying to get into the medical professions, they are not simply cut out for the medical field and end up dropping out of college after a short stay.

Children have a lot of career options in mind. Parents too have career options for their children. Which among these options should they choose? I know this dilemma personally because I had lots of career options myself. I thought of becoming a lawyer, a priest, a successful entrepreneur, or a soldier. I even dreamed of a career as Global Dictator!

With the results of the NCAE, students and parents can better decide on what career path to choose where the child will likely to meet success. If the results point to a career in arts, the student may enroll in an art class or a certificate course in the arts in any university. If the results show that the child has a capacity in academics, that child may take up any course in college based on the result of sub-domains in Science and Mathematics. Other career options are for the student to take up technical-vocational courses or an entrepreneurial course.

Most people fear that the NCAE may become an obstacle to a college degree. This is not true since there is no law passed providing the exam this authority. DepEd plans to make the NCAE as such in the future anyway.

For those who think that college is the only way to success, please reconsider. Although a college degree is needed to be employed or promoted, most company policies I have read also considers equivalents to a degree.

The Technical Educations and Skills Development Authority of the Philippine Government offers certifications for technical-vocational course graduates. A National Certification Level III (NC3) I thinks is equal to a college degree. Following this trend, NC4 and NC5 are equivalents of a masters or doctoral degree.

So kids, troop down to your schools on Tuesday, August 28 and take the test. Who knows, you may end up having a higher position in a company compared to someone who took the college degree you have dreamed of.