Transition Frontiers: Career Guidance in Vietnam’s Industry 4.0

As students start to reach the end of high school, they face the challenge of making what is likely the biggest decision of their life so far: Go to work or continue studying at university? Unfortunately, students are poorly equipped to make such a life altering choice. Some jobs, especially those connected to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) require the skills that come with a four-year degree. If they decide to continue on to higher education, they have another big decision to make: Which program of study to follow? Studying in the wrong program could lead to wasted time and money. It could also lower the motivation to study, leading to lower levels of learning, which in turn could lead to fewer professional opportunities in the future. To help solve these problems, many high schools offer career guidance to support students through this major life transition. Is the current guidance adequate? To answer this question, an exploratory qualitative ethnographic study was performed with seven students who are one year away from earning a bachelor degree in the field of financial technology from a large public university in Vietnam. Findings reveal that most students believe that current guidance offerings, while important, are also inadequate leading some students to regret their choice of study program. Solutions to these problems are discussed based on the insights of these respondents.