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Speaking Test Part 3:

 

  SPEAKING  

20. Work

1. What jobs are most valuable to society?
2. What are the most difficult jobs?
3. What are the most useful skills to have in order to get a job these days?
4. Do you think job satisfaction is more important than a high salary?
5. How has technology changed the way people do their jobs?
6. At what age should people be able to retire?

1. What jobs are most valuable to society?

That’s an interesting question. There are lots of valuable jobs and an easy answer would be professions like doctors and nurses, but I also think engineers and scientists are really important as it’s these people that come up with the inventions that really improve our quality of life. Without scientists we wouldn’t have smartphones, the internet, modern medicine or any of the other things that make life so much easier. Scientists may not have the most lucrative jobs, in fact, they’re often underpaid in my opinion, but they are very useful for humanity.


2. What are the most difficult jobs?

The most difficult jobs are jobs which involve a very heavy workload, or a lot of stress, either physical or mental. I’d say that jobs where you have a lot of responsibility are very stressful, so if you’re a doctor working in an emergency room, making life and death decisions every day, it must be very stressful. On the other hand, if you have to do manual work outside in a hot or very cold climate, or shift work with changing day and night shifts, it can be really challenging too.


3. What are the most useful skills to have in order to get a job these days?

If I were a parent I would recommend my kids to study something connected to IT. It seems like these days there are always job vacancies for IT professionals. So much of what we do today is on computers that there are a lot of opportunities for skilled programmers. Having said that, to be good at programming, you need to be good at maths, so for people who don’t have a mathematical mind, I think interpersonal skills are still very important for finding a job. If you can develop good emotional intelligence, management skills and communication skills you will probably be able to find a good job, especially if you are multilingual too.


4. Do you think job satisfaction is more important than a high salary?

That’s a very important thing to think about when you are deciding on what career you would like. You have to consider if you will find the work rewarding, and how happy the money you earn will make you. There’s also your work-life balance to consider as often well paid jobs involve a heavy workload and working long hours. Personally, I think having  enough free time to enjoy your hobbies and other interests is more important than a high salary.


5. How has technology changed the way people do their jobs?

As I mentioned earlier, computers have become fundamental to many jobs. Nowadays, almost everyone has to be able to use at least a smartphone as part of their job, while a lot of people also need to work on PC’s or laptops. All this technology has made us more productive, and allows people to take on more tasks and do more than was possible in the past. Technology has also really improved communication so now we can connect a lot more quickly, cheaply and easily than in the past, and this makes organising and working in teams much easier too.


6. At what age should people be able to retire?

I think it depends on the person and the job they do. If you are in manual work that is physically exhausting, then you need to retire at a younger age. On the other hand, if you’re a white collar worker, sitting behind a desk, it’s often possible to work until you’re much older. Health is also really important. If someone is still healthy, then why not continue working? In my opinion, you should be able to retire whenever you want, of course, money allowing.

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