How prepared are young school leavers for higher education in terms of choice of career?

The preparedness of young school leavers for higher education in terms of career choice depends on the different series or options they took and studied in high school. The Cameroon educational system has well-defined options for Science and Arts students. The responsibility of guidance counselors in schools is to help students with career choices. But unfortunately, all schools do not have counselors, and even where they are present, they are under-utilised by school authorities.

Some of the students are prepared and know what they want to do after high school, while others are still thinking of what they will do. It is therefore the responsibility of university counselors to carry on with the responsibility of helping them to choose careers. Though some students know what they want to do, our society does not offer them the opportunity to fulfill their dream careers. Let’s take for example a student who passes the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level with very excellent grades in the sciences and wants to become a medical doctor. The child writes the national entrance examination into medical schools in Cameroon and fails. Do we say that the child did not choose the right career?

I encourage parents to make use of university counselors during pre-registration counseling before their children select their courses. Our higher education system has become more open with the advent of many private institutions. Parents should be ready to spend a little more than the FCFA 50,000 in public universities so that their children can study what they actually like and not what is available.

The tendency these days is to go for professional schools whose graduates have some chance of being recruited into the Civil Service. What impact does such a decision have on the eventual careers of these people?

Making a good career choice is actually a lot more than choosing a job. It is about choosing something that will provide you with the lifestyle you seek. However, people often try to get something doing that will put food on the table. And so the question of job satisfaction becomes a problem. After career choice, there is also career development. Some of these children actually get into the right careers, but there is always need to grow and acquire new knowledge and skills. Those who feel that they are in the wrong profession may eventually get to the right ones as they evolve in life.

But the decision to go into a professional school is evidence of the fact that the person has at least some interest in that profession. The government has done a lot to open many professional schools with very interesting options. For example, the Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College, Kumba, has 14 departments, all offering professional courses. But the unfortunate thing is that we find it difficult enrolling students for some of these courses. In fact, many young people don't even know who they are, let alone what they want to become! Our educational system has to rethink a more inclusive curriculum for an emergent nation by 2035.

With so many private and public tertiary and higher institutions advertising their courses and facilities, does it not make the choice of career more difficult for these young school leavers?

No, it does not. Instead, I think it has created an opportunity for students to study what they want and not what is available as is the case in most of the State Universities. For example, a student comes to the university and wants to read journalism. The university says the cut-off mark is 9 GCE A Level points, so they can only go in for Sociology and Anthropology because they have only 6 points. The student goes to a private university and is accepted to study journalism with those same points. At the end, the student has enrolled to study for the career they want and not what is available. I think that private higher education has made career choice more liberal and we thank the government for opening up the sector. But my watchword is that students should get appropriate information on these institutions because some are fake and illegal. It is therefore advisable for prospective university students to meet counselors and also check out information on private institutes of higher education. Those that have been accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education have to be mentored by State universities.

What does it take to choose the right career?

It entails having self-awareness, opportunity awareness, making the decision and taking action. Self-awareness involves looking at your skills, values, interests and personality, while opportunity awareness has to do with gathering information on the opportunities open to you. School guidance counselors are expected to help students with this. In making a decision, students have to discuss with other people such as counselors, friends, family members, teachers, etc, who all have an important role to play. On the other hand, taking action entails finding out about employers that offer the jobs you are interested in. This is then followed by searching for vacancies, preparing applications and attending interviews or writing the recruitment examinations.

Instead of trying to narrow down your options, it can be helpful to keep open as many options as possible within your chosen trade, profession, or field of expertise. That way, you gain maneuverability and flexibility as you and the job change. Even if you are well into your chosen course, training, internship, or induction for your career, and find that you are always relying on your less strong attributes, it pays to stop and reassess the worth of continuing on this course. A life time spent working in an area where you don't rely on your strengths most of the time will cause much stress and disharmony and can prevent growth and enjoyment of 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. It's much more likely to happen if you take on such roles without payment. If you can handle the work thrown to you and still want more, you're likely to be a winner. Moreover, the network contacts built up during volunteer experiences are priceless. Listen to advice but make your own decision ultimately. Parents, teachers, friends, careers counselors – all of them tend to mean well, but they're not you. It's you who have 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, don't be put off by stories from people who have nothing to do with your career, but have much hearsay to feed you with - both good and bad.