Walter Okpala: Should choosing a career be determined by need or ...

Walter Okpala: Should choosing a career be determined by need or ...: I left a question in my last post about choosing a career. Is choosing a career determined by need for survival or by passion? What was the...

Should choosing a career be determined by need or passion?

I left a question in my last post about choosing a career. Is choosing a career determined by need for survival or by passion? What was the determining factor when you chose your career? My own career was determined by need since I came from a poor family. However, I chose my career within the area I was good at. Since I was good at physical sciences, I decided to study engineering instead of  pure science. The reason is simple. On the average, engineers have better job opportunities than those who study pure science.

     I decided to write about this topic because many people are lost when it comes to choosing a career. The case is also complicated by some career advisors. Career advisors generally tell people to choose their majors in accordance with their passion or what they are good at. Although the advice may be partially true, there are some things missing in the equation. Firstly, career advisor should know the family background of the student and from that provide all the possibilities on the table. If the background is poor one, the need for survival should overide the other factors such as passion. In the case of need being the overriding factor, marketable skill becomes the choice. 

     Even someone from a rich family may decide for a well-paying job too. This also the reason why everything should be made know to the student. If the student makes decision after the right information, then, the problem is his or hers. It is bad to give a uniform career advice as if everybody came from the same background and therefore, has the same need. Think about this!          

Walter Okpala: The driving force for career choice - need or pass...

Walter Okpala: The driving force for career choice - need or pass...: Career advisers always talk about passion in choosing a career. However, I have a question regarding to that. What should be the main drivi...

The driving force for career choice - need or passion?

Career advisers always talk about passion in choosing a career. However, I have a question regarding to that. What should be the main driving force behind career choice? Should it be passion or should it be need? I would like you to give your input into the discussion. Tell us what you think.!

Walter Okpala: How to plan your career effectively 1

Walter Okpala: How to plan your career effectively 1: In my last posts, I wrote about the common causes of career problems. However, those posts are meant for those who are already in the field...

How to plan your career effectively 1

In my last posts, I wrote about the common causes of career problems. However, those posts are meant for those who are already in the field. In this post, I want to give advice to those who have not started their careers yet. Before going into the detail, I will anticipate that planning for your career today requires a paradigm shift about education.

     The first thing you should consider during career planning is to set your objectives. The second factor is to consider your family background. For example, many young people dream of being a doctor. However, one needs to come from a good financial background in order to bear the cost of medical education. That does not mean that someone from a poor background, but shows that you may not go directly to study medicine unless you have a scholarship. You may need to go to a vocational or technical school to learn a trade which will allow you get a job easily and from that, prepare for medical school. 
     Another paradigm shift in education should be to study something that has a higher probability of employability and not just studying something one likes. One can only study what he or she likes if he is from a wealthy family. In order words, college education must have a return on investment just like anyother investment. However, the payback required from parents should be their children's attaining financial independence. Education cannot be for the sake of getting knowledge which cannot be transformed into financial independence. What is the essence of knowledge if one cannot pay the basic bills?
     Therefore, in order to have a successful career, one must think about what to study in college and how the knowledge obtained can be used to make himself stand. Many college graduates today live with their parents because of lack of jobs or lack of employable skills. Many of these graduates used their parents' savings or obtained a loan for the courses. In this situation, knowledge tends to become a curse instead of a blessing. This is the case in many poor families where they expect a college graduate to help in training one's younger siblings. What is the importance of education in this case?
     The bottom line is that college education must be planned in order to provide one with a success career. I know some people say that they studied a marketable skill, but still without job. In the next post, I will give some insights on how to solve this type of problem. So, watch out!            

  

Walter Okpala: Problems in careers - lack of engagement

Walter Okpala: Problems in careers - lack of engagement: In my last posts, I wrote about the causes of problems people my have in their careers. I divided the causes into two main groups - behavio...

Problems in careers - lack of engagement

In my last posts, I wrote about the causes of problems people my have in their careers. I divided the causes into two main groups - behavior and skill. I also gave examples of how each group can affect one's career. Now. let us look at one of the components of behavior: engagement. 

     One's career should be successful if he or she can show a high level of engagement with his organization. Engagement does not depend on one's skill. rather, it depends on how one can take his job as his own business instead of doing it as another person's job. A person may have the right skill set, but does not show much interest in his company. Sometimes, a high level of engagement may even compensate for a lack of skill in some cases. I know some companies which prefer hiring someone based on his behavior and later train the candidate for the required skill. It should then be clear that engagement is very important in anything we do. Success does not happen by accident. Success comes as a result of one's level of engagement and committment over a period of time in whatever field it is.

     The first sign of your level of engagement is being on time. The second level on engagement is reliability. Every boss wants to know to the extent he or she can depend on his subordinates for information or for carrying out tasks. The reason is that the higher the reliability, the low is the stress in the relationship. You can get what you want from others only when they trust you. Companies work in the same way because they are made of human beings. 

     So, check yourself and see the level of engagement you have with your Organization. The higher the level of engagement, the less will be the problems in your career. Think about this!             

Walter Okpala: Problems with your career - skill gap

Walter Okpala: Problems with your career - skill gap: In my last posts, I have written about problems with careers. I said the problems can be divided into two groups - problems resulting from ...

Problems with your career - skill gap

In my last posts, I have written about problems with careers. I said the problems can be divided into two groups - problems resulting from behavior and problems resulting from skill gap. In this post, I will talk about the problem of skill gap. Depending on where you are up in the hierarchy, the problem with your career may be one of skill gap. It is good to make this point clear. Behavior is more important than skill in the executive position while skill is the most important factor in the lower positions. Before going into detail, I should first define what a skill gap means. 

     Skill gap means the difference between what the market wants and what an individual acquires at that moment in time. We live in a changing world whereby the skills necessary for a specific job may no more be sufficient to execute the same task today. Let me use an example to explain this. Let us take a company which used to operate in its country of origin and decided to go overseas. Going overseas implies that the workers should speak another language in order to communicate with workers in other countries. So, your ability to do your work as usual is not enough anymore. If you cannot acquire the language skill in a reasonable time, the tendency of the company will be to look for another worker who can speak a second language.

     Another example is a case of a computer scientist who works in a computer company whose production has been outsourced to another country. The function of the computer scientist now changes from manufacturing computer or writing programs to providing support to computer users. Although the new function does not require a second language acquisition, it requires another type of skill. 

     So, before you start complaining about your career, check and see if your skill is compatible with the new demands of your department or the entire organization. In the case of your skill not meeting the demand, you should ask yourself what to do to correct it instead of complaining. Think about this!