'Be patient with your children'

Parents who gathered at Jamaica College (JC) in St Andrew on Tuesday for the opening of the R. Danny Williams career week were urged to be more understanding of their children as they decide on a suitable career path.

Career week is aimed at providing JC's third-form students and their parents with information on a wide range of careers, to give direction for selecting Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects.

"The remark I want to make to parents is, please be patient with the young people when they are making up their minds, because, if you're going to be honest, you'll look back at your own life and probably admit that you didn't really know, when you were 13 or 14, what you were going to be doing at this point in your life," said R. Danvers 'Danny' Williams, who is a JC old boy and benefactor.

OPENING THEIR HORIZONS

Williams drew reference to one of his own experiences as a young man, when he had difficulty deciding on a definite career path. He encouraged parents to broaden the minds of their children by exposing them to professional environments as much as possible.

"Please expose your children to as many situations you possibly can. Please expose them to every career, every profession, and every business situations you possibly can, because, if you do, you're opening up their horizons," Williams said.

"I had no idea what I was really going to do other than I wanted to do some kind of business when I was growing up. It was only because of an exposure to a brother-in-law who was in the insurance business, and another gentleman whose daughter I eventually married, that I eventually got into the insurance business."

Williams is the founder of the former Life of Jamaica.

He also told students that the key to having a successful career was to always strive to do what they love.

"I would say to the children, if you are fortunate enough to do the thing that you enjoy, you will have the great joy of knowing that you've never worked a day in your life. When you do what you enjoy doing, you look forward to getting up in the morning," Williams said.

JC principal Ruel Reid said that in today's world there was a lot of talk about science, technology, engineering and mathematics and warned that if students and parents were not prepared, they would miss certain crucial opportunities.

A number of organisations, including AIM Educational Services, the Gleaner Company, Appliance Traders, Bank of Jamaica and CPTC, among others, were recognised for their continued support of the nation's youth.