What do I want to be? The career choice podcast
In the first career choice podcast from the Swiss parents' magazine Fritz+Fränzi, we get to know app developer Lorena, visit the training company of nursing specialist Orion, who cares for dementia patients in a retirement centre, and take a look at the workshop of third-year carpenter Nimue, who makes furniture.
We present programmes in which eighth-graders are coached by young adults in their career choices. And we pass on tips from experts on how to make the best career choice.
On your ears: Our career choice podcast comprises twelve episodes of ten minutes each.
The twelve-part career choice podcast was created in cooperation with the Swiss parents' magazine Fritz+Fränzi and Pro Familia; the producer is Podcast-Schmiede. The individual episodes last around ten minutes.
Episode 1: First steps
We meet 14-year-old secondary school pupil Riana and her parents. Riana is in the middle of choosing a career - and has a specific wish: «I want to feel good and look forward to work when I wake up in the morning.» Should she opt for an apprenticeship as a polygraph or florist? Or is secondary technical school the right path? Riana hopes to find answers to these and many other questions during her second visit to the BIZ careers advice and information centre in Uster.
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Episode 2: The career counsellor
Careers counsellor Gilles Shapira welcomes Riana to the second counselling session at the BIZ Uster. What has happened in the meantime? What experiences has she gained from the taster apprenticeships? And what are the next steps? We attend the counselling session and get tips from the expert on the best way to find an apprenticeship.
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Episode 3: Nimue, 18, carpenter
«I love working with solid wood. It's called veneering. You notice how every piece of wood is different, which is very cool,» says Nimue. She is in her third year of training at Glaeser Wogg AG in Baden. «I can create something that not everyone has. I want to build a little table for my jewellery and make-up. I'm still a woman, too. This job doesn't mean you can't dress up.»
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Episode 4: The career ambassadors
Jan is a polymechanic, Elia is an automation engineer. What kind of jobs are they? What does their everyday life look like? Jan and Elia are doing their apprenticeship at Libs in Baden and are involved as «career ambassadors» in the «Rent-a-stift» programme run by ask! Jan and Elia talk about their experiences when they stand in front of a class in their eighth year at school. And about the puzzling objects they bring with them.
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Episode 5: My personal coach
Are you looking for a personal coach to help you in the career choice process? Privately organised support programmes such as «Rock Your Life» provide jobseekers with a mentor. 24-year-old student Céline supports 14-year-old Gioele. Before we look over the shoulders of the two of them, we want to find out from Céline: What was her path to studying International Relations and why is she involved as a mentor?
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Episode 6: The student and the artist
Mentor Céline and budding art student Gioele meet at Oerlikon railway station. Today, the 14-year-old has drawings with him. The two sit outside in a café and scrutinise Gioele's work. What should he include in his art school application? Céline has done some research - and Gioele has big dreams: one day he would like to work as an anime illustrator in Japan.
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Episode 7: Orion, 18, healthcare specialist EFZ
«It makes me happy that I can help other people. I can't think of a better job for me,» says Orion. He works in the dementia department at the Lanzeln retirement centre in Stäfa and is about to graduate as an EFZ healthcare specialist. «During a trial apprenticeship, you can really feel whether it's the right profession,» says Orion.
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Episode 8: Apprenticeship or grammar school?
Two thirds of young people in Switzerland opt for an apprenticeship. But the Gymi is becoming increasingly popular. Today, four times more young people take the baccalaureate than 20 years ago. For whom does the Gymi suit, and for whom is a specialised middle school or an apprenticeship with a vocational baccalaureate more suitable? Nicole Fiechter-Weisskopf, head of the BIZ careers advice and information centre in Liestal BL, knows the answers.
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Episode 9: Naemi dares to make a new start
It's Monday morning. Actually, 17-year-old Naemi would be in the classroom at this time. Now she is sitting with us and her parents at the living room table in Bubendorf BL. Naemi recently dropped out of high school. It wasn't because of her grades. A very personal conversation about courage, a difficult decision and the realisation that you have to listen to yourself. Naemi is really looking forward to the training programme she is now embarking on.
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Episode 10: Cancel or continue?
Conflicts with the boss, problems at vocational school, the wrong choice of profession or apprenticeship: There are many reasons for dropping out of an apprenticeship or grammar school. Careers counsellor Nicole Fiechter tells us in which situations it makes sense to persevere and when a fresh start is the better option.
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Episode 11: Lorena, 16, computer scientist EFZ
«As an app developer, you have to be able to think logically above all. And be fit in English.» Lorena is in her first year of training at Swiss Re. It's not a man's job, but women are still outnumbered. She gets on well with the male developers and doesn't feel excluded. «I would like to be a mentor and senior mentor to young women. That way I could pass on tricks on how to get on better with the boys. I think that would be cool».
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Episode 12: Success story on the farm
We visit Leila, 33, on a farm in the Bernese Seeland. She studied social work and worked in youth centres with children with mental disabilities. But even as a child she knew what she wanted to do: Working with animals in the countryside and driving a tractor. That's why she decided to do a shortened apprenticeship as a farmer. Now she combines both professions: Leila trains young people with learning difficulties on the farm. In the last episode of our career choice podcast, we show The first career choice is not a final decision, but a first step; a beginning that can be built upon.
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Read more about choosing a career:
successive tasks. It is advisable to carry out the seven steps in this order, although you can always go back one or two stages if something has changed.
- Schritt 1: Eigene Interessen und Stärken kennenlernen
May I introduce - me!
Before young people can decide what training they want to pursue after secondary school, they have to answer a few basic questions about themselves. Not an easy task in the middle of puberty, which is already full of questions.Schritt 2: Berufe und Ausbildungen kennenlernen
From bricklayer to physiotherapist? No problem
Into an apprenticeship or on to school? This is a question many people ask themselves in the sixth form. But the two paths are not mutually exclusive. An overview of the most important training programmes.Schritt 3: Eigene Stärken mit den Anforderungen von Berufen und Ausbildungen vergleichen
The big measurement
Every apprenticeship and every school has its own specific requirements. For young job seekers, this means that they should either work intensively on their skills or look for a less demanding apprenticeship.Schritt 4: Interessante Berufen in einer Schnupperlehre kennenlernen
Taster apprenticeship - a noseful of working air
A taster apprenticeship, also known as a work experience placement, gives a first impression of working life, a profession and the atmosphere in a potential training company. It is something like the ultimate reality check for young apprenticeship seekers.Schritt 5: Mögliche Berufe und Ausbildungen überprüfen und eine Entscheidung fällen
«It's important to listen to your gut feeling»
Careers counsellor Sigrid Weber knows the agony of choosing a career that many young people go through. Favourite subjects and hobbies are the first pointers to the right apprenticeship, a lot can be learned in trial apprenticeships - and sometimes a coin toss helps, says the psychologist. When making a decision, however, the feeling has to be right above all.Schritt 6: Eine Lehrstelle suchen oder sich bei einer Schule anmelden
The training company: your second home for the next few years
After choosing the right profession, the next step is to find a suitable training company. Large or small, informal or formal, hierarchical or collegial? The more different types you get to know through taster sessions, the better you will know what suits you.Schritt 7: Sich auf die Lehre oder Schule vorbereiten oder Brückenangebote abklären
Bridging programmes are not an emergency solution
The tenth school year is seen as an emergency solution for those who have not found an apprenticeship. In reality, it is a sensible educational programme to close gaps in schooling and other gaps or to make a decision about a career. Other bridging programmes help to gain valuable knowledge and set the course.
