| In order to obtain the necessary experience and acquire the desired position, you must start early and think ___ about a wide range of career options that suit both your academic background and ___, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. You should think about ___ between the work habits you have developed at the university and those that will be useful in your future career, how they will help or hinder your future ___ life and success. To insure a good career, you must take advantage of your vacations and other free time to work, which could help you to develop contacts and gain necessary skills. If ___ work is not available, you can get involved in extra-curricula activities at the university or take an active part in some clubs, conferences, or festivals. This will help you to develop confidence in yourself, recognize the power you possess to take control of your future, and sculpt it in the manner that is best for you. As an ___ person, you are supposed to play an important role in the future ___ of our society, to take a responsible position. | create person connect profession salary educate develop |
7. Work in pairs. Speak to your cousin whom you haven’t seen for several years about your relatives/friends and their occupations. Make up a dialogue using the following variations:
| A. B. | 1) 2) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) | – What do you plan to do on leaving school? (when you are seventeen? when you are back from the army) – I’d like to enter a university. (to join the army(the navy); to go to work; to become a geologist) – Medicine is Bob’s calling, isn’t it? (Technology; Architecture; Engineering) – Oh, yes. No doubt he’ll make a good doctor. (engineer; designer) – What is your profession? (trade? job? occupation?) – I am a driver. (a bookkeeper; a doctor) – What can you say of your friend? (your new acquaintance? Mr. Jones?) – As far as I know, he is a skilled locksmith. (an experienced teacher; a well-known journalist; an excellent architect) – Where does your father work? (brother; uncle) e – He works at a Research Institute. (a Ministry; a printing-house; a toy factory) – What is (are) your father’s salary? (pay? wages?) – He gets 500 dollars a month. (earns 100 pounds a week; makes quite enough; gets not so much) – Why is the chief displeased with Jim? (Mr. Jones?) – It’s because he cannot manage his work well. (shirks his job; often comes late; is not experienced enough; is an idler (loafer)) – Why aren’t you at work now? (in your office? at your factory?) – You see, I’m on leave.(on vacation; on sick-list) |
8. Your future profession is an engineer. Read the text and explain to your friend: a) what engineering is; b) what kind of person an engineer is; c) what your future speciality is; d) what your future profession deals with.
What is Engineering?
In general, engineering is a science that deals with design, construction and operation of structures, machines, engines and other devices. Engineer is a person who has received technical education and has a basic knowledge of other engineering fields, because most engineering problems are complex and interrelated. The term engineering is difficult to translate into Russian because it has a lot of meanings. Most often it is translated as: инженерное дело, техника, машиностроение, строительство. There exist the following main branches of engineering.
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
This is the widest field of engineering, concerned with systems and devices that use electric power and signals. Among the most important subjects in the field are electric power and machinery, electronic circuits, control systems, computer design, superconductors, solid-state electronics, robotics, lasers, radar, consumer electronics, and fiber optics.
Electrical engineering can be divided into four main branches: electric power and machinery, electronics, communications and control, and computers.
Electronic Engineering
Electronic Engineering deals with the research, design and application of circuits and devices used in the transmission and processing information.
The revolution in electronics is the trend towards integrating electronic devices on a single tiny chip of silicon or some other semiconductive material. Much of the research in electronics is directed towards creating even smaller chips, faster switching of components, and three-dimensional integrated circuits.
Communications and Control
Engineers in this field work on the control systems and communication systems that are used widely in aircraft and ships, in power transmission and distribution, in automated manufacturing and robotics.
Major developments in this field are replacement of analogue systems with digital systems and copper cables with fibre optics (optical fibres). Digital systems lower electrical noise. Fibre optics lowers interference, has large carrying capacity, and is extremely light and inexpensive to manufacture.
Computers Engineering
Computer engineering is now the most rapidly growing field. Computer engineers design and manufacture memory systems, central processing units and peripheral devices. Major developments in this field are microminiaturization (design of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) chips) and new computer architectures. Using VLSI, engineers try to place greater number of circuit elements onto smaller chips. Another trend is towards increasing the speed of computer operations through the use of parallel processors and superconducting materials.
