SHSID has always been committed to cultivating talented individuals who are responsible, adaptive, and competitive in modern society. With the lifelong growth of students in mind, the international division encourages holistic personal development through increasing students' international awareness and understanding of diverse cultures, while also fostering skills suited to this digital age.

With this philosophy in mind, SHSID actively provides students with a wide range of learning opportunities that inform both their academic and professional development. To provide 11th- and 12th-grade students who are preparing to select their undergraduate courses of study with more perspective, SHSID hosted a Career Day on Wednesday, December 8th, with more than 20 parents and guests offering lectures and Q&A sessions to share their professional experiences.

The Career Day was designed to give students a taste of workplace life, allowing them to discover their interests and prepare for their future career development. Through guest lectures and interactive activities, students were provided with firsthand descriptions of career opportunities in different fields and were able to gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day work of the professions in which they are interested. This experience can help students identify their current strengths and weaknesses, which enables them to effectively develop a professional "study plan" that reaches beyond the classroom.

The parents and guests that participated in the event come from a wide range of career backgrounds, including public relations, biochemistry, medical education, engineering, research, finance, law, sales and purchasing. They have rich experiences living and working in many countries and regions, which undoubtedly provided the students with a rare and high-quality sharing session.

It is worth mentioning that, with the support of our enthusiastic parents, we were able to invite Mr. Jiang Changjian, the host of "The Strongest Brain", to participate in this Career Day event.He gave a wonderful speech on "Challenges of Certainty and Uncertainty" to the students. Mr. Jiang talked in detail about a series of challenges that young people are facing or will face, including social, economic, cultural, environmental, technological and educational ones in real and imaginary worlds. These challenges will inevitably be faced by students, hence the question is how to properly address them. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, Mr. Jiang suggested that students should focus on the increasing human dependence on computers and the human relationships derived from the use of such new technologies. Mr. Jiang also advocated that students should care about the future development of society, specifically the declining marriage and fertility rates due to the aging society and frontier neurological research that could potentially alleviate or even cure mental illnesses. Mr. Jiang's lecture aimed to broaden students' horizons of academics and research, encourage them to look into the future and be well prepared to seize opportunities and meet challenges.

Parents and guests spoke enthusiastically about their career experiences and commented on evolving trends in their fields. A Chinese executive from a world-renowned animal health company introduced the pet economy and the development of the pet medical and vaccine industry, which was very refreshing. A doctoral supervisor from the Shanghai Institute of Chemistry and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced his "life in chemistry" and expressed the pride and love he feels for his scientific career. An engineer from the Shanghai Institute of Surveying and Mapping introduced the audience to modern surveying and mapping technologies as well as cutting-edge 3D-modeling techniques, which allowed for a deeper understanding of the city in which we live.

The students also cherished this rare opportunity. They listened attentively, asked questions enthusiastically, and took the initiative to digest the information being given, such as academic standards and comprehensive abilities required by specific careers. This filled them with aspirations for their future careers and reminded them of the many professional paths available to them.

It was probably the most meaningful part of the Career Day sharing that the students could see the demands and expectations of society for different majors and industries from the experienced perspectives of accomplished professionals, yet it also afforded our guests the opportunity to see that the next generation is eager to continue in their footsteps.

(Written by 11-1 Winnie Xiong Pictures by 11-10 Elaine, 11-5 Haige, 12-7 Annie, 11-8 Etsuko, 12-6 Eva, 11-7 Mika, 12-3 Mandy Edited by Adam Nikolich Supervised by Jialong Liu Reviewed by Qian Zuo)