FEATURE: Career choice and matters arising

FEATURE: Career choice and matters arising

Guardians and counsellors observe that choosing careers can be somewhat difficult as society presents various professional callings without guides on what career to pick.

They note further that in most cases, majority of students do not even understand what to do when they finish education and they are susceptible to taking on a career they may not like just to get on in life.

According to them, the effect of this on the development is enormous as it cuts across every sector of the society.

They also argue that the reality is not just being engaged in a career but the level of productivity propelled by self-discovery in a particular career and job satisfaction.

But Prof. Adams Onuka of the Department of Education University of Ibadan observed that career choice could be influenced by parents, peer pressure and societal expectations, among others.

“The Nigerian educational system is not well structured to help individuals make right choice in career, though there has been lot of reforms.

“The absence of guidance counsellors in schools, who are trained to identify strength, weakness, skills, talents, ability and area of interest in students, is a key factor that needs to be addressed.

“There is the need for a sustainable programme for guidance and counselling in school system’’, he emphasised.

Onuka noted that most people in various professions in Nigeria were not in their area of interest but they struggled, especially in the teaching profession.

“People in the teaching profession are there just to survive not because they are interested to teach and impart knowledge.

“Nigerians are not in their line of career due to the prevailing situations in the country, hence the deplorable state the country finds itself in all sectors’’, he observed.

In her opinion, Mrs Toyin Aladejebi, a retired bank worker, observed that the country would develop “if young people are guided by informed mind towards the realisation of their purpose in life and find the career of their choice early.

“The society and parents in time past are against some choice of career such as music, arts, sports and other forms of entertainment but that trend is changing now.

“There is need for more awareness to completely change the trend, so that individuals can be where they are made to be.

“The school system needs to go back to the era of engaging guidance counsellors to aid in the early identification of individuals’ prowess; it is then that Nigeria can make real progress’’, she said.

Sharing similar opinion, Mr Sunday Ayantayo, a resident of Ibadan, observed that people, especially the youth, could do anything to survive and get by in life whether or not they liked such career.

“If you are lucky in the end you will get what you want and the exact thing you are cut out for, but if you are not, you will continue with whatever life offers, that is the situation of the country now.

“Right now I am in my choice career which is lecturing; before I used to be a marketer of products which I didn’t really enjoy’’, he said.

Miss Oluwafunbi Bello, also a resident of Ibadan, said “I am a graduate in Mass Communications, still searching for job.

“But I know I am in my line of profession, I am willing to be an intern for the meantime instead of settling for any job outside my area of interest that will not give me satisfaction’’.

Irrespective of the concerns of the observers, Dr Muyiwa Bamgbose, an educationist and Director, Educational Advancement Centre, Ibadan, explained “there are three fundamental guidelines to choosing one’s life career –personal attributes, academic capability and inclination.

“One needs to observe his or her attributes to be able to determine his or her choice of career in life’’.

“For instance, one can look at what the child is good at; is it with figures, words or special things like structure or how to arrange things?

“We believe that God made people what he wants them to do. So, if you look at personal attributes you will be able to tell what a child is cut out for.

“Academic capability is another thing, after looking at the study skills the academic or skill advantages such as which subject is he doing well.

“But one must confess that sometimes, this is inaccurate because of inadequacy of teachers; a child that should have been good in mathematics may not be good because we are dealing with inadequate teachers.

“The third in the guidelines is inclination; what the person is attracted to.

“The Bible says wherever your heart is that is where your treasure is; most likely you are drawn to certain things; you will have passion for what your heart desires and in life you need passion to excel.

“Some people want to help people, so they say let me be a medical doctor so that I can help people that are sick and so on’’.

Bamgbose illustrated his argument by a section of a book written by Rick Warren entitled “Purpose Driven Life’’ which says we all have a “SHAPE’’.

“S is for spiritual gifting meaning we all have spiritual endowment, recreational gift, power gift and so on; H is for Heart; that is what you have a heart for, where your passion is.

“A is for ability — ability in different things — P is for personality — individual unique attributes — and E is for experience.

“What we come across in life, the family we are born in, the school we attend, the area we grow up; all these give us an experience which determine where we should be going.

“If all the aforementioned are considered, it will help to guide people to choosing the right career’’, Bamgbose said.

 

 

 

Source: NAN

Photo Credit: NAN/Google