Safety Engineering
This field of engineering has an object the prevention of accidents. Safety engineers develop methods and procedures to safeguard workers of hazardous occupations. They also assist in designing machinery, factories, ships, and roads, suggesting alterations and improvements to reduce accident.
Notes:
1. Electrical and electronics engineering – электротехника и электроника
2. Electronic engineering – электроника
3. Communications and control – техника средств связи и управление
4. Computers engineering – компьютерная техника
5. Safety engineering – техника безопасности
9. Work in pairs. Pete is speaking about his future career. Take the parts of Pete, Tom and Susan and reproduce the dialogue. Use the word combinations from the box given below.
| Tom: Pete: Tom: Pete: Susan: Pete: Susan: Pete: Susan: Pete: Susan: Pete: Susan: Pete: Susan: Pete: | How are you doing, Pete? Fine, I hope? Hi, Tom! …, thanks. Glad to see you again …. Me, too. Listen, Tom. This is Susan Belmont. We attend …. Hallo, Susan. How do you do? ..., Pete. Are you a student? Yes, I’m … of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics. And what is your future profession? I’m going to be …. I’ll deal with …. …. What made you choose exactly this sphere? I have always been interested …. I consider …. Yes, it’s true. I know … is very important. It has paved the way for …. By the way, where would you like to work after graduating? It would be interesting for me … or to do some sort of research. … of taking a post-graduate course. …and hear you’ve won the Nobel Prize. Hm…, you are kidding, Susan. But why not? Our school …is one of the best in the world. Sorry, Pete, I must be off. … meeting you. … See you later, Susan. |
I’m very well…
…to work somewhere in a design office…
…telecommunications engineer.
It was nice…
…the design and development of integrated circuits.
…in radio electronics.
…in this International Camp.
How do you do…
… in telecommunications.
…the design of radio electronic devices.
… the same university.
…the design and maintain of telecommunications systems.
See you later.
…this summer.
…a second-year student…
I’m seriously thinking…
…in this branch of engineering…
…its contribution to the world’s progress…
…an engineer.
Oh, how interesting!
…in microelectronics.
…this branch to be the most promising.
…the products that have improved the quality and convenience of our life.
I hope to wake up one day …
…an electronics engineer.
10. What should you do to find a job? Find the logical sequence of the steps you should take and render it to your partner.
| a. get an invitation for an interview b. make an appointment with an employment agency counselor c. read the classified ads d. think what kind of job you want e. analyse your skills, personality traits and accomplishments f. get ready for the interview g. find out employment agency you can use h. find out as much as you can about the company |
11. There are two essential steps in the job-hunting process: research and planning. Research means examining your skills and finding out where you can apply them. Planning means deciding how you will present your skills to a prospective employer. You should go through these steps carefully whether you are looking for your first job.
Work in pairs:
a) Look at the following examples of skills/responsibilities and personality traits and find out the ones that apply to you. Try to explain your choice.
| Skills/Responsibilities | Personality Traits | ||
| acting analyzing assembling decorating designing driving filing helping people interviewing listening making crafts | making decisions meeting people negotiating operating machines organizing persuading people repairing machines solving problems speaking sports supervising | Use: I am very… accurate adaptable cooperative creative dependable flexible organized punctual responsible | …is one of my strong points accuracy adaptability cooperation creativity dependability flexibility organization punctuality responsibility |
b) You are looking for a job. Analyze your interests and abilities. Here are ten basic questions to think about:
1. What are my abilities? 2. What special talents do I have? 3. What are my special interests? 4. What are my physical abilities and limitations? 5. What are my attitudes and values? 6. How do I see myself, or what is my self-concept? 7. What is my previous experience? 8. What are my educational plans for the future? 9. Am I a kind of person who works well in a large group, or do I work better with only one or two people? 10. Am I willing to accept change?
