He found his dream career as a journalist and today he boasts to
be the only pharmaceutical technologist who has never dispensed medicine to
anybody!.
Otieno’s father believed that a career in pharmacy was better
paying than one in journalism. If you are not careful, career myths can be
misleading on what one perceives to be a good career from an adviser’s point of
view. There are many incompetent career advisers who have easily misled
students on their career understanding based on myths.
Myth 1: Some jobs make people rich and others make
them poor.
Don’t listen to the many ignorant people who see life in terms of
profit and loss. A career helps you to develop your skills, talents and
self-fulfillment in a special way that benefits society. It is only incidental
that you make money in the process. Often, a job well done attracts good
rewards but you cannot start with rewards before doing a job.
Myth 2: There are “men’s jobs” and “women’s
jobs”.
Ignore such outdated thoughts and simply follow your interests
when choosing your career. There is no scientific evidence to show that men and women are not equal to all careers.
In fact, some women excel in law, medicine, architecture and other jobs
alongside men. Equally, some men do well as nurses and receptionists where some
of these jobs were traditionally considered to be men’s or women’s careers.
Myth 3: Some careers run in families and there
is nothing you can do about it.
Perhaps nobody seeks career guidance or ventures out in such families.
But you don’t have to be held back by the family career if your interests are
elsewhere. Indeed, if you train in a different career you may bring in some
skills that the family needs to prosper.
Myth 4: My parents know the career that is best
for me.
This is not always so. Sometimes your parents can be dead wrong.
Expect some opposition to your career choice and learn to show everybody your
point of view. You are the one who will live with the career choke, anyway!
Myth 5: You can make more money as a lawyer, doctor,
architect or a tour guide than in any other Job.
Remember the definition of a career is a job that makes you grow
in an important way !. Just pursue your dream and riches are merely incidental.
Strictly speaking, you get paid for the value that you add to people’s lives
through your career. In any case, a career is about self-fulfillment first and
money later.
Myth 6: Teaching and nursing are not as good as other
careers.
Well, some people get into jobs which are the envy of everybody
but they don’t do much there. Others get into careers that may not be so
socially visible and they redefine these jobs by setting new standards.
Florence Nightingale and Geoffrey Griffins were a nurse and a teacher
respectively who made their way into history by excelling in their careers. Whether
you join nursing or teaching or whichever career, what matters is the zeal that
you take to such jobs and the new heights you will scale in personal development.
Myth 7: Going into the entertainment industry is
a waste of time.
Don’t take such comments seriously. The new generation of Kenyan
rappers, some of whom boast university degrees, are among the highest paid people
around! The advent of many FM radio and television stations in Kenya has
greatly opened up the field for those who want to join the entertainment careers.
Myth 8: Higher education and career training are
useless nowadays.
The fact that there is a high rate of unemployment should not
discourage you. First arm yourself with some training and explore the
opportunities even beyond our borders. You can never benefit from an
opportunity without the right papers.
Myth 9: Some courses are merely for filing up vacancies
and are not marketable at all.
All institutions of higher learning regularly review their
training programmes to keep them in line with the job market. It would defeat
the purpose of a college or university to train people who have no prospects of
getting jobs.
There is no useless course if you have the passion for it.
Myth 10: Getting into business is better than pursuing
a career.
You can pursue business even better after getting a career than
engaging in it straight from school. Besides, when you have trained for a job
you can make better decisions and have a bigger network of contacts to do
business with. You can also acquire skills and attitudes that enhance your business.
