Some 20 odd years ago when you and I were at our desks writing airmail letters to our boyfriends/ girlfriends and waiting for up to six weeks to get a reply, we had no idea that our children would be involved in sending instant messages to theirs. Nor did we know that we would be sitting in our dining rooms literally having dinner with our relatives across the world. Such is the pace of change.

While we are dazzled by this change and are perpetually struggling to cope and remain relevant, we tend to forget how much more progress we will live to see. With such changes, there are opportunities, some of which were not even in the realm of dreams yesterday. The challenge is to whittle down these opportunities.

As the excitement of the HSC results which characterized the beginning of this week starts fading away, the dilemma of choices being thrown at school leavers start dawning upon them. The difficulty of choosing a course leading to a career is made more difficult with the generation gap which seems to be getting bigger and bigger between students and their parents. Looking out for something new, creative, out of the box, generally meets with the strong apprehensions of the parents who are keen on pushing for careers they have heard of before. There are many new and exciting opportunities out there and, naturally, there will be even more in the future. The problem is that the future is unpredictable and the truth is that no-one knows for sure what types of career opportunities there will be in the near future. Some of the students who have just completed their HSC today could perhaps have a job title that hasn’t even been invented and some others may find themselves working in an industry which doesn’t yet exist. The complexity of the situation in Mauritius is compounded by us parents, with the best intentions, getting in the way and finding it hard to adjust to the diversity and novelty of the items on the menu.

As the students reading this edition look at the various fields we have explored for them, one main thing they need to bear in mind is: three or four years studying a subject is a long time, so it had better be a course they like; a course which matches their interests, career aspirations and talents; subjects they can face on Monday mornings after a weekend hangover.

And every student is unique. While some have always known that they wanted to become doctors or lawyers, for most, deciding is something which comes at a much later stage. Others may opt for subjects that are not taught in schools or colleges. Our aim is to help our young readers narrow down the thousands of courses to just a few or combine courses from different subjects to construct a study programme suitable for them. Many combinations and study pathways are possible. While making a choice, it is perhaps, however, worth bearing in mind that, these days, no-one expects a ‘job for life’. Most people only realise what career’s right for them when they’re in their 20s, 30s or even later. So do not get stressed about your future. Face it with serenity. There are countless careers out there just waiting to be snapped up. The world really is your oyster. And you are the one in the driving seat. So, yay!