1. Discuss the questions.

(Thảo luận các câu hỏi.)

1. As a child, how did you answer this question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

(Khi còn nhỏ, bạn đã sử dụng cách nào để trả lời câu hỏi này: Lớn lên bạn muốn làm gì?)

2. How would you answer this question now?

(Bây giờ bạn sẽ trả lời câu hỏi này như thế nào?)

2. Look at the title of the blog post. What do you think it is about? Read and check your ideas.

(Nhìn vào tiêu đề của bài đăng trên blog. Bạn nghĩ nó nói về cái gì? Đọc và kiểm tra ý tưởng của bạn.)

3. Read the post. For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.

(Đọc bài viết. Đối với các câu hỏi từ 1 đến 5, hãy chọn câu trả lời đúng A, B, C hoặc D.)

What if you don't have ONE dream job?

Do you remember being asked what you wanted to be when you grew up? No doubt, the more imaginative your answer, the more approval you would get. But once we reach adolescence, there's far less tolerance for answers like, 'I'm going to be a marine biologist, circus clown and journalist!' Now the question translates as: You are allowed one identity in this life, so which is it?

At school, there's pressure to focus on your strengths, and choose a subject to major in at university, which leads to one specific degree, intended for one type of job. The message that you need to specialise is reinforced in many contexts. Career guidance books and counsellors give you tests to help you find your niche and identify your dream job.

But what happens if you're wired differently? Let's say you're curious about several subjects, and there are many things you'd like to study. If you're unable or unwilling to settle on a single career path, you might worry that you don't have one true calling like everybody else and that, therefore, your life lacks purpose. As the saying goes, you're a 'jack of all trades, master of none".

In reality, few people are just 'one thing'. A rare few have a vocation and stick to it, but for most young people who will make up the workforce of the future, 'one thing' is not relevant anymore. For our parents' and grandparents' generation, it was normal to work in the same profession and often the same company for thirty or more years. Those days are long gone.

The ambitious young people of today are more interested in moving around and doing different things. In the modern workplace, people are working flexibly and the individual is in control of their professional life and in a position to make. decisions about how, when and where they work. Rather than finding something and doing it forever, the new challenge is to find a way of working that works for you.

1. The writer thinks that as we get older we

A tend to lose our imagination.

B find it impossible to make decisions.

C could benefit from career counselling.

D feel pressured to choose a specialisation.

2. In the third paragraph, the writer suggests that

A everybody should find a passion and stick to it.

B people refuse to choose a career on purpose.

C people are worried if they don't have one true calling.

D you will never succeed in life unless you find your niche.

3. In the modern workplace, people

A that are curious stay in the same profession.

B can't decide what they want to do.

C are taking responsibility for how they work

D have fewer opportunities than their parents.

4. The blog post is about

A the importance of finding your one true calling.

B the negative consequences of being a quitter.

C the best age at which to choose your career.

D people who don't fit neatly into one category.

4. Match the words and phrases in blue in the blog post with their definitions. Then listen, check and repeat.

(Nối các từ và cụm từ màu xanh lam trong bài viết blog với định nghĩa của chúng. Sau đó nghe, kiểm tra và lặp lại.)

1. advice from career experts = career guidance

(lời khuyên từ các chuyên gia nghề nghiệp = hướng dẫn nghề nghiệp)

2. people who give advice = _________

3. people who work = _________

4. the place where you work = _________

5. the way you progress in your work = _________

5. Complete the comments with the words and phrases in Exercise 4 in the correct form.

(Hoàn thành các nhận xét với các từ và cụm từ trong Bài tập 4 ở dạng đúng.)

Linh, 16

Thanks for this post. I can see now that my problem is that I'm a jack of all trades and master of none! At school I had a (1) c__________ g__________, but it didn't help me at all. I still don't know what to do at college.

Huy, 18

I agree. The (2) c___________ don't really help. It would be more helpful to have counselling once we have some experience and can visualise our future career path more clearly.

Trang, 16

I was really interested in what you're saying about the modern (3) w_________  being more flexible. I think job sharing is a great idea - you just have to make sure that communication is really good between both people doing the job.

Nam, 17

Maybe, but I think it's better to work for a big organisation if you want to thrive in your career.

I don't think you can ever feel like an important part of the (3) w_____- if you're a self- employed freelancer.

6. Discuss whether you have similar or different opinions to the people in Exercise 5.

(Thảo luận xem bạn có ý kiến giống hay khác với những người ở Bài tập 5.)