[00:00.00] Career Planning
[00:02.81]Part Two
[00:06.26]Listening-Centered Activities
[00:10.62]Listening
[00:13.72]Exercise 1
[00:17.28]Directions:
[00:20.52]Listen to Section One twice and take notes.
[00:27.04]Section 1
[00:29.95]I: Well, some people seem to feel that their jobs are often misunderstood by others
[00:37.08]Do you think this sort of thing is very common?
[00:41.44]S: Oh, absolutely
[00:44.75]Most jobs or professions seem to have an image or a stereotype attached to them
[00:53.03]often much to the irritation of the job-holders
[00:58.93]But there is a serious point to all this, too
[01:03.86]that maybe young people actually choose their careers
[01:09.73]under the influence of these false images
[01:15.71]And certainly,there is evidence that they may even avoid certain careers
[01:22.94]Well, on a large scale, as you can imagine, this could cause problems for the economy.
[01:30.36]I: Er, you say there's evidence?
[01:34.86]S: Oh most definitely
[01:38.17]There was a survey recently into children's attitudes to different professions.
[01:45.59]I: How was that done, though
[01:49.58]Because, after all,
[01:53.08]children don't know much about the world of work before they get into it.
[01:58.94]S: Well, exactly
[02:01.97]What the investigators wanted to get at was their impressions and their prejudices
[02:09.38]They used a very simple technique
[02:13.09]They gave the children twelve pairs of statements
[02:18.20]In each pair one statement was positive, the other was its opposite.
[02:24.76]I: For example?
[02:27.49]S: Well, for example,
[02:30.80]"Such and such a person is likely to be boring or interesting company."
[02:38.22]I: I see. What professions did they ask about?
[02:44.20]S:Do you want the whole list?
[02:47.65]I: Well, why not?
[02:51.40]S: OK. Here it goes
[02:55.39]They looked at: physicists, lawyers, economists, accountants
[03:02.70]sales representatives, there agents, biologists
[03:08.42]and three types of engineers-- mechanical engineers, electrical and civil
[03:16.52]The children were asked to say which of the statements was
[03:21.96]"most true" about each profession.
[03:27.00]Exercise 2
[03:30.89]Directions:
[03:33.88]Look for the mistakes in the printed interview
[03:38.52]and correct them according to what you hear from the tape.
[03:44.68]Section 2
[03:47.95]I: And the results?
[03:51.23]S: Well, they were rather striking concerning one profession in particular,
[03:58.25]the poor old engineer
[04:02.24]Of all the jobs mentioned, he came out really much worse than you might expect
[04:09.73]The vast majority of children(90% in the case of the mechanical engineers)
[04:17.22]Oh, and insecure too
[04:22.80]The only other person they thought more likely to actually lose his job
[04:29.86]was the sales representative
[04:37.49]But, I must say there were good points to
[04:41.38]Engineering was seen to be "interesting, well-paid" work.
[04:47.96]I: Hmm, not such a rosy picture, really.
[04:52.43]S: No... but it got better when the children were asked about
[04:57.07]how they imagined the engineer as a person
[05:03.55]The majority of the children chose positive comments,
[05:09.02]except that they thought the engineer was likely to be poorly
[05:16.62]rather than well dressed.(laugh)
[05:21.91]Of all the jobs listed(mentioned),
[05:27.56]he came out really much worth(worse) than you might expect
[05:33.79]The last majority of children (90% in the case of the mechanical engineers)
[05:38.76]thought that engineering was a "dirty job
[05:43.40]They also thought the job was of "low status" and "subordinate
[05:49.70]that is, the engineer is more likely to take orders than to give the
[05:56.15]Oh, and insecure to
[06:00.43]The only other person they thought more likely to actually lose his job
[06:06.80]was the sales representative
[06:11.81]But, I must say there were good points to
[06:16.63]Engineering was sensed to be "interesting, well-paid" work.
[06:22.25]I: Hmm, not such a rosy picture, really.
[06:27.61]S: No...but it got better when the children were asked about
[06:33.55]how they imagined the engineer as a person
[06:40.07]The majority of the children chose positive comments
[06:44.82]except that they thought the engineer was likely to be poorly
[06:51.26]rather than well dressed.
[06:56.09]Exercise 3
[06:59.76]Directions:
[07:03.40]Listen to Section Three twice and fill in the missing information.
[07:10.45]Section Three
[07:13.87]I: Well, what about the other professions, the Erm...what came out favorite,
[07:20.53]for example?
[07:23.09]S: Oh the lawyer without a doubt
[07:26.62]He collected by far the greatest number of positive opinions
[07:32.34]The sales representative and then the estate agent were right at the bottom.
[07:38.78]I: Oh, so the engineers weren't down there?
[07:44.11]S: Oh, nn
[07:47.24]Probably the children don't have much of an idea of their real work
[07:52.90]I think they... (laugh)...they went by the titles, really,
[07:59.27]since civil engineer came out top, perhaps the suggestion of the name?
[08:06.18]I: Oh, I see
[08:09.38]You mean that he was a... a more civilized sort of fellow than the others?
[08:16.19]S:Yes, right.Reasonable sounding, isn't it?
[08:21.59]I: Yes. Quite sensible, I suppose
[08:25.87]And I imagine the mechanical engineer came out bottom?
[08:30.55]S: Absolutely right
[08:34.15]In fact 90% of the children associated him with dirty work,
[08:40.78]as against 76% for the electrical engineer and 68% for the civil engineer.
[08:49.24]I: And the other professions?
[08:53.05]S: Well, after the lawyer came the accountant then the scientist, the physicis
[09:00.83]The economist came just above the engineers
[09:05.69]I: A real sign of the times, that is.
[09:09.43]I: Hmm.
[09:12.28]S: After all, in most other European countries to be an engineer is to be somebody
[09:20.92]And I imagine that this means that many bright children,
[09:26.78]who might really enjoy the profession and do well in it
[09:31.93]probably never consider it, which is a great pity for the country as a whole
