To be very honest, many Nigerian students have fallen victims to choosing the wrong career. Why? Because every parent want their son to study that professional course that brings in a lot of money. The intention of parent is to see their child succeed but at the same time their quest to make something of you could be their undoing and ultimately yours.
What if that is not what you are passionate about? Are you good with numbers or are you better reading off multiple essays or buried in literary books? These are things you need to figure out and decide your own path to set yourself up for a fulfilled life.
It’s important you know what career to choose. At some point you can’t lie to yourself but
understand not everyone is going to be a lawyer, doctor, Engineer or Architect. Many student’s
that have studied outside these professional courses have made it in life.
You need to understand that we can travel different paths and arrive at success unique to us.
If you choose the wrong career due to pressure from family or friends not from your ability and
passion, chances you’ll end up changing course in the university, or graduating with a low class
of degree or simply be disinterested in your profession. It’s miserable fate to say the least.
To set you up on how to choose the right course to study in the university, below are some tips;
1. Consider Your Abilities
You understand yourself more than you admit it. You know what you can and can’t do. If you
are good in literature or like reading books in general, arts should be your first option of study.
Students good in math are good with numbers and can navigate their way around physics and
other core science courses.
You can start with this process of elimination to know where actual interests lie and if they are
things you see yourself doing five years from now.
2. Passion
Passion is the key to consistency. If you love what you do, you will be consistent. However, you
should know that consistency is a pure product of hard work. You need to give it you all in your
area of interest. Ronaldo once said; dreams are not what you think about before you sleep, but
what actually stops you from sleeping.
Passion has to do with a burning unrelenting spirit, you don’t know when to stop. So when you
hit a wall you look for ways to manoeuvre and get past it. Not everyone is cut out to have a federal
government job or work in an oil company and ride into the sunset. Speaking of Federal Government jobs, you can apply for a federal government job at careerwatch.ng.
Surprisingly, not all people with a high salary are actually happy in life, largely because they don’t enjoy the routine tide to their job. They don’t have passion for it. Passion is what will make you keep working when everyone is asleep, it is what keeps you awake at the dead of the night just like Ronaldo.
3. How Marketable is it?
It’s important to know if you course is employable in order related fields or can be independent
of federal government employment. You have to survey and find out what other niches your
services might be needed aside your own field.
Most courses like Engineering, Literature, Architecture, and many other art courses are
marketable courses. Even if you study sociology deemed to be of lesser importance compared
to professional courses, you can make intellectual properties and sell. No course is
unmarketable, you just have to think outside the box.
4. Learn Other Skills
We live in a time where you can be a jack of many trades, master of none and still smile to the
bank. Why? Because you’ve spread yourself across different fields and you’ve acquired a degree of skill that
will make you earn money. Even if you are not on top of the food chain chances are if all your
earnings from those different niches are put together, you’ll be making a killing.
In simpler words, don’t depend on your job. Have a bit of entrepreneur ambitions on the side.
Even if you are not full time entrepreneur, your job on the side can rake in income that would
cover for your needs. Finally, if choosing a career is more entangled than the earpiece tossed in your pocket, then you need a counsellor. Someone that would access your strengths and weaknesses and suggest
courses that are tailored to the former.
This decision is not easy especially when your whole family have expectations of what you’d
become. While they may want what’s best for you, they are not going to walk the walk. Try to
think for yourself because the journey is only going to get tough up ahead. Stay strong.
