School Ends, but Lessons Never Do

• – What are you planning to do when you finish school?
• – Ugh, I don’t know… I’m already feeling a bit fed up.
• – My parents are going mad, wanting me to find a job as soon as possible.
• – They’re right, sweetie. Once we’ve found a decent job and settled down, we’ll be sorted, I tell you…

You’ve just read an excerpt from a conversation on the metrobus between two young friends—I reckon they’re final-year university students. I don’t know if it sounded familiar or just how familiar it sounded, but I suppose the anxiety about what to do after university is a sore point for every young Turk. After all those years at primary, secondary and sixth-form school, spent entirely focused on getting into a good university or a good degree programme, the youngster soon realises that the story doesn’t end there. The real issue is what to do after university. If they manage to land a decent job or secure a position in the civil service, only then is the problem solved in their naive eyes. Should we perhaps tell them that the story doesn’t end there either?

As an older sister who has spent years advising dozens of different organisations across many sectors on talent management and developing human potential—delivering training and coaching, and working one-to-one with thousands of people—if I were to tell them that the story takes on a whole new dimension at that point… If I were to say that organisations are no longer particularly interested in technical knowledge and skills, or the names of the schools on diplomas, and that looking to the future, the value of these qualities in the eyes of employers will gradually diminish… If I were to say that the most fundamental qualities they’re actually looking for are human qualities stemming from basic social upbringing (which, unfortunately, for various reasons, are rarely found these days) – or, in HR parlance, ‘competencies’… If I were to say that humility is now valued far more highly than inflated self-confidence, open-mindedness over dominance, a desire to learn and curiosity, technical knowledge and skills; respect for people over cut-throat competition; collaboration and achieving success together over being a ‘star’; and perseverance and planning over sheer intelligence… If I were to say that there are entirely new definitions of leadership and leadership qualities, and that a new leadership approach called ‘servant leadership’ is gaining ever greater prominence… If I were to say that the ability to apologise is more valuable than never making a mistake, and that when mistakes are transformed into learning opportunities, they can lead to horizons that perfection could never even imagine… If I were to say that being open and flexible towards different ways of thinking, believing, living and expressing oneself is the most critical element in developing the ability to adapt to a world that is constantly changing—and at an ever-increasing pace… If I were to say that having principles is not the same as being stuck in rigid mental moulds, and that there is a fine yet profound line between wisdom and pedantry… If I were to say that being outspoken and clear is not the same as being a fool, and that expressing one’s thoughts unfiltered in every setting and situation is not a sign of honesty but rather of underdeveloped social intelligence… If I were to say that, unlike those who claim, ‘I did it in a single night, without breaking a sweat’, hard work and diligence remain as valuable today as they have always been…

I wonder, if I were to say all this, would it give them an idea of which qualities to prioritise and which to develop as they prepare for the world of work? Would it help them to view themselves through this lens? If I were to say that developing their self-awareness is the first door they must walk through on this path, and that, unfortunately, landing any job is merely a strange stop along this long journey otherwise…

Sanem Ömürlü