Get a job first
Huang Pang-ping’s (黃邦平) article validates advice that I give to my undergraduate Curry College students on an almost daily basis. (“Young people seek jobs over more degrees: poll,” June 8, page 2).
As a public relations professional now teaching the next generation(s) of communication professionals, I understand very well the perspective of the hiring manager looking to fill an entry-level (or other) position.
Experience plays a major role in candidate selection. “What do you know?” almost always wins out over “What did you study?”
In that light, I encourage my students to complete their undergraduate studies along with (hopefully) multiple internships for entry-level job training, find their first job and get their “foot in the door” of the profession to which they wish to devote themselves and their talents.
I take this position for a number of reasons, the first of which is, as I remind my own students: “You already have the expense of your undergraduate degree to get rid of. Don’t add more to your financial burden yet.”
A second reason is one that I give from personal as well as professional experience.
“Work for a while and get a better idea of what you want to focus on for your graduate degree,” I tell them.
I advise that their future master’s degree study should help them become more of a specialist in that area of their profession that has proven, from their recently-gained job experience, to be of greater interest or ability.
A third reason, at least for students working for US companies, is that the employer very likely will pay all or most of the cost of the second degree so long as the employee can show how the additional education will improve his or her job performance and contributions to the company’s success.
Finally, as I caution my students and others: “The longer you delay entering the workforce, the more competition there will be for that position that you are qualified for now.”
Kudos to university students in Taiwan who have learned either through personal experience or through excellent advice from mentors, teachers, parents or friends the value of entering the workforce as soon after graduation as possible in order to get a solid start in their careers.
If they do as I did, which is to wait and work for 10 years before going back to college for that next level of education, I hope that they also realize the benefits and value of that decision as I have done and continue to do every day of my working life.
Kirk Hazlett
Boston, Massachusetts
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath