Part 3 - Two-way Discussion:

Discussion topic:

Skills and abilities

Q. What skills and abilities do people most want to have today? Why?

Answer: It all depends on what kinds of career one would want to pursue and what types of skills and abilities are in demand in the job market. But, as evidence suggests, people want to learn skills like computer programming skills, good communication skills, project management skills, multi-tasking abilities, technical skills and good time management skills. They want to learn them primarily because the job market has become extremely competitive today, where just mastering a particular subject or trade, in which one would want to pursue his/her career, is not enough.

Q. Which skills should children learn at school? Are there any skills which they should learn at home? What are they?

Answer: Children should learn any skills, be it at schools or homes, which would help them become good and productive citizens. These skills may include proper communication skills and good time management skills, in addition to other soft skills, as they would help children, no matter what professions they choose in the future. However, having said that, it is also important that children are encouraged to learn mostly those skills, in addition to their regular subjects and trades, which are more aligned with their future career aspirations.
Besides, parents should try to instil good moral qualities among their children at home and teach them to be helpful and sympathetic to all creatures- small or big.

Q. Which skills do you think will be important in the future? Why?

Answer: I think that technical skills and computer skills will prove out to be more and more important in the future because people would be relying lesser and lesser on manual works and skills and depending more and more on machines, computers or robots. Therefore, it is fair to assume that only those skills, which are needed to collaborate with machines and train them, will be important. However, I also feel that soft skills like communication skills, interpersonal skills, project management skills, multi-tasking skills and time managed skills would also be important no matter what the professions are in the future.
 

Salaries for skilled people

Q. Which kinds of jobs have the highest salaries in your country? Why is this?

Answer: As I see it, I think that "engineering professionals", "medical doctors", "computer programmers", and "bank executives" are the highest salary earners in my country primarily because the sectors they work in are making a huge profit these days because of great economic growth, enjoyed by my country over the last decade or so. Besides, they possess special skills which are in great demand in my country. So, if the economy is in good shape, and if there are not enough qualified people to get the job done, it is only natural that huge salaries will be paid to these professionals.

Q. Are there any other jobs that you think should have high salaries? Why do you think that?

Answer: Yes, I do think that some other professionals, such as teachers and agricultural professionals, should be getting high salaries as well. In fact, in my opinion, teachers essentially are the ‘ultimate’ architects of a nation as they spend years in creating good and productive citizens for the nation. Besides, it is because of the passion and persistence of the teaching professionals that a nation enjoys the services of medical doctors and engineers. Talking about agricultural professionals, without their sincere and hard-working efforts in the sun or rain, we wouldn’t be able to get any food.

Q. Some people say it would be better for society if everyone got the same salary. What do you think about that? Why?

Answer: It would really be great if everybody would get the same salary, but unfortunately, this is not realistically possible because not every skill is valued or sought after in the same way, nor every job involves the same level of hard work and risks. Besides, if everybody “were” paid the same kind of salaries, nobody would care to follow the leads of others, and as a result, the hierarchy of the authority in the professional world would be completely destroyed, which certainly would not be good for a civilized society and country.

Phân tích từ vựng

Multi-tasking abilities: khả năng đa tác vụ

Productive citizens: công dân có ích

Instil good moral qualities: rèn luyện tốt phẩm chất đạo đức

Possess: sở hữu

The hierarchy of the authority: hệ thống phân cấp của các cơ quan