How to make the right career choice?

The most important and meaningful project we may have is our very own selves.

Nevzat Tarhan, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Uskudar University

 

All through our lives, we are confronted with numerous choices. Nevzat Tarhan, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Uskudar University and NPISTANBUL Brain Hospital shared his viewpoint on university and career choices. 

A good university has its own history

Professor Nevzat Tarhan noted, “While discovering their life and carreer opportunities, young people should choose a path less travelled and try to make a difference.” Professor adds that our life and career choices come from our childhood, they have been encoded in our subconscious, psychiatrists call them ‘life scenarios’. We build self-improvement, develop our skills and make choices relying on those scenarios. They are also can be described as a number of accepted standards and values. Those scenarios or patterns of actions and reactions presuppose a certain amount of immersion in real life situations and relations with people around us. When we grow up, our social environment changes, so do our life scenarios. This kind of evolution should happen to a university too. 

 

Academic staff

While making a choice concerning a university and a career path, applicants should pay attention to several things. Initially, an applicant should be aware of his or her skills and what get his or her interested most. Universities should aim at research and development, converting theoretical knowledge into practice and profits, thus, contributing to society. Further, activities targeting research and development (R&D) that universitites undertake to innovate and introduce new methods, products, services are pivotal. While visiting a university it would be a good idea to learn about its laboratory, library and other facilities. Apart from that, studying at university is not only about buildings, campuses and R&D facilities, but also about academic staff and competencies. Professor continues, “It looks like playing football. If there are talented and professional football players, then the match and football itself will be great and spectacular. Therefore, qualified academic staff stand for qualitative education.” The doctor compares academic personnel with a key that opens a treasure chest.

 

Research and development

The most ipmortant and the biggest project for every person is himself or herself. Professor Nevzat Tarhan adds, “An aimless drifter, I mean, someone who has no ambitions will be always manipulated by others.” Therefore, aims should be defined at the beginning. It is very important to avoid spontaneous decisions, while choosing a university. Sometimes applicants may doubt or to be uncertain about the future in general, nevertheless, they should not fall into despair. It is allowed for an applicant to dream grandiosely, at the same time the latter should bare in mind a rational decision making too.  Basically, a piece of advise of a career specialist or a psychologist can lend a hand.

 

Individual mind vs. collective mind

Professor Nevzat Tarhan continues, “Nowadays one is able to reach knowledge on everything efortlessly, you will need only the Internet. The thing is to learn from trustworthy sources. Here a qualified competent faculty member is required.” It would be a good idea to refrain from applying to a university, the faculty staff of which do not communicate with applicants. Besides, collective mind should be stressed out, not an individual one. What we really need in challenging times is to encourage progress, while preserving our values. 

 

Digital education and digital teaching

Nevzat Tarhan, MD, adds, “Digital teaching is somehow possible, whilst digital or online education is not, especially, if we talk about medicine, engineering, fields where practical knowledge predominates.” Education contains both teaching process and learning process, we learn from someone’s valuable experience; learning is a reciprocal process. While choosing a university to study this criterian should be taken in consideration for sure. Academic staff should  be open to a dialogue and communication, ready to assist when needed.

 

Mission and vission

As you probably know, every decent company including universities should define their mission and vision. Vission is what a company wants to ultimately become. At the same time, mission focusses on today and the things should be done to achieve its goals. For example, we have founded three main branches in Uskudar University: genetic studies, neurology and healthcare studies. Instead of mastering everything in general, we prefer to develop depth in several subjects in the light of R&D (research and development concept). For instance, we added some specific branches as molecular biology and bioengineering. All those things are done according to our vission and mission. All in all, enterpreneural personality traits as determination and doggedness will push you forward in spite of obstacles and setbacks.