Talent expo helps students discover themselves

About 25,000 students received career guidance at the Rawabi Holding Group's third jobs and talent exhibition held recently at the Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Science and Technology Center.
The event, entitled “Discover Your Passion, Create Your Success,” showcased 101 job opportunities for young Saudis. It ended yesterday.
It was also the first time the event went online, with 465,000 mentions of the exhibition registered, 72,000 tweets and more than 500 career applications downloaded.
The exhibition offered an interactive section where the Career Compass Application was demonstrated that allows one to browse and search for a variety of career options, university degree programs across the Kingdom and career planning resources and tools.
The exhibition's message was reinforced by Abdullah Jumaa, former president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco; Mounir Al-Dossari, education consultant; Naif Al-Qahtani, businessman; and Omar Hussein, comedian.
Student visits were organized daily with the help and coordination of the Ministry of Education in the Eastern Province. Many students thanked the organizers for setting up the event.
Ghadeer Al-Salem said: “I was very confused about my choice of studies for college, which had become a burden in my last year of high school. I had dreams but no set path, and was unsure if I could fit into certain jobs and be passionate about it. I left the exhibition with so much knowledge, and more importantly, unexpected insights into my personality.”
Lara J., a student, also benefited from the event. “Interesting, fun and simple. It helped me get a clear perspective. This exhibition is a great platform for students wishing to pursue different majors. The personality test was very helpful and the representatives present were well informed about their fields.”
Another young undergraduate, Abdul Aziz Al-Farsani, said: “My interests and studies revolve around business, but I had no idea how to build or handle my own business until one of my friends recommended I visit the Rawabi Talent Exhibition. The workshops were truly beneficial and I would have regretted not coming. I feel determined now. Many thanks to this exhibition, which truly set me on my path, and to the distinguished experts who were present. I am looking forward to next year.”
This year the exhibition had a color-coded personality test, based on the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung's theories, that allowed visitors to see which career suited them best. Ruwad Al-Ma’arifa, led by Mubarak Abdul Hadi Al-Dossary, licensed trainer of the Arabic version of the personality test, was present to guide visitors and students on how to use it. The personality test showcased 20 professions.
Nearly 300 professional counselors, trainers and volunteers were present at each booth to give visitors valuable information and guidance.