Choosing an occupation

One of the most difficult problems a young person faces is deciding what to do about a career. There are individuals, of course, who from the time they are six years old “know” that they want to be doctors or pilots or fire fighters, but the majority of us can’t make a decision about an occupation or career when they leave school. Choosing an occupation is a difficult problem. There are a lot of things you have to think about as you try to decide what you would like to do. You may find that you will have to take special courses to qualify¹ for a particular kind of work, or may find out that you will need to get some work experience².

Fortunately, there are a lot of people you can turn to for advice and help in making your decision. At most schools, there are teachers who can counsel³ you and give detailed information about job qualifications⁴. And you can talk over your ideas with family members and friends who are always ready to listen and to offer suggestions.

Notes:

1. qualify for - (зд.) получать специальность, квалификацию

2. experience - опыт

3. councel - советовать

4. job qualifications - сумма качеств, необходимых для приема на работу

1. What is the most difficult problem for a young person hen he leaves school? 2. What things d: you have to think about when choosing an occupation? 3. What should one do to qualify for i particular job? 4. Whom can you turn for advice when making your decision? 5. Do you know what you want to be? 6. Have you got any career plans?

Ex. 2. Read the text and fill in the chart below. Find out what career plans the young реорle have. What character traits and skills do they have to realize their career plans?

THE GATE-WAY TO GROWN-UP LIFE

(abridged from “The Copper Beech” by Maeve Binchy)

By the school house stands a copper beech. The names and dreams of the pupils who have grown up under its branches are written on its bark¹. This tree is the gate-way to their grown-up life. Seven children once carved² their names on the trunk of that tree...

No one had asked Maura what she wanted to do when she left school. She wouldn’t be going to the convent³ in the town like Leo Murphy and Nessa Rayan.

There were no plans for her to go into technical school. She wasn’t smart enough to be taken on as a trainee in one of the shops, or the hairdressing salon. Maura was going to work as a maid. She would

like a job in a lovely big house.

Eileen was going to University if she got a lot of honors in her Leaving Certificate. She would be an architect. The nuns said she had all the brains⁵ in the world. And Sheila wanted to do nursing so she was already riding out applications to the better training hospitals in Dublin⁶.

It was understood that her brother Declan would do medicine. He would be coming back to help his father in practice and take over. But he decided against it. Declan would like to join an auctioneering firm⁷.

It was the kind of thing that appealed to Declan - looking at places, showing them to customers⁸. He was good at talking to people, telling them good points of a place.

Naill Hayes was going to Dublin setting up his plans to study law. Niall seemed to be enjoying University and studying hard. Foxy Dunne was in England on the building site.

There was no question of University for Nessa Rayan, no plan for a career, nothing, except the usual refuge⁹ of those who could not think what to do - the secretarial course in the town. Nessa began her course in shorthand and typing. When she finished her course at the college she would work full-time for her mother and father at the hotel. From time to time Nessa served behind the bar to know what the customers wanted.

Since his childhood Eddie was good at pressing flowers¹⁰. Nessa had always thought they were so nice that he could do it for a living. He was dreaming of setting up a craft center with small shops to sell everyone’s work there.

Notes:

bark/trunk - ствол ‘ carve - вырезать

convent - монастырь (женский); go to convent - (зд.) идти в школу при монастыре

nun - монахиня

had all the brains - was very clever

Dublin - Дублин

auctioneering firm - фирма, продающая недвижимость с аукциона

customer - посетитель, покупатель

refuge - прибежище, убежище

press flowers - засушивать цветы

NameCareer planCharacter traitsSkills

Skills

Sheila

Declan

Eileen

Verbs

1. leave/finish school закончить школу

2. decide/make up one’s mind решить

3. enter a University/Polytechnic поступать/идти в университет пойти/поступить в колледж

4. go to a college изучать что-либо

5. take a course in предоставлять работу, нанимать на работу

6. employ работать в качестве

7. work as работать постоянно, полный рабочий день

8.work full-time работать постоянно