This week, AISG held its third annual Career Fair for Upper Secondary students. Career Fairs provide an excellent opportunity for students to discover future career options and explore their interests. As a key component of our university counseling program at AISG, this event enables students to gather valuable insights from industry experts. It also helps them understand the skills and experiences needed to thrive in their chosen professions.
This year’s theme was “Preparing for a Squiggly Future.” The phrase was coined by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis in their bestselling book Squiggly Careers. Squiggly careers refer to non-linear career paths where individuals move between different jobs and industries rather than following a straight trajectory. This flexible approach allows people to gain diverse skills and experiences, enabling them to adapt and reinvent themselves in a changing job market.
The fair started off with a keynote speech from Justin Zee Kwok, who has the perfect illustration of a squiggly career. In her keynote speech, Justine shared her story of how she studied psychology and French, but ended up working in the fashion industry in France and New York. While staying true to her values and personality, she reflected on her authenticity, courage, and resilience, which led her to the eventual founding of Flow Farm and Sanctuary in Zhongshan. As CEO of Flow Farm and Sanctuary, the organization aims to focus on educational programs promoting sustainability, eco-literacy, animal care, and wellness.
This year, we had a new approach. In addition to matching students career interests with industry experts, we also asked our presenters and students to find their MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and list their top values. Students were asked to first meet with the industry expert that matched their personality type, followed by another two rounds of matching their career interest. This helped our students explore decision making and career paths from a different perspective, as well as figure out what industries might fit their personality types.
After the sessions, students also had the chance to attend a mixer with our presenters to ask any questions or learn more information about their careers and industries. It was inspiring to see our passionate students want to learn more and connect with our helpful experts.
26 experts volunteered their time to attend the fair this year to talk with our Upper Secondary students. We are so grateful to our compassionate community, which includes caregivers, alumni, and faculty, who attended as experts or reached out to experts in the local community to come and talk about their fields.
The wide variety of industries represented:
Art
Culture
Design
Civil Engineering
Clinical Psychology
Coffee
Consulting and Training
Education
Farming and Animal Sanctuary
Fashion Branding
Finance
Food and Beverage
Gaming
Government
Humanitarian Sector
Information Technology
Law
Manufacturing
Marketing and Communications
Media
Medicine
New Energy and Carbon Emissions
NGO
Renewable Energy
Social Media
Urban and Architectural Design
At AISG, our vision is creating unique, transformative learning journeys that will forge a globally connected community. The Career Fair is a great example of this, as it helps our students prepare for their futures and exemplifies our wonderful community.
Our University Counseling program seeks to support students through tailor-made, individualized university plans aimed at connecting students to pathways and university programs they are passionate about pursuing. Click here to learn more about the college counseling at AISG.