Want worldly, employable children? Put them on a plane
It’s that time of year (in the northern hemisphere at least) when high school graduates start weighing up where they might want to spend the next three to four years enrolled in programmes that could give them a shot on the career ladder, help them find a suitable life partner or usher them straight back home for a life reset.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been anywhere from the centre of crucial academic decisions (very useful having a university dropout in such conversations) to a casual eavesdropper as families discuss whether it should be Madrid or St Andrews. (“Really, I think we can get you set up much easier in Madrid with that nice El Corte Inglés around the corner and that massive new Zara Home.”) Is the US still an option? (“I’m not sure we want them looking at your anti-Trump posts while you were in student government dear. Better off with Eindhoven.”) And then there are the Asian friends who are concerned with security, overly liberal world views and gun-control issues in the US, Australia and Canada. (“I never thought we’d consider Bocconi in Milan or Nova in Lisbon but why not?”) At the same time, I’ve also heard that many recent graduates are struggling to find positions that might reasonably correspond with the amount forked out for their chosen degree. (“There’s no intake of new talent in any of the consulting firms that were on a recruitment drive six months ago.”) It’s at this point that my patchy academic creds and entrepreneurial streak kick in.
“I don’t think it’s a case of there not being any jobs,” I start. “There’s just not the soft landing your kids were hoping for. Why don’t they take some time off and see the world?”
“Oh, I don’t think we really want to be paying for a year or two of travel,” goes the sensible response. “Better they extend their studies.”
“No, no, no,” I counter. “I think they should see the world, fully paid and tax-free. I’m thinking they do a couple of tours with Etihad.”
This is when some parents start to shift in their seats, tense their bum cheeks and make a face. “Hmmmmm? I never really thought about that. A flight attendant?” At about the same time an enormous thought bubble comes into view to the left of their head.
“How will it sound when I tell our friends that Jonathan graduated top of his class in Pre-Mayan Urbanism and now works for a Gulf airline pouring gin and tonics?” The thought bubble grows larger. “I wonder how I can spin this in a positive way? That maybe he’s thinking of a career pivot to aviation law? I wonder what kind of discounts the family will get if he stays for more than three years?”
Degrees in early Persian town planning are useful at Monocle but having done a tour with an airline or a stint on a submarine is what takes potential candidates to the top of the CV pile. A few years walking the aisles of an A350 almost guarantees that a potential candidate knows how to handle most situations with a sense of calm and good humour. Moreover, they know how to mix that all-important G&T when a guest pays a visit to our HQs in Zürich or London.
“Is this really important?” I hear the concerned parent ask. Absolutely! These skills are more important than ever and make for a better breed of journalist, sales associate or budding publisher. As we also enter “my son/daughter is looking for an internship at Monocle” season, we’ll be looking for young talent who are just as happy to spend a few months on a La Marzocco as they are tapping away on a Mac.
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