Choosing a job / a profession / an occupation / a trade (making a career choice)
A job is a work that you do regularly to earn money.
A profession is an occupation, especially one requiring advanced education and special training.
A trade is an occupation, way of making a living, especially handicraft.
Job titles Job requirements
Professions Trades
Abilities
Skills
Personal qualities
accountant
baker
artistic ability
literacy
sharp mind
actor
barber
to be good at… / with figures
computer literacy
physical strength
artist
builder
physical coordination
baby-sitter
butcher
to have different talents /
a good ear for music / voice
numeracy
to be…
initiative
banker
carpenter
computer
programmer
cashier
to be able:
to make decisions
administrative skills
hard –working / industrious
dentist
cook
to work in a team
interpersonal skills
creative
motivated
designer
cleaner
to work to tight deadlines
telephone skills
responsible
doctor
driver
to perform in public
well - organised
dancer
electrician
to solve problems
negotiation skills
confident
patient
engineer
farmer
to take risks
flexible
interpreter
firefighter
to deal with
polite
journalist
gardener
to cope with stress
persistent
lawyer
greengrocer
ambitious
librarian
grocer
competitive
manager
hairdresser
military man
housepainter
musician
mason
nurse
mechanic
pharmacist
plumber
pilot
postman
Job
characteristics
Words often used with
job
Words often used with
profession
secretary
printer
scientist
salesperson /
shop -assistant
well -paid
to apply for a …
teaching …
challenging
to get a …
engineering …
teacher
security guard
boring
to take a …
to enter a …
translator
tailor
stressful
to do a …
to go into a …
tour guide
turner
enjoyable
to be in a…
to join a …
vet
typist
rewarding
to be out of …
writer
waiter
satisfying
to leave your…
Words often used with
work
dead -end
to lose your…
to work as a…
monotonous
to work one’s way up
part –time
job interview
to work hard
full -time
to work long hours
temporary
to work under pressure
permanent
to work in a team
top
work experience
prestigious
shift work
Before you decide on your career you must ask yourself and answer quite a lot of questions: What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? Do you prefer to work with your hands or brains? Are you interested in machines or do you like working with people? Do you mind where to work: in a large company, a small office, at a factory or to become a self – employed business person? There are jobs indoors and jobs in the open air, jobs where you have to stand up and jobs where you have to sit down. Which job will you choose? How does one choose a job out of hundreds that are in the world? Which job would you like, or you haven’t decided it yet?
Write an essay “A job I’d choose” (120-180 words)
Use the list of ideas from below:
1) Your ideas of what the job is like : duties and responsibilities;
2) qualities and skills needed for the job:
3) your personal abilities, qualities and skills ;
4) your ambitions and expectation of a future job;
5) reasons you like it and choose it.
Useful phrases for describing your career choice:
A good job should be… / Being a …seems to me an interesting job because.. / I’d like to become a … / I dream of becoming a… / I think my future job will / should be…/ This job includes / involves… / I want to follow my … footsteps / advice. / I’d rather / better be / have … /I’d prefer to be / to become a… / The reason why I choose… / A…should be ready to… / This job requires … / Such qualities as …are needed for… / This job offers… good opportunities /chance of promotion / additional benefits / good salary / bonuses / satisfaction / flexible working hours / leisure time / comfortable working conditions / I think I have the right personality to be…
Samples of Essays
A job I’d choose
I am an 11-year student so the time to choose my future profession has come. Finishing school is the beginning of an independent life for me and millions of school-leavers. But it is rather difficult for us to do any choice. Many roads are open before us: technical schools, colleges and universities. Today there are thousands of different kinds of jobs, but what profession should I choose?
When choosing a future career, we should consider different factors. I think that money is one of the most important factors when you make a choice. The job should be well-paid. I’d like to be able to buy everything I want with my salary. On the other hand, it is good when you get satisfaction from your job. It is very important to choose a profession that suits your interests. I think that a job should be socially important. Further training, promotion prospects and job conditions should be also taken into account.
I think that the choice of future career depends on individual tastes and preferences. As for me, I can say that I am communicative and I like working with people. My friends say that I am very organized and hard-working, so I think I can become a tourist agent or a manager, for example. I think that this profession requires much knowledge. So after finishing school I want to enter a university and study marketing and management. Management deals with people. A manager is a person who directly supervises people in any organization. Manager spends a great deal of time communicating, coordinating and making decisions affecting the daily work of their organization. Almost everything a manager does involves decisions, and in decision-making there is always uncertainty and risk. So managing is a very interesting but difficult job. I think that this job is just for me.
My future profession
According to different surveys such jobs as a manager, an IT – programmer, a dentist, a lawyer and an economist are the most popular among young people in our country nowadays. I think that the profession of an economist is very useful today because our country is moving towards market economy, and different forms of property are being established.
Every person chooses his or her future career taking into consideration various factors. First of all, the profession should be interesting and socially demanded. Secondly, it should be well-paid. Of course, it should present new opportunities for intellectual growth and development. I think that the profession of an economist combines all these factors that is why I decided to choose it from all the rest.
