DSE Candidate Guide: Embrace Your Own Future (Huang Yueyong)

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go through Hong Kong Economic Times July 19, 2024

This articleauthorHuang YueyongHe is an associate professor and senior consultant (entrepreneurship) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and writes a column for the Hong Kong Economic Journal titled “Kemeijin“.

The results of the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE) have been released, and students are about to enter another stage of life. Whether you have excellent results or not, when choosing your own path, please remember that good or bad results do not equal your future. The following is a simple “Design Your Life” framework, which may provide some advice to confused students on how to shape their future.

Over the years, I have helped students get through the DSE results. Students with poor academic performance are worried about further studies, but students with excellent academic performance will also have difficulty in choosing subjects. If you want to take control of your own life, “knowing yourself” is an important first step in designing your life. Record your experiences and interests in a diary, reflect on your own strengths; use a more academic method such asMyers-BriggsorStrengthsFindertake a personality test; you can also try spending a few minutes every day doing mindfulness exercises. These activities will help you understand yourself more deeply and naturally understand what you really want to pursue besides academic performance.

Whether your grades are excellent or not, when choosing your own path, please remember that grades do not determine your future. (Shutterstock photo)

Once you know what you want to do, the next step is to “explore opportunities”. The rapidly changing world has created many opportunities that are different from traditional paths. Instead of following the crowd, it is better to attend career talks and webinars that interest you, interact with professionals from different fields, and understand potential careers from a broader perspective. You can also explore emerging industries and future work trends including artificial intelligence (AI). We all know that it is not easy to combine interests with career paths. At this time, you need to make up your mind and make “choices and commitments”. After deciding on the direction, seek guidance from professionals in the field of interest, find like-minded partners, carry out some related small projects or tests, set short-term and long-term goals, etc. This can ensure that you are on the right path and make your life more fulfilling and motivated.

The last step is to cultivate resilience through an entrepreneurial mindset, which means being kind to yourself and thinking from others’ perspective. Recognizing that setbacks are inevitable in life and treating yourself with the kindness and understanding you would treat your friends, this mindset can help students be more motivated to face challenges without being overly critical of themselves and causing emotional stress.

No one can deny the importance of DSE, but public examinations are just one episode in a long life. Even if you cannot get the ideal exam results, there are still many ways to success. The ever-changing world is providing more opportunities that were unimaginable in the past. Reflect on your strengths, interests and dreams, accept your weaknesses and failures, and find a clear direction in life. Be kind to yourself, learn to learn, and keep an open mind. I firmly believe that the future of your classmates is full of infinite possibilities.