It has become an adage that what you read in school does not necessarily leads to your career, but what the opportunity offers you. Opportunity is just a time, place or person. What you need to get to your career opportunity is idea.
Some people would rather list those who are what they are today by opportunity against what they read in school than to easily agree that life has no generally acceptable formula.
It is against this backdrop that many would say 'let's just go to school; after all, its not what you study in school that determines who you become in future'
One time acting Head of Department and a senior lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Muhammad Sani Rabiu always degree that for one to succeed in life, he/she needs three 'life ingredients'--Education, Exposure and Experience.
Indeed, what you read, what your reading or what you will read in school actually will not guaranty you that dream career of yours but will make you a professional in any career you find yourself.
In the words of Nelson Modiba Mandela "education is the only weapon you can use to change the world". This means that education equips one morally, intellectually, professionally and even spiritually to lead you to your passionate career; thereby making you either an employee or employer. Thus, you can change 'your world' for others to enjoy.
Sometimes, even before you thought of going to school, you'd already have a predetermined career in mind. Out of exposure you may encounter in the school environment and other career eye-opening environs, you may be forced to make a better choice of career. Who said what you study can't lead to your career?
It is true that life is a teacher and that destinies are not the same but experience would make you become better and professional in what ever career fate decides to offer you.
According to the Hegelian statement "experience is the best teacher. That's actually correct. Experience is not what happens to a man but what he decides to do with what happens to him.
Your field of study is that Exposure, Education and Experience. Mass Communication, Law, Medicine, Engineering, Accountancy, Banking and Finance, Agricultural Science, Economy,Sociology, Psychology and any other field of study can only offer you the basic education, exposure and experience in relation to career opportunity environment.
If you can't proof to anybody that you can manipulate something to better someone in your field of study, then you can as well try proving that outside your field of study. But if you can't do anything positive at all in this 21st century, then blame no one if what you become tomorrow is not what you had in mind; especially if that career would be less professional and disgraceful.
I was opportune to speak to one of my cousins, who studies French in one of the most prestigious universities in Nigeria.
She's studying french because she wishes to work in an embassy. That's a very big career dream, I told her.
'I like presentation a lot. I like to speak in public. I like to act on stage. I like to be seen on television. I like to stand when others are sitting. I would love to make a career out of my passion but I don't know how and where to start' these are the words of my cousin, who is filled with enthusiasm but lacks the courage and insight to start from the right angle.
I know many are in this kind of dilemma. Now read my counsel to her.
My dear cousin, you have a big dream that can change the world to a better place for those within and beyond your sphere of coverage. You think you're faced with two choices; either to work with an embassy or to pursue your instinct of being a presenter.
Your fear is that since you're not studying mass communication, you can't be a professional when it comes to television presentation. That's a timid mind set. Have you not heard that it is not necessarily what you read in school that determines what and who you become? You are indeed a great person. What you have in your mind which you don't know are business and job. Is there any difference between business and job, she asked?
Of course yes, without citing dictionary, job makes you an employee and gives you monthly salaries while business makes you an innovator, inventor, an employer, life transformer, news source(news maker or news determinant).
Today, many are what they are today from the careers they've made for themselves in which the services they're rendering are different from what they read in school. Read the profiles of Nkem Owoh popularly known as Osofia, Genevive Nneji, Bill Gate, Frank Edoho, Chinda Monalisa, Wale Adenuga, Pastor Paul Enenche, GoodLuck Jonathan, Muhammad Buhari to mention but a few, you will see the difference between job and business.
You have to start putting down ideas each day you wake up. You have to start from your environment. While on campus, you can form a group of intelligent students who have great minds towards life. Since you have passion for television presention, you can produce programmes that are french oriented. The opportunity is there and the idea is equally there. So what stops you from soaring high?
Look around the media industries today especially in Nigeria, you can hardly find programmes presented by private individuals which are French oriented. Most programmes on television stations are mostly in English version. You can come up with a french programme written in french language. All you need is to search for a problem in the society that needs solution. From there, you can create a programme as a means of proffering solution.
Start right now by putting down your idea of a kind of programme. Build on the idea as you make your way through your area of study. The three E's of life would guide you in deciding how to shape your thoughts. When you graduate, you can still work in any embassy of your choice and at the same time be a television presenter. Then, people would meet you for counseling and professional ideas.
This, therefore, means that you can have a job and a business at the same time only when you know that what you read in school has the 3E's of life. This invariably, means that what you study in school can determine what you become in life.
Think about it...
