by Kundai Manjonjo
If we had to pin point some of the rooms in a university that were probably stacked up with cobwebs, the career guidance office would probably be one of them if at all present. I guess I cannot categorize all the universities under the same umbrella, but from the few I have checked with basing my facts on some of the students’ pledges, over fifty percent did not seem to find it necessary to visit counselors or any of the kind. It appeared that most of the students were certain about their career paths including personal misfortunes. Well, maybe not all of them. The first and second year students were excited about acquiring new knowledge. They were rather unwavering and ready to put their all into their studies. On the other hand the third and final year students seemed to have hit their mid-life crisis so soon. Some were thinking of taking a second degree because they had been manipulated into the studies and for some, the constant failing in class did not motivate them to continue. Some still wondered if school was the only thing to do to make it in life and were on the verge of dropping out. Ignorance seemed to be the most common denominator with most of them which calls for concern.
Passion should drive one to achieve their goals. Most of us seem to have forgotten about talent counting in order to get to the finer things in life. It is a tragedy that our economy is probably the root cause of some of these regretted decisions hence disregarding talent and letting unforeseen opportunities go unnoticed. Parents ‘old fashioned’ way of thinking also backs up children having to be the same. Their perspective seems to be getting irrelevant with time but we cannot blame them for yearning their children’s success stories to start with school relations. Personally, I think everything all leads back to our financial state. At this rate, the future generations are going to flood certain professions. There seems to a shallow way of thinking and you would be surprised to how some of the people regarded as ‘learned’ lean the same way.
Nowadays children really need all the support they can get preferably constructive as well as innovative. They need to reach for the stars and not just the tangible. Stereotyping is the greatest weakness as a nation. One must not be maneuvered into thinking that with certain bunch of subjects one is downsized to one career. I was astonished to the number of applicants to the faculty of law. All in the hopes of studying the one thing they have always aspired to be or forced some were assigned to a totally different course after having ‘failed’ to meet the criteria requirements. How is the student supposed to reach their fullest potential if he or she has already been demotivated from the start of it all? Yes you have to be part of the best to get the best but should ones dream be shattered because of the deficit of the course offer in universities?
There are a lot of shoes to fill when it comes to the development of one’s career. People take lightly the fact that we are each other’s future and we literally hold the deciding factor of each other’s lives in each other’s palms. Before one enrolls or puts their final mind when taking a degree, diploma or certificate, universities need to put more effort into convincing people, giving them a chance think about the biggest life’s decision. We are all human and no one wishes to be held down to something they have no clue about and might dread in a few months or years.
Some of the extra-curricular activities are hardly put into play. Athletics and men’s soccer are what seems to be taken seriously and most of the time it is just for basic interaction with other students. Yes it is good to socialize but recruiters need to be available at every big event to identify different talent and nurture it. More students will feel obliged to give their best and this will have more impact for those who aspire to be athletes. Proper funding needs to be put into all these events as well as having coaches for every sport available. Our own professors and lecturers seem to have a blind eye on their students. They need to look out for us and help when necessary not only when asked. Monitoring students frequently should be part of the rules because as humans we always want to prove a point and seem as if we have everything together when at times we really fail to. We are tomorrow’s future and something has to be done now.
Kundai is a student at the University of Zimbabwe and looks forward to tertiary institutions investing in student career development programs.
