In September 2020, a close friend made the exciting and frightening transition to university life. Several months later instead of studying being interesting, fun, tough and even challenging, it has degenerated into his primary source of unhappiness and regret.
His woes began when his family persuaded him into engineering yet he was passionate about graphics and design. His parents said they wanted the best for him and in their eyes, engineering was a safe rewarding career.
Graphics and design was termed a risky career option. His father said he foresaw him tarmacking for 10 years if he went with it. His mother said he had to carry on the family’s mantle of engineering and it would be an abomination for him not to uphold the family legacy.
His aunties said he would be the talk of the village if he didn’t pursue the tough and prestigious engineering course with his good grades. His uncle who is into IT, whom he expected to side with him, said he should defer his dream of studying graphics and design as a dream deferred is not a dream denied.
His attempts to convince his family that graphics and design was his dream career and he was passionate about it were fruitless. The family was clearly oblivious to the effect a decision of such magnitude would have on him.
In the 2019-20 academic year, Kenya had 509,473 university students. One wonders how many of these are struggling with courses they are uncomfortable with. How many are pursuing courses to please their parents?
I believe the same predicament will befall the 143,140 candidates who qualified for university this year. Even as they are set to revise their choice of courses, many are confused and anxious. They are torn between following their dreams and making a sensible career choice. Families, despite the good intentions, add to the pressure of following certain career paths.
In the same light, while many bloggers and websites are quick to list marketable courses, they forget that there are many frustrated graduates with notable degrees. A case in point is Kevin Ochieng Obede, who graduated with first-class honours in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi, but was jobless and living in squalor despite having pursued a supposedly marketable course. His story was featured on national TV.
Many families agree that education is a lifelong investment. Even though parents might think leaving their children to chart their own career paths is a gamble, they should at least try not to live their unfulfilled dreams through their children. They should pick a course that goes hand in hand with their children’s personalities and ambitions.
Media science and journalism student
