K20 and the career challenge: Schools create, students take the initiative.

When new students enter university, one of the school's first tasks is not only to introduce the training program, disseminate regulations, or guide them on study methods, but more importantly, to help them understand what career opportunities their field of study will open up, and to identify what skills they need to learn, practice, and develop in the following years. That is also why Dai Nam University (DNU) implements career orientation activities from the very first days of new students' enrollment.

However, career guidance will not be very meaningful if it only stops at a few talks. This should be the starting point of a continuous process, in which the school is responsible for creating the learning environment and opportunities, while students must actively participate, accumulate skills, and take responsibility for their choices.

The school's responsibility: Not just to teach the entire curriculum.

When admitting a student, a university's responsibility cannot simply stop at organizing the required number of classes, teaching all the necessary courses, and awarding a degree upon completion of the program. More importantly, the university must help students visualize the path from the classroom to their careers, understand what knowledge their field of study provides, what jobs they can take on after graduation, what skills businesses need, what level of foreign language proficiency is required, and how technology is changing their professional field.

These requirements need to be integrated into the training process itself, rather than just being limited to counseling. Students need to be equipped with foundational knowledge, while also having opportunities for practical training, internships, exposure to businesses, solving real-world problems, and gradually becoming familiar with the work environment. The university is responsible for creating the necessary conditions for learners to transform knowledge into professional competence. This is also the basis for Dai Nam University's orientation : "Open classrooms - Partnering businesses - Accelerating technology" : classrooms provide the foundation of knowledge and thinking, businesses bring professional practice into the training process, and technology helps students adapt to the rapidly changing labor market.

However, the fact that the school creates opportunities does not mean that the school can do the learning for the students. Effective training is only achieved when the conditions created by the school are met with genuine initiative and effort from the learners.

Student responsibility: Don't study just to pass the course.

Entering university also means each student needs to start taking responsibility for their choices. The university can develop training programs, invite businesses to participate in teaching and sharing, organize practical activities, support students in finding internship opportunities, and broaden their experience. However, if students study superficially, only attend practical sessions to fulfill requirements, or only do internships to obtain certification, the ones who suffer the most are the students themselves.

Four years of university may seem long when measured in terms of semesters, but it's very short when viewed from the perspective of preparing for a career. Therefore, from the first year, students need to identify the knowledge and skills they lack; in the second year, they should gradually accumulate professional competence and supplementary skills; and in the third year, they need to increase their exposure to real-world professional situations. Before graduating, each person needs to be able to answer these fundamental questions: What kind of job can I do? How well do my current abilities meet the requirements? And what value would make a company choose me?

Grades and diplomas are important, but the job market also evaluates graduates based on their ability to apply knowledge, solve problems, and complete practical tasks. Therefore, proactively learning, seeking opportunities for experience, and continuously improving oneself are responsibilities that every student needs to fulfill throughout their university studies.

Practice and training must create real competence.

A student who has completed a three-month internship but still doesn't understand how the work actually works hasn't achieved the desired goals. Similarly, if a student has taken many courses but cannot connect the knowledge to solve a specific problem, there are still gaps in their learning process that need to be filled. Therefore, what matters is not just how many courses a student has taken, how many hours of practice they've completed, or how many months they've interned, but more importantly, what they've accomplished and what skills they've improved after each stage.

This should be a question that schools, lecturers, and students collectively ask throughout the training process. Schools need to regularly review the relevance of the curriculum to practice, update requirements from businesses, monitor changes brought about by technology, and identify areas where students lack competencies in order to adjust training methods. On the part of learners, each student also needs to proactively assess their own professional knowledge, practical skills, foreign language proficiency, ability to use technology, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. When both sides look at tangible results, the training process can be continuously improved and geared towards developing professional competencies.

The first 90 days are for understanding where you're going.

In the "90 Days of Support for K20 Freshmen" program, career guidance is not intended to force 18-year-old students to immediately make the right decision for their entire lives. More importantly, it helps them have a clear starting point, avoid studying in uncertainty, and gradually understand why they are studying, what their future career demands, and what knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to accumulate during their university years.

To achieve this, the school has the responsibility to pave the way, build a learning environment, connect with businesses, and organize training programs that help students learn, work, and gain real experience. Students also need to walk this path with a proactive spirit, discipline, and a serious attitude towards their own future. Both sides have a responsibility to support each other, but neither can do the work of the other.

The ultimate goal is that after four years, what students take with them when they leave the lecture hall is not just a diploma, but also knowledge, skills, experience, and the ability to perform jobs in their chosen field. This is also the direction Dai Nam University pursues in its K20 training journey: Real Competence – Solid Foundation for Life.