To many young people, making career
choices is always a nightmare. And the intense advertising by colleges and
universities for courses varying from hospitality to archeology, from
communications to law, and contradicting advice from family and friends, does
not help matters.
But does choosing a course or career
path have to be an unpleasant experience? Patrick Juma the Business Development
Manager at Inoorero University disagrees. Anyone seeking to join an institution
of higher learning should first evaluate his or her interests, he says.
“Your interests largely determine and
influence your performance and capability to perform,” says Mr Juma. It is easy
for instance, to know if you are a science or art oriented person. This he says
is a good starting point to making a career choice. "Don't pursue
engineering if you are poor in mathematics for example.”
Take time to find out the workplaces and
even areas within a job that excite and interest you. Next is to research on
the basic skills and competencies required to carry out that task or job
effectively. Already armed with this information, Mr Juma says, think of the
marketability of the course you want to undertake. “You need to ask yourself,
in the next 10-15 years, how relevant will the skills I want to acquire be,” he
says.
Some colleges and universities have been
accused of producing half-baked graduates who cannot transfer theory from the
classroom to practice. Aspiring students should research on the reputation of
the institution, and especially on the particular programme they wish to
pursue. How many of their graduates are in the job market? What experience and
capacity (requisite facilities) does the institution posses to teach
effectively? How qualified are the lecturers? Among other questions.
A good institution should be able to
produce trained professionals that the industry accepts. Evidence of these
includes partnerships with industry, networks with the alumni and ongoing
mentorship among others.
Mr Juma says seeking professional
guidance when choosing a course of study always pays off. “Gather as much
information concerning the institution as well as the course,” he says. “This
can be done by attending open days by the institutions, attending forums where
information on the course is disseminated and consulting career counselors for
guidance.” Career counselors help students identify their strengths and
interests, as well as give insights on marketable programmes, among other
relevant information.
The practice of parents and relatives
imposing careers on their children is not a foreign one. This has been blamed
as the cause for many career mistakes or wastage of time and resources on
courses that students do not utilise in future. “Parents ought to understand
and accept that their children may have divergent passions and interests,” says
Mr Juma. “They can advise, but let their
children follow their own dreams.” This article appeared in THE PEOPLE DAILY newspaper in Kenya. Friday ,April 27 2012 page 15 .I was giving tips to youth on how to choose a career.
