My dream job would involve working with animals in a conservation capacity.

I would absolutely love to rescue

injured animals or help track and tag endangered species as part of the effort to preserve their numbers. Honestly,

I’d really be happy doing anything like that – on land, at sea, in the hot or cold, desert or jungle. I believe that job

satisfaction is far more important than salary or holidays or a comfy office chair, and nothing would give me a

greater degree of satisfaction than knowing I was part of the solution to a terrible global problem.

The experience and qualifications required would depend on what exactly I would do. If I was to work as a

veterinarian, of course I would need a lot of qualifications. But I’m not likely to spend years studying for that sort of

degree, so I’d probably end up just helping out in any way. I don’t think I’d really need any actual qualifications –

just the willpower and enthusiasm for the job. It doesn’t hurt to have some connections in the field, either.

The job would probably involve a lot of physical labor, travel, and time spent outdoors. Actually, I really enjoy all

those things! They all help keep you happy and healthy, in my opinion. But there would be some obvious

downsides. Let’s say I’m trying to save the tiger or rhino… Well, unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how hard you work,

poachers are still going to kill a great many of them every year. There’s really not that much that can be done to

stop it. And that’s a hard thing to deal with.

Do you think that science subjects are more useful than arts subjects?

In a technical capacity, yes. Science subjects solve practical problems and improve lives in many ways. They

advance medicine and enhance our quality of life by providing technological innovation. However, arts subjects are

also useful in other ways, and provide a significant benefit to the world.

Are students mature enough to choose what to study themselves or should their parents decide for them?

Once a person reaches the age of sixteen or even eighteen, they are certainly mature enough to choose what they

should study. A parent can certainly give guidance in this matter, but it is absurd to think that they could dictate

what a young man or woman must do. This is old-fashioned thinking and really quite regressive. Young adults must

make the decisions that shape their own lives.

In your country, does having a university education help you into a better career?

It certainly helps, as it does in almost any country, but it is not essential. Most people want to go to university and

that’s because it can give them the qualifications to get a higher level of employment. Government statistics show

that university graduates earn far more than high school graduates on average. However, some trades are actually

more lucrative and let you enter the workforce and gain experience earlier.