In the past, if I questioned somebody, “What should we do while we are university students?”, how would students have answered this question? Students who dreamed of freedom after getting out of high schools’ examination hell would have thought that university is a place under rebel control, and they would have thought that university students must socialize. Meanwhile, some students who knew of social situations well would have answered, “Studying hard, preparing for getting a job, traveling, reading many books”. Both answers are right. Because they spent most of their time studying, they usually also pursue socializing while at university. In contrast, because the time at university is a period when they have to prepare to enter society, they should gradually learn how to live in society. However, these days, university students’ answers are standardized. They usually answer the latter.
Then, is starting thorough preparation for our future needed while at university? The answer is “yes”. However, if the preparation means building careers only for entering a major company without thinking, it is not good. According to the book, ‘Because We Are Young, We Should Endure Pain’, written by Kim Nan-do(Professor of Seoul National University)’, “Young people in their twenties are very busy making their careers. These days, students basically participate in internship programs, contests, volunteering and part-time jobs to enter a large company.” As he said, because of employment difficulty, many students have a hard time finding jobs. As a result, even while at university, the age of limitless competition exists.
However, we have to consider whether the fact that a good career means finding a good job is right. A desirable thought process is, “I will seriously think whether I have an aptitude for marketing through this contest.” However, the mind that thinks, “I can make my competitive career through this contest,” is not good. Not knowing what they want to do, building many careers and entering a great company could result in a negative outcome, such as resigning from their companies in a year or changing jobs. Park Yong-man, who is the president of Doosan corporation, said, “Careers play a role in indicating future achievements in a company through past behaviors. Building careers without a process to find their dream is useless.” Following his words, we have to be seriously concerned about our life goals. Building careers without considering,“Can I be happy with this job?” is useless.