CHOOSE THAT CAREER AND RUIN YOUR LIFE

INTRODUCTION

I’m presently at the law school. 3 weeks to write one of the craziest exams I have ever written in my life and am beginning to wonder what the hell am I doing in law?”(Babycute, www.nairaland.com). Many people found themselves in the situation similar to that of the author quoted above. Before we proceed, let us examine what career is all about. Dictionary.com defines career as an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one’s lifework. Businessdictionary.com sees it as the progress and actions taken by a person throughout a lifetime, especially those related to that person’s occupations. A career is an individual’s journey through learning, work and other aspects of life (Wikipedia). 

From the definitions given by the authorities cited above, one can deduce the following:

a.     That career has to do with one’s occupation or profession.

b.     That career is a lifelong activity.

c.      That career requires special training.

d.     That career is a chosen course.

Having explored the definition of career thus, one should believe that to make a choice of career is not something to be toyed with. It is a very serious affair and should be treated as such. There are so many ways through which people choose careers which may not be considered appropriate. It is regarded so because the results do not usually meet the initial expectations. Some of those ways are discussed below.

HOW NOT TO CHOOSE A CAREER

There are innumerable materials available on how to choose career. This piece is not going to teach you how to make career choice rather it will acquaint you with the various wrong approaches with which individuals select their career path. Some of them include:

a.     Parents or Guardian Choice:  It has been a debatable issue whether parents should choose career for their children or not. There is no gainsaying that parents should guide and direct their children towards making right and desirable choices in life. This does not mean that the parents should select career for their children. Parents should allow their offspring to find the career that is suitable for them. Young people are supposed to be given chance to make their own decisions especially when it has to do with what affects them personally like career. A parent or guardian may believe they are doing their children or wards good by choosing career for them without knowing that this singular act can cause the children to be unhappy for their entire lives in careers they did not want or like. In some cases, where the parents do not allow their children to go for their dreams, that can pressurize the children to please their parents and accept careers they detest. This in the long-run can lead to depression. In this part of the world (Africa), some parents love the prestige attached to some professions, because of that, they push their children into those careers; whether those children have interest in them or not. For instance, many parents want to answer “Papa Doctor” or “mama Father” (Rev. Father’s mother). They can go to any length to make sure their children get into those seemingly prestigious careers. It is no longer news in Nigeria that parents pay five hundred thousand naira and three hundred thousand naira bribe to buy admission for their children to study medicine and law respectively in some Nigerian universities. These children may not have interest in those disciplines but the choice of their parents supersedes theirs. Some parents go to the extent of threatening to disown their own children if they reject the careers imposed on them. Everybody remembers about Justice Chuwudifu Oputa and his son Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa (Charly Boy). There were rumors that that the dad disowned the son on the ground of career choice. The same story was heard about Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu and his heroic son Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (Ikemba Nnewi). At the end, these children were celebrated in their chosen careers. Again, some of these parents see the continuation of their lives in their children, forgetting that those children are different and distinct individuals from them. They want to fulfill their aspirations and dreams they missed during their own time through their children. Due to this reason, they force their children into careers that are not the desire of those children. Sometimes, it is a kind of competition in the extended family setting. A parent seeing the children of his brothers or other relatives graduating as lawyers, he will vow that nobody can intimidate him in that household, therefore his son or daughter must equally be a lawyer.    

b.     Peer Pressure/ Band Wagon Effect:  Growing persons and young adults are always swayed by peer pressure. Little bad habits like smoking, pilfering, sexual escapades etc are learnt as a result of peer pressure or peer influence. It does not end there. Some people allow peer influence to determine their career as well. For example, when we were in primary six and were serving at masses in the church, some of us wanted to go to seminary and become priests. For that, every mass server wanted to go to seminary school. Whether you can make it as a priest or not does not matter. What matters is that others are going; therefore you must go. During JSS 3, most students want to go to Special Science Schools during SSS 1 and everybody wants to join whether they are good in Integrated Science or not. After Secondary School, many students express their desires to go to university or other higher institutions of learning and every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to go University (Na you wan carry last?). Why do they want to go? Because, most of their mates are going. Nothing more! Nothing less! Some go to the extent of going to all the so-called special centres for WAEC, NECO, GCE and JAMB in order to pass. They put ‘fire’ under their parents’ ‘bums’ to cough out money to sponsor them. The female ones among them offer what they have to the organizers of those special centres in order to pass the exams and answer undergraduates. This is what we call band wagon effect.

c.      Monetary Benefits:  It is a mere truism that people go into careers  to make money but to choose a certain career based solely on monetary benefits is very dangerous. People admire some professions from outside thinking there is much money inside until they go in. When they go in, they find out that all that glitters are not gold. For instance, one may be admiring bankers- corporate wears, flashy cars, nice apartments etc and then decide to become a banker. When he comes in, he discovers that most of those things that attracted him are gotten on loan and that he doesn’t have a dime to call his own. By the time he may be through with servicing the loans, those assets will become scraps. He will start all over again (rat race). If money aggrandizement was his only reason of venturing into the career, he will become frustrated and probably die young. So many young people are in the medical college today because they believe that medical doctors make money. Nobody sees that profession as a vocation and humanitarian service any longer. But when most of them come out to face the harsh reality of our system, they either withdraw from practice or become frustrated. At present, the monthly hazard allowance to a Nigerian doctor is N5000. Although that during this ebola virus epidemic saga, the immediate past president of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr.Osahon Onebulele has urged the federal government to drastically review upwards the hazard allowance. Nothing has been heard as a response to that urge till now.

