Shifting career interest

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With the graduation season peaking this week comes an interesting news from Fortune and carried by American Online.

The report, based on a LinkedIn study in the United Kingdom, showed that Gen Z graduates are no longer interested in technology-related jobs.

There appears to have a shift from high-paying careers to low-paying ones. And the reason is the period of long holidays in the latter. Less stressful, more relaxing, so to speak.

The report cited LinkedIn’s analysis of its millions of member profiles and the job postings at least in UK. The networking platform’s data shows that the education sector has become the fastest-growing industry in UK.

“Traditional jobs are seemingly in vogue as Gen Zers favor low-paid, stable jobs amid mass layoffs in the tech world,” the report continued.

Despite the rising interest surrounding the tech-based artificial intelligence, the industry did not rate remarkably among the GenZ population, the report noted.

Curious of the other preferred careers? They’re in the utility, oil, gas and mining industries, government, health care, transportation, logistics, supply chain and storage as well as wholesale and financial services.

Education as a career of choice appears also in the uptrend in our country based on observations of friends in the local university sector.

I wonder if teachers in our country can say that their job is less stressful considering the workload they have (although I see now and then a teacher-friend’s social media posts of faculty outings in resorts and other tourist destinations).

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Interestingly, hours apart since the AOL/Fortune report went online, Philippine media carried a story that the brain drain remains a phenomenon in the country but is no longer limited to the health sector.

Cybersecurity professionals are being lured abroad, where higher pay, better working conditions and attractive relocation packages are being offered.

The result? Technology brain drain has resulted in the lack of talent to combat malicious intrusions on cyber activity targeting the country land the rest of Southeast Asia.

The shortage of these ‘cyber warriors’ can be costly to the country, especially amid reports on data breaches affecting various sectors, including the government and national security.

So urgent is this concern that it has triggered the national leadership to draw up immediate measures to parry digital attacks and cybercrimes.

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Another global event was marked this week – World No Tobacco Day (May 31).

The World Health Organization-led observance is dedicated to informing the public on “the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices if tobacco companies, what WHI is doing to fight the pandemic, and what people around the world can do claim their right to health and healthy living.”

The 2024 observance is focusing on protecting children from tobacco interference through the digital media campaign “#tobacco exposed”.

Citing that children are now using e-cigarettes at rates higher than adults in all regions and 37 million young people – aged 13-15 – use tobacco around the world, WHO urges that concerted efforts must be done to combat this “new wave of addiction” that uses predatory marketing tactics.

The occasion provides a platform to young people around the world, WHO said, who are urging governments to shield them from such marketing tactics.

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Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (I Corinthians 6:19-20) | NWI