Planning for the future

As part of preparing our students for the career choices they will make in the future, SIS brought together a group of parents and other professionals to share their stories. In short afternoon sessions our speakers were invited to talk about their industries and the career path they had followed. Students had the opportunity to ask direct questions and learn about different aspects of the careers they might pusue.

From architects to lawyers, from engineers to HR Management, from Artificial Intelligence to diplomatic service: these and more provided a wide array of insights that were shared with the students.

However, one message that came through is that not all successful careers have been meticulously planned. AI Innovation Consultant, Amir Elion, spoke about how he started studying humanities but pursued his own personal interests in a career that has so far seen him work in and alongside start-up companies, while also spending time within large corporations such as Amazon Web Services. Along the way, his focus has moved through aspects of product development – in education and beyond, manufacturing, customer experience, and the deployment of new technologies. 

Similarly, Helena Karlinder-Östlund, now CEO of fashion retailer Nelly, described how, after she completed her Master's degree, she was exposed to a wide variety of industries during her first job with McKinsey, the major international business consultancy. Reflecting her own approach to recruitment, she emphasised that she looked for how well and how quickly people learn rather than what they know. And indeed her own journey had been a testament to her own ability to learn across industries before becoming chief HR officer and then CEO at Nelly – a position that she at first declined.

These stories are among many that explain SIS's attention to teaching our students how to learn, as well as consolidating what they know. Now, more than ever before, lifelong learning will be a key facet of succeeding in the world, as technology moves rapidly and the labour and skills market changes with it. Students attending the Careers Fair sessions would have been in no doubt of the importance of being adaptable and resourceful.