The Hawera Star. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1927. CHOOSING A VOCATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 December 1927, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1927. CHOOSING A VOCATION.

Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, ICaponga, Alton, Hurley ville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangat, Meremere. Fraser Eoad and Ararata

With the end of the school year, many parents find themselves faced 'with the problem of choosing a. suitable occupation for the boy and girl about to set out on the serious business of earning a livelihood. For the business man or the farmer, whose son expects, and wishes, to follow in his father’s footsteps, there is no problem at all; the son slips into the place which has been prepared for him and if his own natural inclinations lie that -way he achieves the happiness of doing the job he likes best to do -without any questionings of heart and mind. But it is far from simple for the parent w r ho cannot, by the nature of his oeupation, hand over the reins or make a place for his boy, or for the parent who, though able and willing to do so, knows full well that his son is not fitted for that class of work and yearns for something different. Even where there is a definite desire on the youth’s part, for some special vocation far removed from that of his father’s, the difficulty is not insurmountable, for though there may bo financial and other obstacles to be overcome, there is usually a way out for the boy imbued with sufficient determination to succeed. The greatest problem faces the parent of the boy who, though steady and reliable, and not without ability, shows no special aptitude or desire for any particular class of job in life. The child does not worry, in the belief that everything is for the best in this best of world’s, but parents who have had experience of an uncongenial occupation all their lives have many anxious hours when they contemplate a career for him. It is in cases such as these that the necessity arises for consulting the schoolmaster, who often has a better idea of his mental capacity and aptitude than conscientious parents themselves. The need for some system of guidance has been growing more acute as our social and industrial system has developed, and it has been gaining more recognition in New Zealand, as elsewhere, with the passing of the years. Thus we have in the cities vocational guidance committees which endeavour to ascertain the boy’s own inclinations, or if he is not conscious of any—as many youngsters who are by no means naturally shiftless are not —they strive to find the occupation in which he should be happiest and most useful. And this movement is not confined to the cities, for in Hawera the Chamber of Commerce has its own vocational guidance committee, whose members are ready to offer any help in their power and to place the applicant who knows what he wants to do, but can find no outlet for his ambitions, in touch with likely avenues of employment. This year vocational work, which has been in the past largely the voluntary effort of public-spirited citizens, has been undertaken more extensively than - formerly by the Education Department,. which has issued a pamphlet designed to assist parents in solving the problem of choosing a vocation. This pamphlet will not of itself settle all questions of future education and career, but if the information it gives is carefully studied it will enable parents to decide such matters, in consultation with the school teachers, with a better prospect of arriving at a right decision. There are, of course, many factors upon which such a publication cannot afford exact: guidance, but it will serve a most useful purpose if it leads parents to make such inquiries ns will guard them against mistakes.