The basic interest of The Intellects Magazine(TIM) is to help you “Impact your world” and one way to do that is- by being on the right career path, which is why we launched a career development category.

HOW TO CHOOSE A CAREER?

In the 1990’s and early 2000’s students were made to believe that the only career path that mattered was the career path in the faculty of sciences, except for a careers in the arts faculty. So if a teacher walked into the classroom and asked a class of fifty what they wanted to be in the future, this is what the data was.

Doctor = 15

Engineer = 9

Lawyer = 15

Accountant = 3

Pharmacy = 5

Banker = 2

Teacher = 1

This is the most moderate distribution, usually three-quarter inclines to Law and Medicine, and other professions get scrambled by less than one-quarter. In fact, before a pupil or a student choose to be a teacher, the classroom teacher would have cajoled them to believe that teaching is a noble profession.  Some teachers go as far as imposing professions on their pupils rather than giving them the proper direction. A brilliant pupil will be told in primary (basic) four that she or he will be either a Lawyer or a Doctor, as if the pronouncement is not enough, the teachers go on to telling parents, some of whom start talking about it all over the place and over time, the child grows into struggling to be what is expected of him or her.

In the senior secondary class two, some students will keep switching from the science class to the art class, or from the art class to the science class in clear confusion because their sub consciousness echoes what their parents and teachers said about their future, yet their interest and performances do not tally so this child finally settles for something and waits on JAMB (joint admission matriculation board) while in the tertiary institution, the confusion magnifies because some are not able to get the only courses they know, some sulk into depression because they already think that the course they are studying will leave them wretched in life.

No disrespect to teachers, but please stop telling pupils and students what profession to choose, parents stop imposing your personal ambitions on children, please stop it. Already, students have lost faith in the guidance and counseling, the ones who should guide a child to picking a more suitable career; sadly, they echo “medicine and Law”.

PRAGMATIC GUIDE TO CHOOSING A CAREER

It is true a lot of young people have pushed around hence are unable to make better career decisions, it is however important for youths to know that it is only a lost battle when they stop trying to navigate their career paths by themselves.

Here are some pragmatic steps you can take to gain control over your career and your life.

Get to know more:

Before choosing a career, one must be aware of the large career opportunities open to everybody. Ask a senior secondary class three student what they know about human resource management, project management, content creation, sculpturing, and so many other courses and hear them tell you about their hobbies, because they are ignorant of these courses.

Read widely, attend seminars, and other interesting programs where you meet people from different professions, learn and network because this is the only way to know more. More traditionally, by all means acquire proper formal education, from basic education to the tertiary institutions.

Decisions are made from the throne of known to the stool of unknown, so do not get limited by what you hear around you, be inquisitive and stay informed.

Get Involved:

No one ever became anything by being passive, so be willing to try out new things. Volunteer with organizations you find interesting, participate in extracurricular activities, take the holidays to acquire skills, be curious, and be involved.

If you are a graduate get involved immediately, volunteer or intern. Start building small!

Evaluate yourself:

While you get information and get involved, you should also evaluate yourself and see what interests you. Find out why you are interested in that, is it substantial or pleasure? Is it long term or short term? Then look out for a career you can build from it.

Sometimes a vocation is different from a career, and other times they can be interwoven. So pay attention to yourself and understand why you are interested in a particular activity.

WHAT TO DO:

Did you participate in the “to do activity” from the previous section?

If you did, then continue from here:

1. Do you have any clue to solving the problems that existed in your environment as a child?
2. Do those problems still exist?
3. Are you aware of your strength?

If you are yet to participate in the previous activity, please do so as soon as you can.

Choosing a career is not an easy so stick with us on this, ask your questions in the comment section, or reach out to us through the whatsapp icon on the home page of the website, let’s walk this phase with you.