d.     Prestige Attached To  A Career:  Some people choose career just only because of the prestige attached to the name. This is another wrong reason people chose career. Some individuals endure instead of enjoy five to six years in the university, one year in law school and one extra year for youth service just to answer the name “barrister”. After acquiring the title and people do not accord them the perceived recognition especially in their village meetings or by their fellow tenants in the house, they become antagonistic. Have you wondered why every science student wants to become a doctor or an engineer? Every Art student a lawyer? Does it mean that these are the only career opportunities available in those areas of discipline? No! The answer is that everybody wants to be recognized. Everybody wants a profession that goes with a title. Some people erroneously call them ‘professional courses’; forgetting that any course you go to university to study is professional.  If the intention you have to study a particular course is prestige; I advise that you think twice because these days, prestige lies in the individual not in the profession. Have you ever heard of ‘Charge and Bail lawyers, Quack Doctors, Scattered Accountants, Nurse Eliza, Teacher Kpangoro, Auditor Yekpa’ etc? I hope you would not like to earn such titles after all your years in the higher institution. So, choose wisely.

e.     Examination Difficulties/Frustration:  I wrote JAMB (matriculation exam) three times before I could gain admission to my desired school and required course. So many people want to go to school these days, for that, gaining admission into tertiary institutions has become highly competitive. Due to this trend, students willingly take anything that is thrown to them. No more choice. Some universities have what they call supplementary forms. Some call it shopping forms.  Such forms are sold when they have finished admitting students in the popular departments. They use these forms to attract students who could not make it into the primary list of the so-called popular departments. These students, because they are very eager to enter school would go for these supplementary forms. Remember that they never planned in their lives to study those courses. Some students have written JAMB so many times without success, so they decided on their own to change courses. So many candidates started with sciences but ended up in Arts or Commercials due to frustrations or unfavorable circumstances. This is not completely on its own a good way to chose career.

f.       Preferring Easier or Cheaper Courses:  There is this wrong notion that some courses are easier or cheaper than others. During our secondary school days, those in science class believed they were more intelligent than their counterparts in Arts and Commercials. That is why you see those who think they are smart going for sciences whether they are science inclined or not. Some people till now believe that they are not good in mathematics. Don’t say you are not good in mathematics; rather say you don’t have interest in mathematics. This is so because once your interest is there, definitely you will do anything to be good in it. Some students due to the inferiority complex imbedded in them by some ignorant teachers in their primary level that they are dullards, tend to go for the so-called easier courses. They don’t care if it soothes their inclination or not.

g.     Notion That Only Formal Education Is The Key To Success:  Knowledge is power but it depends on the type of knowledge you have. It is true that formal education helps in career advancement but it alone may not be sufficient for a successful career. History abounds with people who had little or no formal education yet were successful in their various chosen careers. Let us not go to America but take examples from our local setting here in Nigeria. Mr. Cosmas Mmaduka, MD/CEO of Coscharis Group dropped out of elementary school, Chief Vincent Obianobo, the owner of the Young Shall Grow Motors didn’t receive much formal education, Folorunsho Alakija, one of the richest women in the African continent revealed at the United Nations International Day held at University of Lagos that she never attended a university. Micheal Ibru, the founder of Ibru Organization, has only school certificate. Razaq Akanni Okoya, the founder of Eleganza Group, had only primary school as his formal education. The list is endless but we cited only these few to buttress our opinion. If you didn’t get the privilege or the opportunity of going to school, you can still make something out of your life and become successful. So many graduates today are employed and are being paid by non-graduates.

h.     Venturing Into Career Without Proper Training:  From the introduction of this work, it was noted that career involves series of trainings. Training is very important aspect of career development. It is highly appalling that some people believe that there are certain ventures they could embark upon without training. We always hear in the business news that the rate at which small and medium scale enterprises (SME’S) fail or collapse these days is alarming. One of the major causes is inadequate training on the part of owners and managers. A good number of people believe they could start and run businesses without training. Funny enough, this belief is mainly held by the educated ones. They think that since illiterates can run businesses competently and make a lot of money, that they the educated ones can do better. They fail to realize that these so-called illiterates went for apprenticeship for so many years before they started their own businesses. Now that the government and the entire society are preaching the gospel of entrepreneurship. You see somebody in paid employment for few years; s/he will resign, mobilizes his or her savings, borrows money from friends and relatives and starts up a business. Within one month, the business has gone down the drain. Next month, he or she is back in the labour market. Some graduates, who think they are smart, may not like to add up to the teeming unemployed population looking for job. He gathers some money after youth service collects some from the parents and starts his dream business without training. Within a short period, the business disappears into the thin air (No be jazz, na life!). Training is very necessary not only in business but also in all other human endeavors.

i.        Waiting For An Inheritance:  How many of us still remember Wacomzy’s song- “I was born with a silver spoon and then I lost the spoon”. If you are an heir to an inheritance, don’t just relax and wait for your benefactor to pass on so you can just inherit. Do not make that inheritance your career; rather let it be an addendum when it eventually comes. Relaxing and waiting for the inheritance to mature shows you are lazy and that is a sign that you cannot handle it when it is handed over to you.

