As a child in Nigeria, all you know to become in the future is, a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer, anything other than these is neither accepted nor known.
Growing up in a Nigerian household all you know to become in the future is a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer, anything other than these is neither accepted nor known.
My Dream.
As a young girl, I knew I wanted to work in a health-related field but I wasn't sure if it was medicine or pharmacy, I mean aren't those the two major health courses you get to hear about?
I was good in all science courses but I was never given the option of public health, biomedicine or any other health related courses...
Well, that wasn't even a topic for discussion because so long as you are good in science courses (or you are good in only one science course), you will either be a doctor, a pharmacist or a Nurse.
I have always questioned myself as to what people abroad do right as regards their educational systems, leaving Nigeria only made things clear. I realized that they don’t beat their kids up because of a fail in school. As the child is growing up, they help the child find confidence and strength in what he or she loves and eventually help the child capitalize on that.
Reality.
As opposed to what we do in Nigeria, from the moment a child is born, we are already singing “my doctor baby” into the child’s ears or constantly reminding the child that he or she is going to be a doctor or a Lawyer and anything else is a fail or will bring shame to the family.
Because we are focused on the fact that the child must be a doctor by fire by force, we turn blind to the fact that the child is good in English/geography and will do better in English/geography related courses.
We end up pushing our kids to study courses they don’t want to study, why? Because that’s the only way they can earn more money or the only way they can be respected in the society or the only way you as parents can show them off to your friends.
Depression
Depression has been existing for a long time amongst young ones and one of the cause is the fact that a lot of young people are forced to study courses they do not want to study in school and when they complain about it, they are been told they will bring shame to the family or it’s normal to feel like that as an undergraduate....
In recent times we have seen doctors who spent almost 10 years in the university become entrepreneurs not because there are no jobs in the country but because they are happy as entrepreneurs than as doctors.
These things happened in the past, it’s time to correct it. It’s time to allow young ones make their own choice, it doesn't make you any less a parent or a guardian.
You can always help the child make a decision by telling them the pros and cons and giving them different options to choose from base on what they love and are good at in school not by forcing one particular thing on them.
There are loads of courses out there that we aren't exploring.
It’s time to help your child find his/her strength and it’s time to help that child excel in life and it’s time kill depression amongst young ones.
Written by Barakah
Barakah is a Medic, a Community development worker, a Freelance writer, Lifestyle blogger and the founder of The Barakah Lifestyle Tribe @tblt.com.ng. Writing is a mode of learning for me and it gives me a voice, When I am not writing, I am either, reading, sleeping or giving back to the society in my own little way. Instagram: Thebkaytribe Twitter: Thebkaytribe_ Facebook: The Barakah Lifestyle Tribe