What do you want to do with the rest of your life? It's a dreaded question many high school students grapple with, but one Burnaby woman is trying to make things easier with an e-book that helps young people find their passions and pursue their careers.
Jaclyn Ling is only 22, but she already knows how difficult it can be to forge a path in post-secondary education without a clear plan. The Burnaby grad, now studying at McGill in Montreal, switched majors five times before settling on finance and entrepreneurship.
"I struggled a lot in university with all the sorts of decisions you have to make when I was in high school," she told the NOW.
Ling is hoping to help others with her e-book, Planning and Decision Making for High School Students, which is full of tips to help students figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. The book encourages them to examine their interests, values and strengths, and also includes an overview of the key fields of studies, followed by a section on decision-making.
According to Ling, high schools don't have the resources to thouroughly prepare students for post-secondary, and students are less motivated when they lack a clearly defined direction. And while young folks may turn to their parents for advice, there's a generational divide, as many things have changed since mom and dad were in school.
"Someone who went through it recently can provide guidance to students who are about to go through it," Ling said. "Parents are always looking to help their children, but I think there's a gap there because parents don't really know what it's like ... to plan for university."
Ling describes herself as a pay-it-forward type that's always been interested in charitable causes, and her approach to the book project is no different. She wants to keep it a non-profit endeavour and distribute 50 copies of the publication in 10 schools for free. The plan is to get students' feedback to help refine her book, but she needs to raise $5,000 for publication and distribution costs. She's set up a page on indiegogo, a crowdsourcing site that fundraises for various projects, and so far, she's raised $1,126. But there's a catch: she only receives the money if she raises the entire $5,000 by midnight on Oct. 30.
With the funding, Ling hopes to distribute her book and leave students with more confidence and motivation while pursuing their thoughtfully chosen paths.
"When students are lost and not sure why they are doing something, they don't have a lot of motivation. I guess I want them to gain more confidence for themselves and motivation for the future," she said.
To support Ling's project, or to see a video about the book, go to www.indiegogo.com/projects/planning-and-decision-making-for-students.
