Choosing a major does not mean choosing a career
MC Tuyen Tang: When it comes to choosing a major as well as a career, up to now, I have noticed that most young people still hold a common notion that “choosing a major means following that career.” So in the modern context, is the notion that choosing a major is closely linked to following a specific career still appropriate, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Quang Hung?

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Quang Hung: In fact, this is not just a few opinions but rather a common perception in society, especially deeply influenced by Vietnamese cultural traditions with the philosophy “mastering one profession, honoring one’s life.” Because of this viewpoint, many people have made the mistake of choosing a major with the expectation that after graduation they will work in the right profession in that field.

However, this viewpoint is fraught with risks, especially in the current context of strong economic and social fluctuations, as well as the rapid development of technology that directly affects the working environment. Therefore, we need to have a clearer and more accurate understanding of choosing a major. It is necessary to avoid defaulting on choosing a major to be associated with a fixed career in the future.

In the context of a constantly fluctuating and multi-dimensionally impacted labor market, universities have made adjustments to their training programs. They focus on building more comprehensive and interdisciplinary programs, while equipping students with diverse and flexible professional skills, helping learners to acquire new knowledge, quickly adapt to the working environment and be able to meet diverse career needs.

Another important point is that when choosing a major, students need to broaden their thinking to understand which field that major belongs to in the career hierarchy of Vietnamese higher education. For example, even if they do not have specific interests or competencies in the major, if the core competencies are suitable for a larger field such as business or management, students can still choose that field and easily acquire specialized knowledge to serve many different careers.

Reality also shows that studying one major but working in another career is completely possible, for example, students studying accounting or marketing can switch to human resource management or information technology. Because nowadays, career fields are no longer limited to a single major but require the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge, creating added value in work.

Finally, choosing a major should come from one’s own abilities, interests, passions, along with the basic knowledge equipped during the learning process at the university level. From there, learners build their own professional identity, which is the foundation to help them adapt and develop sustainably in the changing labor market.

MC Tuyen Tang: University education has also made changes when moving towards a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary training model to equip students with new thinking and practical application skills, suitable for the needs of a diverse and fluctuating labor market. Tuyen really wants to hear the views of Ms. Tieu Yen Trinh – an expert closely connected with the reality of the labor market.

In your opinion, how is the choice of major associated with choosing a career currently viewed from the perspective of the labor market?

Expert Tieu Yen Trinh: First of all, for students when orienting their career, their thinking should no longer be limited to choosing a specific major but should have a macro vision, recognizing the socio-economic development of the country in the new era. For example, current key areas such as high-tech agriculture, tourism, e-commerce, manufacturing, and information technology are all important areas contributing to the overall development of the country.

Therefore, the chosen field of study needs to be placed in the context of the general development field so that learners understand that knowledge of the field of study is the foundation, and choosing a career is the flexible application and development of personal capacity in that field.

The most important point is still starting from yourself: clearly understanding your passion, aspirations, and long-term development orientation in the next 5 to 10 years. The foundation of personal capacity, similar to Maslow’s theory of needs, is the decisive factor in building a sustainable career.

Building core competencies in multidimensional thinking, problem solving, and critical thinking is the key to helping learners enter any career in the future, no matter how that field changes. This is also the development direction of liberal arts university programs in Vietnam and internationally.

In addition, personal interests and personality will help choose a suitable career: people who like business can aim for sales, marketing; people who love research and analysis can choose a career in the field of science or technology; people who are passionate about technology can work in the IT field, especially when technology is being widely applied in all industries, such as AI combined with medicine