WAYS OUT OF TIGHT CORNERS IN CAREER CHOICE

Having explored various ways through which one is not supposed to choose career, let us now look into some approaches that may help to salvage the situation. Some of them can be seen below thus:

a.     Follow Your Passion:  Passion is a powerful or compelling emotion or feelings towards a profession or job. For one to excel exceedingly in any endeavour, they must have passion for that. It is a fashion these days that people no longer do what they enjoy doing except few entertainers. The society contributes to this because some jobs are being ridiculed and looked down on. Some people have passion for teaching but the society will tell you that teachers die of hunger; that they use rule to measure yam before cooking. Some people want to become entertainers (comedians, musicians, footballers, actors etc) but some holier-than thou people in the society will tell you that they are wayward people. My advice is this: Follow your passion against all odds. If you like preparing foods, go for culinary jobs. If you have penchant for calculations, go for Accounting, Mathematics or any other numerical courses. If you like doing things with your hand, go for crafts and technical related occupations. If talking is your hobby, why not try teaching, mass communication or motivational speaking? Think of a job you can do even if you are not being paid. That is your passion! Nobody pays me for writing this piece but I’m doing it, it is my passion. The money will come in the long-run. Don’t think that people will scorn or criticize you. Many successful people experience criticism but it didn’t deter them. Somebody started ‘shit’ business in Lagos, today he is in money. He didn’t fear criticisms, rather he followed his passion. Dr. Sidney Onoriode Esiri (Dr. Sid) is a medical doctor but he abandoned the prestigious medical profession and followed his passion. Today he is a celebrated musician.

b.     Patient Dog Eats The Fattest Bone/He Who Laughs Last Laughs Best: Wisely and slowly. They stumble that run fast (William Shakespeare). Haste makes waste. Do not always be in a hurry to make a choice or change a course. Life is a marathon and not a 100 metres race; therefore, slow and steady wins the race. Look before you leap. All’s well that ends well because the end is everything. If what you are doing is your passion  and it is not yielding dividend  at present, persevere, in the long run, you will find out that you will be paid for enjoying yourself. Then work will become fun for you. If you are a barber and you love it, that barber’s shop will one day become a world class beauty complex if you really love the job. You have passion for teaching and you are presently teaching in a poor private school where they pay you peanuts. If teaching is really the love of your life, that you are not there because of economic circumstance, I bet you, with persistence you will one day become a world renowned professor. It needs only a little patience and less distraction. Big projects take time before completion. Career is a very big project. Rome, remember was not built in a day. Reserve your laugh till last, so that you will laugh best.

c.      There is no short cut to any place worth going: Career is a worthy venture, so don’t look for a short cut. Full price must be paid if you want to have a fulfilling career. There are no cutting corners to excellence. For instance, if your O’Level and matriculations exams were written by a mercenary, remember that you have to pass all your courses in the university to graduate. If you maneuver that based on sorting or sleeping with lectures, remember that there are job applications and interviews to face in the labour market. If you think it doesn’t concern you because you are well connected, you are already assured of jobs upon graduation, bear in mind that you will mess up that job and make a fool of yourself just like we have seen in many offices in Nigeria. One may tempt to ask, what of the politicians? Yes, even the politicians. Nothing good comes easy. Go and check their biographies and see how they started and how far they have gone. It is not an overnight stuff. They all paid their dues. If you wish to go into a career which you believe you have passion for, try to follow the due process. Don’t jump the gun and don’t cut corners.

d.     Formal education is not all; learn skill: Attending formal education is one of the best things that western civilization brought to us. Nobody can argue that unless you are a Boko Haram. Looking at our economic situation now, only formal education cannot save us. Talents have to be developed and skills have to be acquired.  Versatility should be our watchword. It is much better to know something about everything than everything about something (Blaise Pascal). It is appalling that some graduates don’t have any computer skills at all and they expect to get employed. It is nice that you concentrate in your field as a professional but try to learn little things about other things. The knowledge may come in handy when you least expect it.

Conclusively, to be a man is not a day job. This means that career is not a child’s play. To make choice for it should not be based on ephemeral factors.  Job satisfaction is better than money. Every job gives money depending on the level you are operating but not every job gives satisfaction due to different individual make-ups. If you are already in career which you don’t like due to wrong choice or other circumstances, all hope is not lost. Once there is life, there is hope. If you have enough resources that can steer you to your dream career, what are you waiting for to do that? But if you don’t have the wherewithal that will take you to your desired career at present, exercise patience and gather resources or undergo the training which will catapult you to your desire. For those who are about to start careers, you are advised to do your selection wisely so that you won’t CHOOSE THAT CAREER AND RUIN YOUR LIFE.