This is mostly because people got into careers with very limited knowledge about those careers or had their parents determine they careers without considering the specific talents. However, with the advent of the internet the very simple reality is that things have changed as access to information is now wide spread, easy and cheap. On the other hand, parents are not the best source of career guidance anymore as we see modern organizations continuously creating new roles parents do not understand as many jobs open to young people today didn’t exist 10 years ago.
“Forbes states that unhappy Employees out-number happy ones by two to one Worldwide, because people are in careers they do not like”.
In the past decade, technological evolution gave birth to new roles especially as a result of the ‘social media boom’ and cyber jobs presenting a challenge to the education system on how best they can prepare students for employment in an environment with rapid technological changes. In today’s world less and less children should be forced into careers that they do not like.
Where does the career journey start?
The career journey starts in the classroom where the Teachers need to identify and nurture talent, preparing students to explore and pursue their passion. Considering other equally important factors such as character, persistence, and ability to cope with failure and critical thinking skills will also help. Therefore, the class to employment pipeline is critical to direct students to the destination of their purpose or passion
Ways we can help children select the right career path
1. Research on careers available
Traditional field visits, though taken for granted nowadays, are a good path to get students stimulated about the type of career path they would like to follow. A day at a local aviation hanger or half a day volunteering at a local hospital or orphanage etc. exposes students to many possibilities and opportunities that lay out there.
A good starting point to better understand the types of job options available and what skills employers look for is to visit the online job profiles or websites where specific roles are explained by occupation. This will enable the student to examine some of the specific roles in the sector they are interested in. Getting to know what these jobs entail help the student know how to prepare for that job.
2. Career path discovery and exposure
It is perfectly normal for a student to want to pursue a number of career options, however self discovery is effective when one exposes themselves to the job environment of their choice. Companies are mostly interested in engaging with volunteers who come to offer employment for free, in exchange for a recommendation or reference letter. The young highly talented students who are head hunted end up on graduate training programs.
Higherlife Foundation has also taken steps to help children identify their God given purpose through provision of educational platforms and other support activities such as career guidance workshops. These have brought insight to the children on what is available in the world, more so allowed them to dream big.
Higherlife Foundation has also helped close the information gap, which is prevalent across Africa, by providing Learning Hubs that present opportunities for children to have a different view of life through the use of Internet, which has a whole plethora of possibilities.
Teachers and the corporate world have a huge responsibility in providing the platforms that enable children to fulfill their given purpose. Some of the skilled manpower shortages or unemployment experienced in most African countries is due to lack of career orientation. Lets all play an active role in guiding our children because they are our future.
