As Ginika sat in the common room of the girls hostel, it seems as if she has got the world on her shoulders as she stares at the ceiling. This was her second unsuccessful attempt at the mandatory 300 level MB examinations. “How would things have panned out if Dad and Mum had agreed to my choice of studying Fisheries?”, she kept asking herself. “Fisheries isn’t lucrative relative to Medicine,” her dad had affirmed, while her mum’s opinion was that “those who study medicine don’t have two heads and besides, we are the ones who are going to foot the education bills”. Alas!  Things have not turned out as expected as she awaits the decision of the Faculty of Medicine.

The above short fictional story highlights the tussle of choosing a career path between parents and their children and the aftermath of a wrong decision.  There’s no denying the fact that this ageless battle still exist in some homes today.  Right from when a child is born, parents are inclined to tell children about professions which catches their fancy with the hope these children would think and walk towards these path in later years.  Sometimes it could even be a selfish desire of fulfilling a family tradition.

Some parents would even go a step further by giving their children the necessary exposure from childhood.  Michael Schumacher’s dad, Rolf, modified his son’s pedal cart by adding a small motorcycle engine when he was just four years old.  Michael later won his first club championship at age SIX and remains one of the greatest Formula One Drivers of all time.  Serena Williams, Tiger Woods stories are additional cases which clearly mirror this case. It feels rewarding for parents to see their children excel in life and given parents’ experience coupled with good intentions, there is always a feeling to encourage the child towards their chosen field.

Time and time again on various platforms, parents have been encouraged to leave the option of career choice to their children.  Helping children succeed is what our Disadvantage to Advantaged Initiative seek to achieve and we believe understanding the innate potentials of the child while mentoring and exposing them to their chosen career field is the best way to go.

We would love to get your feedback.  Was your career choice based on what you always wanted to do or were you influenced by your parents or peers?  Let’s hear from you.

Written by Emeke Ndego

Photo credit: http://www.moneysense.com.ph