Just heard something amazing on the french news (the “20h” on France2). I might (detail later if i don’t do it now).
In very (very) short …The french educational system requires its students to make choices about their career very early.
At 15, you are asked to take a general “Baccalaureat” (high school diploma) orientation: science, economy, literature or professional. It’s not a definitive choice, but switching from one path to another is difficult.
After high school, you will choose your license or masters studies. Medicine, bio, maths, computer science, history, business or engineering (with usually a 2 year preparation class), law, education, politics, you name it. You study in general 2 to 5 years, more if you specialize in a specific area, way more (11 years) if you want to be a doctor, … (France has a complex system but is trying to harmonize on the anglo-saxon format).
Well, at this point, you pretty much made your choice for life - or at least the first 15 years of your career. If you studied literature, you will NEVER do finance. If you studied history, your will NEVER be an engineer. Computer science ? Forget business or corporate finance ! Biology ? Try getting a marketing job. You get the picture, even if I exaggerate a little.
What I love in the US, and value as nothing else, is the fact that a recruiter will consider your education as a proof of your ability to learn, think, adapt, criticize and improve - qualities that will be critical to whatever job he can offer to you. In France, if you haven’t done the exact same job as the one you are interviewing for with the exact training that suits the job, well, good luck. This is a little caricatural, but not far from reality.
So, I was more than happy to hear Eric Bertier, in charge of Human Ressources for PricewaterhouseCoopers France, say about a philosophy student:
“You can learn corporate finance, accounting. It’s not an issue. This student has been taught to learn, this student has been taught to write, this student has been taught to think, and that’s what we are interested in.” - Eric Bertier, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers France
It’s not new, and Eric is probably not the only one to think this way. But it’s GREAT to hear on the “20h”, the most watched news in France.
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