Lupita Nyongo’s nomination for the a prestigious Academy Award has been a source of inspiration for many young Kenyans and Africans. Many have been thinking and questioning was it a question of sheer success or good luck. Is it luck or sheer talent that have allowed her to achieve her dreams? Lupita has been acting for some time and her role in 12 Years a Slave is an example of what a career choice of your choosing can afford you.
Many young people ask how to choose a career that will afford them success in life. I often come across a group of young people who are confused about their career choices. They usually aren’t sure what career path they want to follow. Many including those in college are after a career that will like have high returns. But should money be the force behind your career choice? What if the money that you were looking for is no longer the driving force after many years of working? This makes it essential to learn more about choosing a career that you will love.
First and foremost, guidance from people who’ve achieved their goals is important. Guidance can come from family; such as parents who recognize their children’s talents and nurture those talents towards success. The Moipei Quartet and the Williams sisters are great examples of kids that benefited from the nurturing of their parents. Their parents invested in the children’s desire to pursue music and sports. They realized that these would propel their children to great success.
However, many African children grow up in families where parents believe that education is the key to success. Much of the time is devoted to traditional education. Young children grow up knowing that they want to be doctors, lawyers, accountants among other professions. It is only when these children grow up and realize they really have different interests. This leaves them confused at pleasing their parents or following ones interests.
On the other hand, many young people are in the position of making career choices very early in life and when very young, it is not easy to make a career choice that best suits your life. Career choices are not about a job but something that will define your lifestyle. Many students wait for their examination results to help them determine the profession that they want to pursue. In most instances, passing examinations is a step towards choosing your career choice. For others, failure to make it in education is a failure in life. Irrespective of academic success personal interests are important in making a career choice.
Young people need to take time to make informed career choices. Despite this sounding obvious, too many young people feel pressured into making a choice before they are really sure of what it is they want to do with their lives. In fact, many young people don’t even know who they are, let alone what they want to become! If you need time, take off a year or two to go and discover yourself and what you’re good at. School doesn’t teach you a lot of life skills – life does. Many successful people take off time to slowly work out what it is that makes them tick and brings them fulfillment. Take the time to talk to professionals in your areas of interests. Seek advice from teachers, career counselors, fellow youth and friends. Ask questions such as: “Do you still enjoy working in this career after all these years?”, “What is it about this job that you like the most?”, “What are the downsides to this job?”, “Do you find that this job lets you have a good work-life balance?” Such questions provide clear insights into what you are getting into.
After listening to the advice and taking your time to position yourself for success in a career, the ultimate decision lies with you. Listen to advice but make your own decision. Parents, teachers, friends, careers counselors – all of them tend to mean well but they’re not you. It’s you who has to feel comfortable with the cloak you wear, the boots you strap on, and the daily routine that you adapt to. Nobody else can truly know what works for you. Also, pay caution to the stories you hear from people that tend to be good or bad. Be polite but do your own research and thinking on the matter.
Develop your areas of interest by working on your strengths. This will provide you with more ammunition leading to a more informed career choice. It will help in advancing your career by working on challenges in your area of interest and interacting with people from that make up that career field. You don’t want to spend your time working in an area where you don’t get to rely on your strengths for the majority of the time. This will cause you a great deal of stress and disharmony and can prevent growth and enjoyment of your career. A good career will, on the whole, have you working to your strengths. Working on your areas of interest includes volunteering in your desired career. There is no better way to know whether or not the career is for you than to just pitch in and get your hands dirty. Working as a volunteer could be another way to build strong networks and help you make more informed decisions.
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