Certainly, when choosing a future career a young person should take into account his or her traits of character. As for my future profession, an economist must be smart, hard – working and responsible because he / she always makes up financial documents and analyses various economic situations. An economist must be communicative and polite because this job involves dealing with people. A modern specialist in the field of economics must have good practical skills of working on a PC. To know English today is absolutely necessary for every good economist because English has become the standard language for all kinds of international business communication.
To become an economist I am going to enter Saratov State Socio Economic University. I believe that studying of such courses as micro and macroeconomics, finance and credits, statistics, history of economic theory, economic management, marketing will give me an opportunity to become a skilful specialist in economic matters. I hope that my studies in the University will give me not only theoretical knowledge but also practical skills necessary for a highly- qualified specialist in this field.
Opinion Essays
Choosing a career – following parents’ footsteps?
At the end of the eleventh form every school- leaver should decide what profession to choose, what to do after finishing school. Some people think that it is better to follow parents’ footsteps, while others do not agree. It is a controversial question. In this essay I am going to discuss this problem and to look at it from different points of view.
In my opinion, a young person shouldn’t choose the profession his or her parents have. First of all, you should look for a job that suits your interests and abilities. Besides, your work should bring you satisfaction and joy. Moreover, a job must be well-paid.
Some other people think that following your parents’ profession is not bad because adults may give you a lot of advice and share their own experience.
I cannot quite agree with this argument because achievements in different sciences are changing steadily and very quickly, and sometimes children know more than grow-ups in some spheres of life. For example, computers appeared not long ago, and children are more aware of how to deal with them than their parents.
In conclusion, I must say that choosing a profession is a very important step in the person’s life that is why it must be well thought of. You should listen to different advice but make the choice yourself, I believe.
Choosing a career – a highly-paid job or bringing satisfaction?
At the end of school life every school- leaver should decide what profession to choose, what to do after finishing school. Some people think that it is better to choose a highly – paid job, while others do not agree. It is a controversial question. Let us look at the problem from different points of view.
In my opinion, first of all, a young person should look for a job that suits his or her interests and abilities. If a person cannot cope with his duties, it is a real disaster. Besides, your work should bring you satisfaction and joy. If a person does not like his or her profession, the life will seem useless, I believe.
Some other people think that the first point for choosing a job is a high salary because then they will be able to buy everything for themselves and their family.
I disagree with this argument because if you think only about money, your job will soon become boring and uninteresting.
In conclusion, I must say that choosing a profession is a very important step in the person’s life that is why it must be well thought of. You may listen to advice of different people but you should make the choice yourself, I believe.
Professions which require the knowledge of English
English is an important language for getting a job and career growth in today’s world. The knowledge of English is required in all fields now. In the countries where English is only a foreign language, its prevalence is increasing day by day.
There are certain sectors, where knowledge of English is absolutely necessary.
Politics - English is the language of politicians. English along with French and German is spoken at numerous summit meetings.
Economics - Nearly 50 % of the companies communicate with each other in English.75 % of all international business letters are written in English. The employees at the multinational companies require the knowledge of foreign languages. The main means of communication between the offices in various parts of the world is English. Russia today makes contacts and develops cooperation with lots of countries of the world that is why specialists with good knowledge of English are greatly needed for negotiations and concluding treaties. Owing to the peculiarities of historical development of Russia nowadays specialists in logistics and management competent in English are in great demand.
Information Technologies – We can’t imagine modern world without computers and the Internet. Every IT – specialist must be competent in English because most vocabulary in the modern computer science is in English. Besides, 80 % of all information in the world’s computers is in English.
Research Scholars - Most of the documents in different sciences – medicine, chemistry, physics and others - are in English, and 80% of the research materials stored in world computers are also in this language. So for the scientists of all spheres the knowledge of the English language is very important. They find it easy to exchange their ideas in English.
Aviation or Navigation sector - English is called the language of the sky and the sea. All works in the aviation and the navigation sections in the world are done in English, and people who want a career in these two sectors need to know both written and spoken English well. Every pilot and ship’s captain must speak English to communicate with each other and land control services.
Mass Media – The largest broadcasting companies in the world (CBS,NBS,ABC, BBC) transmit in English to audiences that exceed one hundred million. All specialists working in international broadcasting companies or newspapers and magazines have to know English for communicating with their colleagues and people all over the world.
Hospitality Industry (Tourism) - Knowledge of English is absolutely necessary for this industry. Tourism sector today is growing at a fast pace, and English is a means of communication between the workers of travel agencies, hotels, tour guides and the tourists.
Culture - Men of Art must know English too. US and British companies produce thousands of films, videos and TV programmes every year. English is the language of rock and pop music. Most of world known singers perform their songs in English.
Sport - International sports competitions are held in different countries of the world. Communication between sportsmen, coaches, referees and all the announcements during competitions are made in English.
Fashion - Language competence is quite necessary for models and fashion designers who want to become famous and successful in this sphere.
Education - As you can see, English is beneficial in lots of spheres of our life. Learning languages may be the best thing you can do to improve your life. Language competence will increase your job opportunities and push your career forward.
Составила : учитель Кужелева В.В., МБОУ СОШ №1, г. Кирсанов, Тамбовской области
