Escaping fomo choosing the right major without second guess

Chính vì vậy, bài dự án này sẽ giới thiệu về định nghĩa, nguyên nhân và tác động của hội chứng FoMO lên việc chọn ngành nghề cho các bạn học sinh, sinh viên; từ đó đề xuất giải pháp góp

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI THƯƠNG

CƠ SỞ II TẠI THÀNH PHÓ HÒ CHÍ MINH

BAO CAO KET THUC HOC PHAN

Hoc phan: KY NANG PHAT TRIEN NGHE NGHIEP

ESCAPING FOMO: CHOOSING THE RIGHT MAJOR

WITHOUT SECOND-GUESS

Mã lớp: 268 Nhóm: 16 SV1: Trần Ngọc Xuân Nghỉ, 2413155008 SV2: Phạm Thị Thùy Dương, 2414115005 SV3: Nguyễn Thị Thảo Vy, 2412155301 SV4: Nguyễn Thùy Giang, 2413155003 SV5: Pham Ngan Thao, 2415115067 Giảng viên hướng dẫn: Trần Nguyên Chat

Hà Hiền Minh

TP.HCM, tháng 10 năm 2024

FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY

HO CHI MINH CITY CAMPUS

END-MODULE REPORT Module: Career Development Skills

ESCAPING FOMO: CHOOSING THE RIGHT MAJOR

WITHOUT SECONG-GUESS

Class code: 268 Group: 16 Student 1: Tran Ngoc Xuan Nghi, 2413155008 Student 2: Phạm Thị Thùy Dương, 2414115005 Student 3: Nguyễn Thị Thảo Vy, 2412155301 Student 4: Nguyễn Thùy Giang, 2413155003 Student 5: Pham Ngan Thao, 2415115067 Supervisor: Tran Nguyén Chat

Ha Hién Minh

Ho Chi Minh City, thang 10 nam 2024

Tóm tắt

Hội chứng sợ bị bỏ lỗ (FOMO) là một nỗi sợ hãi, không an toàn mà bản than

khi không kịp cập nhật những thông tin mới nhất trên mạng xã hội, đặc biệt

điều mà mọi người đều đã biết rõ Bên cạnh sự ảnh hướng của FOMO và mạng

xã hội, FOMO cũng ảnh hướng đến việc chọn nghề nghiệp của mọi người Nếu

học sinh, sinh viên tiếp tục “chạy” theo những ngành “hot” mà không để ý đến

những sở thích, năng lực cá nhân sẽ mang lại ảnh hưởng tiêu cực đến tương lai

sau này và do đó có phương án giải quyết là một nhu cầu cấp thiết Chính vì

vậy, bài dự án này sẽ giới thiệu về định nghĩa, nguyên nhân và tác động của hội

chứng FoMO lên việc chọn ngành nghề cho các bạn học sinh, sinh viên; từ đó

đề xuất giải pháp góp phần chất lượng giáo duc va cuộc sống cho các bạn học

sinh sinh viên Các phân tích cho thây những bạn sinh viên sẽ chọn học theo

ngành “hot” nhiều hơn các bạn học sinh cấp 3,

Từ khóa: Hội chứng sợ bị bỏ lỡ, FOMO, học sinh cấp 3, sinh viên, việc làm

Abstract

Fear of Missing out (FoMO) is the fear and insecurity of not keeping up-to-date

with the newest information on social media, particularly being excluded from

something which others have already known or joined in Besides the effect of

FoMO and social media, FoMO has both positive and negative effects on their

major If students continue to follow “hot” jobs but ignore our hobbies and our

competence, this will lead to a severe effect and thus, having intermediate

solutions is a necessity Hence, our project will introduce the definition, causes,

and effects of FOMO in choosing a job for high school and university students

From our research and survey, we find out that when you study in high school,

your intended job tends to rely on your passion, while university students

choose the “hot” job

Keywords: Fear of Missing out, FOMO, high school students, university, jobs

1 Introduction

A bloom of technology and the impact of COVID-19 leads to a massive

transition from offline to online, notably by the increasing use of social media,

and an upward rate of phone addiction When people use social media more

frequently, people have more opportunities to share and access information from an enormous number of users worldwide Hence, the need to show off

“their values” and get compliments strengthens In this case, it is a potential

platform for companies, and corporations to recruit and find suitable

candidates for their vacations Therefore, it will lead to an attractive effect

which relies on the phenomenon of FOMO FOMO is the abbreviation of

Fear of missing out, is a psychological phenomenon that causes anxiety or apprehension from the belief that others have more enjoyable experiences or opportunities that one is missing out on (Przybylski, A Murayama, K.,

DeHaan, C and Gladwell, V (2013) Motivational, Emotional and Behavioral

Correlates of Fear of Missing out Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1841-

1848) This mentality has led to feelings of insecurity or even irritation;

urging them to find a way to participate in almost all events, campaigns, and

even trends; and keep up-to-date with the information about others’ activities and intentions to get rid of FOMO

