First character, then career…

President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan met with the youth in the online interview “Career Planning and Career Choice” organized by Youth Platform Badi event. Pointing out the importance of character in the career planning in the meeting where interest and participation was intense, Tarhan stated that “First character, then career.” Expressing that “If we create our decision scheme right, we will progress on the career path”, Tarhan addressed the candidates with the bee example he gave.

"When the uncertainty is eliminated, it is possible to progress easily on the path of life"

Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that people can eliminate uncertainty by gaining meaning in their life path and gave information about the choice of profession at the online meeting.

Tarhan stated that "The choice of profession is important in this respect, in the life we live now, we have come from infinity, and we are going to infinity. A parenthesis has been opened here to the life we live. Unlike other living things, humans have metacognitive genes. These are metacognitive gene. Human beings have free will because of these metacognitive genes. When we look at the genetic codes of other living things, they are focused on eating, drinking, reproducing, and sheltering. In other words, the rung at the base of Maslow's pyramid of needs is common. It is about the common needs of humans and animals. One eats, drinks, and does not know that he is going to die. One of the genes is the death perception gene. The other gene, for example, is the gene for perceiving the concept of time. One of the metacognitive genes is the search for meaning gene. It exists only in man. There is also the gene for seeking innovation... With these genes, people ask, 'Why did I come to this life?' 'What is the meaning of life?' After thinking 'What is my purpose?' and determining its purpose, and the purpose gives it meaning. When it adds meaning, the ambiguity is gone. When the uncertainty is removed, it is possible to move easily on the path of life."

"If we create our decision scheme correctly, we will go forward on the career path"

Stating that it is necessary to use the decision-making mechanism correctly in choosing a profession, Prof. Tarhan stated that progress can be made when the decision scheme is created correctly. Tarhan stated that "There is an addition to Maslow's Pyramid of Psychosocial Needs. There are physiological needs at the base, such as eating, drinking, and reproducing. The second is the need to be trusted, the need for reliability, the basic sense of trust. After that, the need for security, the need for love, the need for respect, to love, to be loved, to be respected. After that, it is called the need for self-realization, but then he puts the need for 'self-transcendence' on top of it. The counterpart for this is the need to transcend oneself. Later, one of the famous psychiatrists in Yalom calls the four basic anxieties of the human being. These are meaning, uncertainty, loneliness, death... If a person finds solutions to these, one gets a meaningful purpose in life. One is able to make healthy decisions when life is going well. Since man has free will, we make a decision every minute. A thought, a feeling comes to our minds. Someone says something, we read something from somewhere. Our brain says do it or do not do it, it is convenient or not, it is valid or not valid, it is safe, or not safe. And in doing so, we choose one. This is how our decision-making mechanism works. Therefore, it is necessary to make the right decisions in choosing a profession and on the path of life. In other words, if we create our decision scheme correctly, we will move forward on the career path."

"Not only academic success, but also life success is important"

Referring to the importance of having social and emotional skills, Tarhan stated that "When we say career decision, career should not be seen only as a career choice. Thus, you also choose the life form. You form your philosophy of life. The philosophy of life we have created is a part of our career. First the character, then the career... In other words, not only academic success, but also life success is important. That is why the most important of the 21st century skills are to have social and emotional skills. Previously, the emphasis was always on academic skills and technical skills, but it has been seen in the 21st century that social and emotional skills are very important. After artificial intelligence, it became even more understood. It has come to the fore much more at the moment. In other words, people with social and emotional skills will progress on the right path in the profession in the future."

"The target pyramid should be well determined in the choice of profession"

Stating that it is necessary to set goals first while moving forward on the path of life, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "First, the person will do a psycho swot analysis for oneself. Human beings set a strategic goal. After setting a goal, you ask, 'What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? 'One lists their strengths and weaknesses. After that, a person lists threats and lists opportunities on the way to this goal. While progressing on the path of life, it is necessary to set a goal first. The first condition is that... You must set goals. You cannot plan your career in any way without setting goals. When you come to the end of your life, you will decide what kind of person you will be. Will you be good or malicious? At the end of life, it is also necessary to decide on this. It is about life success. The other is about technical achievement, academic achievement. It is necessary to be able to distinguish between the two. For this reason, when deciding on the choice of profession, the target pyramid should be determined well."

"A person who has no ideal is dragged along..."

Stating that the cure for laziness is motivation, Prof. Tarhan said that "If a person sets goals, they can analyze their needs. What do I need to achieve this goal? When you do a needs analysis, it creates a need and a desire. When the desire is awakened, the motivation begins. The remedy for laziness is motivation. Motivation is also motivated by need. Motivation also means taking action. Well, one is working day and night. Where does this guy get that energy, you ask? This man has a cause, a problem, an ideal, for which one will get tired, sweat, suffer, labor... A person who has no ideal is dragged along. We will know well what we are prone to. We will know what we want."

