Why we started #Pathways
Here’s an experiment: how many of you…
- … have parents who encouraged you to grow up to be a doctor/lawyer/accountant?
- … are seriously considering going (or have already gone) down the same route one of your parents or one of the members of your family did?
- … have heard someone dismiss an occupation, or a range of occupations, perhaps saying things like, ‘that’s not a real job’, ‘that’s not really work’, ‘that’s for people who don’t need to make money’, or ‘that’s for people who can’t [insert verb here]’?
We wanted to start the #Pathways series (and in a large part, Praxium) to address this.
Whether for better or worse, many of us inherit (amongst other things) biases, assumptions, and dominant narratives about the world of work from our parents and the society we grow up in — many of which are sweeping statements of simply invalid. Rather than blaming the mouthpieces — many of whom mean well, don’t know any better, or whose perceptions reflect the time they grew up in, we wanted to open up the conversation to include more voices.
There’s no shortage of research highlighting the fact that most of us are influenced in our career decisions by the career successes and failures of our parents, and that social capital goes a long way in determining the accessibility of certain career pathways considered competitive/prestigious. We don’t all start on the same footing, and the narratives we carry that shape our choices are coloured by the people and institutions that groom us.
Opening up the conversation to more voices is our small contribution towards levelling the playing field by breaking down what different jobs actually entail: demystifying career paths that tend to receive skewed one-dimensional treatment, and sharing stories that teach us to legitimise and respect the different professions people have chosen.
TLDR; we launched our first post in the series, showcasing a day in the life of a software engineer at a fast-growing startup. If you’re a working adult — whether you’re an accountant, zookeeper, stay at home parent, humanitarian, caregiver, or do one of myriad kinds of work that keeps the world spinning on its axis and the wifi running, we’d love for you to use our platform to share about your #pathway.
If this resonates at all, do write us at contact[at]praxium.co, because we need to diversify the narratives that are out there, and as Chimamanda Adichie rightly pointed out, the danger of a single story is the closing off of possibilities, opportunities, and so much potential.
PS: Going back to the experiment we started with, I ticked 2 out of 3 boxes, but I’m thankful to have parents who never were very persistent in their nudging. How about you?
Praxium is a social enterprise redesigning education to make it relevant. We design experiences for youth to explore their passions, potential, and build their own pathways. Get in touch if you’d like to be a part of what we do!
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