Unrealistic career aspirations 英國年輕人不現實的職業理想

一項研究警告稱，英國年輕人的職業理想與現有的工作類型不符。慈善機構 “教育與雇主”（Education and Employers）的研究顯示，在英國，希望在藝術、文化、娛樂和體育領域工作的17歲和18歲年輕人的數量是現有工作的五倍。本文淺談英國青年不現實的職業理想。

Vocabulary: careers 詞匯：職業

What did you want to be when you were growing up? A doctor, an engineer – or maybe a footballer or actor? We all had big plans for our futures and believed there was a dream job waiting for us – one that would pay well and give great job satisfaction. But how realistic was that?

Today, in the UK at least, young people are being warned that some of their career hopes and dreams don’t match the types of jobs available. Research by the charity Education and Employers suggests five times as many 17 and 18 year-olds in the UK want to work in art, culture, entertainment and sport than there are jobs.

The glamour and excitement of working in these employment sectors is obviously a draw. But those looking for these types of job will be ‘destined for disappointment’. That’s what the report, Disconnected: Career aspirations and jobs in the UK, says. Writing about this for the AYYBLOG, Katherine Sellgren points out that while young people are keen to work in art, entertainment, culture and sport, the economy is unlikely to need them all. In the meantime, there is a shortfall of young people wanting to work in careers such as catering and retail.

Previous research about the career aspirations of young people by the Office for National Statistics also found a ‘reality gap’ between their dreams and the sometimes disappointing truth by the time they reached their early to late-20s. Apart from those who aimed to go into teaching, fewer than one in 50 were in the jobs they had wanted – such as a doctor, vet, firefighter or actor. Most were working as sales assistants, carers or in sales and marketing.

While it’s good to have aspirations, the aims of young people need to be realistic. This latest report suggests that children need to be made more aware of a wider variety of occupations at a younger age. It also calls for improved careers advice in secondary schools. A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions told the AYYBLOG that “early careers advice can help young people set out on the right path to the job that channels their interests and unlocks their potential.”

詞匯表

dream job 理想的工作
job satisfaction 工作滿意度
art 藝術
culture 文化
entertainment 娛樂
glamour 誘惑力
employment sector 就業行業
draw 有吸引力的事物
shortfall 短缺
catering 餐飲業
retail 零售
aspiration 理想，志向
reality gap 與現實的差距
sales assistant 銷售員
carer 照顧者，護工
sales and marketing 銷售和市場
occupation 職業，工作
careers advice 職業規劃
channel 把……導入
unlocks one’s potential 釋放……潛力

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. What is the issue for young people hoping to work in the art, culture, entertainment and sport employment sectors?

2. Why might a young person be drawn to working in art, culture, entertainment and sport?

3. True or false? Research by the Office for National Statistics found a majority of people surveyed ended up working as sales assistants, carers or in sales and marketing.

4. Which employment sector in the UK needs more people to work in it?

5. According to the report, what should younger children be made of aware of?

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I love all the _______ of the Oscars, so I always stay up late to watch it.

dream job glamour aspirations shortfall

2. With my limited amount of money, I have to be _______ about the size of
house I can afford to buy.

retail realise realistic realistical

3. There seems to be a _______ of plumbers because I can’t find anyone to fix
my boiler!

culture occupation shortfall reality gap

4. My job doesn’t give me any _______, so it’s time for a new job.

job satisfaction job satisfying jobs satisfaction job satisfy

5. When I was little, I had _______ to be an actor in a big Hollywood movie.

dream job culture glamour aspirations

答案

1. What is the issue for young people hoping to work in the art, culture, entertainment and sport employment sectors?
There are more people wanting to work in these sectors than there are jobs.

2. Why might a young person be drawn to working in art, culture, entertainment and sport?
The glamour and excitement of working in these employment sectors is obviously a draw.

3. True or false? Research by the Office for National Statistics found a majority of people surveyed ended up working as sales assistants, carers or in sales and marketing.
True. Apart from those who aimed to go into teaching, less than one in 50 were in the jobs they had wanted with most working as sales assistants, carers or in sales and marketing.

4. Which employment sector in the UK needs more people to work in it?
There is a shortfall of young people wanting to work in careers such as catering and retail.

5. According to the report, what should younger children be made of aware of?
This latest report suggests that children need to be made more aware of a wider variety of occupations at a younger age.

2.請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I love all the glamour of the Oscars, so I always stay up late to watch it.

2. With my limited amount of money, I have to be realistic about the size of house I can afford to buy.

3. There seems to be a shortfall of plumbers because I can’t find anyone to fix my boiler!

4. My job doesn’t give me any job satisfaction, so it’s time for a new job.

5. When I was little, I had aspirations to be an actor in a big Hollywood movie.