28/04/2025
FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING A CAREER
You want to become a lawyer, dad wants you to become a doctor, mom wants you to be an accountant, your sister wants you to become a fashion designer like herself, your brother wishes that you become an engineer like him.
You are seriously confused and you don't know what to do.
I have experienced scenarios where a student pursues a particular course in the university then after graduation, the graduate says 'I did that degree course for my father'.
The graduate then goes back to pursue another degree which they had passion in.
Here are the important things to consider when choosing a career:
1. Job availability
The student should have information about how available jobs are in that field so that after graduation, they don't 'tarmack'.
A student should know how marketable the course is.
2. Interest and passion
Students must know the amount of passion needed to do that course.
For example, in medicine and surgery, is the student ready to abandon the bed at 2AM and go to operate a patient at the accident and emergency department?
Will one be ready to leave their spouse and warmth of the bed at midnight to go and save someone's life?
All this needs very high levels of passion and interest.
Choose a career that aligns with what you genuinely enjoy, as you'll be spending significant time at work.
3. Talent and skills
Every career needs its own strengths, skills and talents e.g time management skills, communication skills, negotiation skills, etc.
So it is good for one to know what skills are relevant for that particular field.
Many careers require a specific set of skills and it is important to examine whether your skillset would match, and enhance that sector.
4. Level of education
Different careers have different levels of education. It is important for a student to know the number of years it will take to finish studying. Studying medicine and surgery takes 6/7 academic years. To become a lawyer is around 5 years.
Determining the level of education you’re willing to obtain is important in choosing the right career path.
Always choose a programme that is well within your means, consider your personal circumstances and be realistic about free time, you don’t want to take on a commitment you cannot fulfil and cause yourself undue pressure.
5. Attitude towards work
A student should know how much they like working. Serious courses need serious work ethics.
Attitude is extremely significant when it comes to the work environment. People have very varied attitudes towards different work environments.
If you are a self-motivated, driven and ambitious person you may want to consider a career within a challenging, responsible and diverse environment that will require ongoing commitment.
On the other hand if you possess a more relaxed attitude, looking for flexibility and a job that you can walk away from at the end of the day, you may not want to consider stressful, demanding jobs.
If you choose a career that does not align with your attitude you may not find long term job satisfaction.
6. Salary expectations
People work so that they better their standards of living and feed their families. One has to consider how much pay the course offers.
Consider the potential earning power of different careers and how it aligns with your financial goals.
7. Work/Life balance
Some careers are very demanding. One needs to understand how much time the career will take from them in terms of family time and rest.
8. Cost of training
One needs to know how much is needed to finish the degree course. A four year course does not cost the same as a seven year course.
9. Future prospects
We are going to the world of artificial intelligence, data mining, robotics and financial engineering.
and responsible