Most former research on FOMO focuses on the correlation between FOMO

and entertainment such as social media, and fashion trends, our group, on the

other hand, find the need to study the effect of FOMO on choosing a job,

particularly for high school and university students

the history of FOMO — Fear of Missing out

FOMO is not a new phenomenon FOMO has been the first in an article in

1996 by Dan Herman, concerning the motivations to buy of consumers He discovered that behind the disloyalty of consumers to clothing brands was the emotional necessity of catching up with the current trends, learning and

imitating A new motivation occurs: “ambition to exhaust all possibilities and

the fear of missing out” (Herman) However, the concept of FOMO was not discussed more in-depth in that article

FOMO was first introduced on social media platforms in the late 2010s when

social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram grew significantly

One of the earliest and most influential about FOMO was conducted by

Przybylski and colleagues in 2013 This research first identified that FOMO

had a negative impact on psychological and mental health

In the current era as social media has developed dramatically, FOMO not only influences mental health, but also their habits, their jobs, and their lifestyle

2 Research rationale

Data collection

Data will be collected through a survey via the Internet among high school and

university students The tool would be used is Google Forms, which is familiar and easy to use for students The form was opened from October 12th to

October

(give images)

From the sample study above, our group saw several limitations which could

lead to certain blind spots when analysing the results First, the time opening

form for students to survey was not long Second, the survey participants did

not cover all types of students

From the result:

A large scale of students choose their major relying on the reason “Because it is

now “hot”; besides, nearly % their choice because they want to study with their friends

Regarding those who cannot make their final decision because they do not

know clearly “Who am I?” as their hobbies, their capacity, and their personality

=> For two kinds of reasons, we see that many background factors can cause

two of their choices, but we consider FOMO to play a vital role in these

reasons FOMO is the phenomenon of following something that is on trend and following others’ steps to set a goal for myself Studying something 1s hot, or

want to study with friends when do not ensure that whether it would be suitable

for them Moreover, not knowing personal values tends to be affected by

FOMO The reason for this conclusion is that seeing many sharing experiences

on social media, and many advice that we do not know how effective can make

us distrust ourselves in most aspects

3 Signals

In the current era, there is a significant increase in the demand for the labor

market, accompanied by a corresponding rise in universities and colleges

offering training programs, expanding from 214 institutions in 2013 to 242 in

2022 — according to Statista As a result, there has been a growing number of

students pursuing higher education, with 546.686 university students enrolled

in 2023 “According to the statistics from the Ministry of Education and

Training, in less than three years since 2021, 639 new undergraduate programs

have been launched by higher education institutions” (from ‘uoitre.vn)

Consequently, many students face challenges, in selecting the right major, as

the abundance of choices can foster a feeling of FoMO in career decision-

making To demonstrate that FoMO in career choices is a real issue requires

attention, some indicators have been identified

1 Choosing popular majors

Based on annual university enrollment data, certain majors consistently attract

a significant number of students each year, while others seem to draw

considerably fewer To illustate, from 2022 to 2023, there has been a noticeable

trend in students preferences:

- Business & Manage remains the leading choice, which is the most popular

field with enrollment percentages of 24.54% and 23.57% over the two years

Sunilarly, Information Technology has also been a steady interest with had

11.79% and 11.27% opting for A majority decide to pursue these fields, stating

that they can choose any university that offers these majors

- Conversely, other fields such as Agriculture, Social Services and Arts,

seem to attract considerably fewer students with the enrollment rates

approximately at or below 3%

Tỷ lệ thí sinh nhập học năm 2022 theo lĩnh vực Đơn vị: % | Nguồn: Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo

Côn lại

Khoa học sự sống

Nông lâm nghiệp và thủy sản ——— ˆ

— Kinh doanh và quán lý

Bao chỉ vá thông tin Kiến trúc và xây dựng “

Du lịch khách sạn thê thaovả “ˆ

dịch vụ cá nhân

Pháp luật

Kỹ thuật Máy tính và công nghệ thông tin

Khoa học giáo dục va dao tao giao viên

Sức khỏe -

Khoa học xã hội và hành vi Nhân văn

/

/

¬

Công nghệ kỹ thuật

VnExpress

Ty lé tuyén sinh theo lĩnh vực năm 2023

Sân xuất và chế biến

Khoa học giáo dục và đào tạo

giáo viên trinhdộcaodãng -

a

Nghé thuat

— Kinh doanh và quản lý

Báo chí và thông tin

Kiến trúc và xâ dựng

Du lịch khách sản thể thaovả —ˆ

dịch vụ cá nhân

Pháp luật SS

Khoa học giáo duc va dao tao áv tính và côi ê thông tin giáo viên trình độ đại học Máy ng nghệ thông

