UNIT 5: WORK AND CAREER
My name‿ is Diego. I have taught history for nine years,│ an(d) the question my students pose mos(t) frequently concerns not the pas(t) but their prospects,│ which‿ is‿ a reasonable‿ anxiety an(d) one‿ I cannot‿ honestly resolve.
In my country health care‿ an(d) technology dominate the counsel they receive,│ both sectors‿ expanding‿ an(d) remuneration‿ in nursing now exceeding mine. Yet the assumption that technology affords‿ a safe berth‿ is questionable. Automation displaces repetitive tasks first,│ and‿ a considerable proportion‿ of junior technical work‿ is precisely that,│ which‿ is why my cousin was made redundant‿ at fifty-four‿ an(d) his function relocated‿ abroad. Universities,│ meanwhile,│ are producing‿ an‿ oversupply of graduates‿ in fields│ where credentials no longer guarantee anything,│ and‿ employers have learned to treat‿ a degree as‿ a screening device rather than‿ a qualification.
What‿ I tell themtell'em‿ is not to choose‿ on the basis‿ of salary,│ the sum promised‿ at‿ eighteen being rarely the sum received‿ at fortyfor-dy. Prestige‿ is discretionary and‿ expires‿ along with the market that conferred‿ it. Were‿ I eighteen now,│ I should seek work‿ I could refine‿ indefinitely,│ expec(t) to retrain‿ at leas(t) three times,│ an(d) treat‿ employability rather than‿ employment‿ as the asset worth‿ accumulating. Careers‿ are no longer‿ edifices;│ they are portfolios,│ an(d) the distinction,│ though unfashionable to state‿ in‿ a staffroom,│ is the mos(t) useful thing‿ I can‿ offer them.