Almost 233,000 students have faced the advanced level examination in 2012. Possibly around 30,000 will get university entry. Even most of these students who are eligible for university entry will not get the study areas they prefer, but will be ‘compelled’ to choose what’s available. What about the balance 200,000 students? What will be their [...]

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The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

How do you plan life after A/Ls?

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Ms Kumudu Abeyawardane

Almost 233,000 students have faced the advanced level examination in 2012. Possibly around 30,000 will get university entry. Even most of these students who are eligible for university entry will not get the study areas they prefer, but will be ‘compelled’ to choose what’s available. What about the balance 200,000 students? What will be their future and how can they shape it in a way that is useful for them and the country?

Answers for these questions, were provided by Ms Kumudu Abeyawardane, an education consultant attached to the Life After School Foundation.

Q. Why is post A/L life so important?

It’s a big change for everyone. For students it’s the end of school and entrance to the real world. For almost 14 years you went to school and you were with a similar set of students and now that’s changing. For parents it’s a change too, and sometimes having children at home without school can stress the parents! Post AL’s time is more important as students take critical tertiary education and career decisions which can change the direction of their life.

Q. What do most parents expect their child to be?

This is a good question. Most parents see their children’s future through their own frame of mind. This is in all good intention but parents have to realise that time shave changed from the time they did their higher studied or started a job. For example there will be very few parents who considered a career in IT or digital marketing back then! So the idea is to see your child’s future in a broader perspective.

Q. What areas should they consider after ALs?

In fact, after AL’s it’s still not late to change your course. For example if a student has done science stream studies still looking at a business degree or a professional qualification is still possible. So, it’s a good time to think hard and carefully, what your child can do and what options are open. Think about what your child likes to do; what are they good at and also what types of careers have more potential in 2020 & 2030s!

Q. This leads to our next question, so how do you get the right advice?

That’s a very valid question; getting the right advice is not only important but difficult today. One issue is that parents see their child’s future through their lenses as I said before, second is parents might face the situation of ‘they don’t know what they don’t know’. This means so much has changed in the last 20 years and the higher education and job landscape has seen a dramatic change. So best is to get advice from people who are in the education and career guidance area before you make your own decision.

Q. How can they evaluate options?

With the right advice parents need to evaluate a few options for their child. This should be done with the child taking into account what he or she likes to do as well. If they don’t have an interest they may give up half way or just complete it for the sake of doing it. I know a few chemistry graduates who start wondering what they can do after getting a degree and finally ending as a manager in an insurance company!

Q. Should they keep options open?

See this is a big change from 20 years ago. That time people had a very narrow selection of jobs and careers and they were much focused. But today keeping options open may be an advantage where you will have many avenues or job options to choose. Many students I know didn’t know what exactly they wanted until they completed little internship in top companies to get a feeling of what each job meant. There is no harm doing this.

Q. What are the next steps?

Don’t be in a hurry to start a compute course or that accountancy qualification. There will be many distractions in the form of many courses but take a little time. Best is to do a thorough search of all the options and see for yourself. Don’t start a course or any qualification just because your friends are doing it, it may not be right for you.

To educate and create more awareness about post AL options, we hope to Interview her next week on ‘how to guide your child after ALs’ especially targeting parents. Meanwhile if you have any further questions or clarifications you could directly contact her on kumudu@next.lk and arrange an appointment for a free consultation with your child.

Life after School Foundation is a non for profit organisation that aims to provide career guidance to school leavers and those who are employed. Its goal is to guide and groom candidates for tomorrow’s jobs, especially in the business and corporate sector.




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