Kỹ thuật Khoa học xã hội và hành vi : \

⁄ Công nghệ kỹ thuật

§$ức khoẻ

Nhân văn

VnExpress

The reasons behind students choices are more complex and cannot be attributed

to a single factor Various elements influence these decisions, including their

personal interest, the market demand, the expectations from their family, or

their own aspirations for the job benefits However, the FoMO factor is

particularly noteworthy and cannot be overlooked

When asked in both surveys and real-life conversations about the reason why they choose the major, some cannot provide a clear answer, some say that because it’s a popular one This trend suggests that students prioritize career paths percieved safer and prestigious based on societal assumptions, which indicates a sign of the issue in the decision-making process

2 Changing fields/majors

It also contributes to another pressing issue in the labor market: working in a different field — 21.43% on average (in Vietnam), but the rate can be up to 60%

in some fields After a choice is made in haste without careful consideration, students tend to change their working field or even switch to a different major The main reason is widely assumed as “being not suitable for it” However, when considering it in a different perspective, we may notice that there’s a number of students opt to switch their major upon discovering other fields that

offer more potential and attract more interest It’s also a result of many factors, and FoMO can significantly contribute to the emergence of the issue

Causes

The concept of FoMO is not new but has been existed for a long time There

are numerous key culprits behind this psychological phenomenon, however, it was not until the emergence of social platforms that this mindset became increasingly prevalent, especially among youngsters when it comes to making

significant life-long decisions like opting for a major

With the rapid advances in modern technology, social media has played an replaceable role in entertaining and connecting with people from different walks of life, which, as a result, has an indisputable influence on shaping one’s

perceptions and decisions That is to say, social platforms such as Facebook or

TikTok are continuously amplifying FoMO Young users of these platforms might be constantly bombarded with updates and images showcasing peers’ success, and achievements in academic fields, leading to Inevitable comparisons to themselves Such relentless comparison step by step lays the

foundation for sense of being left out or falling behind peers, prompting

individuals to choose a major that seemed popular and prestigious at that time

Another fundamental cause behind misguided choices is relevant to the psychological aspect To further explain, anxiety stemming from the fear of uncertainty and making wrong decisions drives young people to gravitate to trends and follow the majority The overwhelming need for guarantee and the anxiety-driven behaviors, therefore, will impact on decision-making ability, as the young would choose their majors based on perceived security instead of

genuine interest and passion On the contrary, individuals with strong reason,

patience, and the ability to restrain themselves from being influenced by crowd effect are more likely to opt for majors corresponding to their passions and strengths

With regards to external factors, the transient popularity of certain fields at a given time should be put into consideration In other words, temporarily lucrative opportunities of high salary and job security may hoodwink youngsters into flocking to trending majors, without considering all aspects comprehensively For instant, during the tech boom, tech-related majors have surged in popularity, attracting a variety of young people However, these trends are not constant, they can shift rapidly; what’s sought after today may not hold the same value tomorrow

Last but not least, societal expectations and standards further complicate this

issue by fueling FoMO among the young generation There is often an implicit concept from one’s surrounding people and society at large dictating what constitutes success, especially in the career path This way of thinking could lead students down paths that do not align with their personal aspirations but fulfill social standards and judgment

5 Impacts

1 Positive aspects

a Arousing curiosity and Exploring hidden skills

The phenomenon of “Fear of Missing Out” could generate extrinsic motivation

fostering student engagement in specifically unfamiliar activities or fields that they

have never taken consideration into Evidently, individuals suffering from FoMO have

a tendency to register for an excessive number of academic courses; scientific

projects; or extracurricular activities attracting a majority of target participants, as the

purpose for the assumptions of not only avoiding a sense of being left behind but also

missing valuable career-development opportunities This, thus, might give rise to a

surprisingly fortunate situation where students could explore their hidden skills

According to Stanford University Research, a college student spontaneously

recognizes such hard skills as Maths and Statistics, Data Analysis, Designing, or soft skills in terms of leadership, effective communication, critical thinking, time

management, or teamwork when participating in the aforementioned activities, which

would have a significant bearing on his career orientation abilities

b Enhancing networking opportunities

Higher-education students are likely be more active in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships having the same interests or target career FOMO

encourages students to engage in typical social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram so as to broaden the social circle and not to miss any

important information Thus, students could receive immediately the latest news in

terms of occupation chances, internship, and scholarship, derived from viable sources, involving peers, lecturers, or industry insiders, These competitive advantages play a

pivotal effect on keeping pace with social demand and the alteration of the labor

market

c Increasing enrollment and prestige for universities

The fear of missing out on academic opportunities and realistic experiences at well- known universities leads to a common tendency of students to apply for diverse

academic programs such as Student Exchange Programs, Business Internship,

Competitive Scholarship, and ample extracurricular activities, resulting in an

increase in application resumes, especially potentially qualified ones Furthermore, there can be observed spillover effects when a group of students 1s willing to share

their positive experiences regarding attending their universities’ conferences, research

projects, or standardized internship programs on social media, which could draw other students' attention and make them feel eager to be a part of that academic community Besides, FoMO could create a competitive environment, requiring universities to increasingly focus on developing academic programs and student assistance services