"Do what you love, what you are good at, and what pays well"

Drawing attention to three parameters in career selection, Prof. Tarhan said that "The first is to determine one's goal and one's ideal. After that, you will look at what is the job you love on the way to the destination. 'What is the job I love?' 'What is it that I am good at?' 'What do I need?' The person will ask these three questions. Do what you love, do what you are good at, and do a job that pays well. These three parameters must be together. For example, some people are money-oriented. A person is after money. They say that it is a job that pays well. And they do a good job. They both do a good job and do a good job that pays well. They make this choice well. They also succeed because they know it well. They get rich, but they get unhappy. They say, 'I am doing what I earn well, I am doing it without liking it, but I am getting rich.' Rich but unhappy people appear. So, what will be done here is to evaluate the three parameters together. For example, after setting the goal, you will say that I will do what I love. You are going to say I am going to do something that I am good at, that I am prone to. The third parameter is that you will say that I will do a job that earns me to the extent that I will not need anybody. If you say such excessive, the excesses will lose here. If you have those three, you will reach your goal."

"You should not be afraid to make mistakes"

Drawing attention to the importance of self-evaluation, Tarhan noted that a person who cannot make this assessment cannot develop self-consciousness. Tarhan stated that "The best method of self-knowledge is experiential learning. Getting to know by experiencing. So, you are going to go, or you should not be afraid to make mistakes. However, the dead does not make mistakes. Everyone else makes mistakes. In fact, Mandela has a very good quote. Mandela says, 'I have never lost. I have either won or I have learned.’ In other words, he learned when he lost. You get to know yourself by experiencing and learning. The most important is the human ability to introspect. Self-criticism and self-questioning, that is, self-evaluation. One who self-evaluates will look at themselves with outside perspective. They will say, 'That is my strength, and that is my weakness.' A person who cannot make self-assessment is not able to develop self-consciousness. When one cannot develop self-consciousness, they continue to make mistakes."

"When a person makes a decision, one has to be like a bee"

Stating that it is very beneficial for a young person who is planning a career to get the opinion of their family, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "Their views are a point of reference for a person, but not a point of decision. When a person makes a decision, they have to be like a bee. One will consult to their mother, and ne will consult to their father. One will consult to their relatives and the society. One will get idea from the television, or from the book. A person will make their own honey at the end. One will make their own decision. In other words, they will bear the responsibility for the decision they make. If a person wants to be both successful and happy in life, they will take risks. They will take calculable risks. Risks are taken at any age. Someone from the outside comes and can do harm, but life cannot progress without taking that risk. Cycling is a risk, but if you do not, you will not be able to get to your destination. Getting in a car is a risk, or walking down the street is a risk. You must take risks; however, you should take calculable risks. In these risks, one learns something. And think outside the box. In other words, think not only about what you learned from your mother or father, but also about what you did not learn from them. Look at yourself with an outside perspective. Question what you hear. In other words, it is very important to try to understand and to ask the question 'Why?' when information comes into one's life. A person who says, 'Why is this right, why is this wrong?' makes very few mistakes."

"The shortest way to reach the goal is to be patient"

Stating that the most important need of a person on the way to their goal of success is patience, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "The shortest path to the goal is patience. Patience is a meditative act. Patience does not mean standing aside and waiting, but active patience. In other words, you set the goal, while reaching the goal, you patiently make one mistake, you get two wrong, you get three wrong, you get four, five you get wrong, and then you can achieve it. In other words, there are people who are in a hurry in life. For example, a person waits for the bus, gets bored because the bus has not arrived, and then the bus comes. However, if one were patient and waits a little longer, they would catch the bus. Similarly, those who are patient can catch many opportunities in life. Those who do not have patience cannot catch it. The shortest way to reach the goal is to be patient. We need to know that."

"Past experience, present gift, future investment"

Tarhan gave advice to young people at the meeting where participation and interest were intense and made the following remarks: "The past is a treasure trove of experience. Today is a gift. The future is also investment. Let them look at life like this. They should not live in the past; however, they should learn lessons from the past and make a capital out of what they have gained in the past and the savings they have gained through trial and error. You will manage life like a resource management. This is how you will manage the source of time in life. In other words, you will manage it as you would manage monetary resources. Our past is our psychological and social capital. Our future is also investment. When we wake up in the morning, we said, 'Thank God I did. My hand and foot are functioning. I am in good health. I have a lot of things' and see that day as a gift. People who focus on the negative always have things going wrong. You should analyze, and you should continue your life focused on the positive..."

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)