In High School, students are often too young to make a career decision

Forty years ago, a stunned Form One student’s unanticipated visit to the district hospital in Homa Bay County sparked a lifelong passion and journey.

Sitting on the hospital benches waiting to see a doctor, or consultation as I learned later—I observed doctors moving through corridors with confidence and stethoscopes draped around their necks like badges of honour. At that moment, a dream was born; I, too, wanted to be like them when I grew up. I wanted to wear that symbol of healing and hope.

Throughout high school, this aspiration remained a singular pursuit despite immense obstacles and barriers. In those days, there was only one medical school in Kenya, and it admitted less than one hundred students out of about 15,000 applicants.

In my school, only one student had qualified for medical school eight years earlier. Despite that, and even with the weight of the decision, no conversations steered my choice, and no mentors illuminated the challenges ahead.

The difficulty of entering medical school loomed large, yet the details - the requirements, the stressful life of a medical student and internship and the realities of a doctor's life - remained shrouded in mystery. At the tender age of 14, I was charting the course of my entire future, guided only by the audacious arrogance of a single-minded youthful determination.

Again, reflecting on my high school experience with extracurricular activities, when given the choice between piano – taught by a volunteer teacher from Europe — and karate classes, I opted for karate simply because it was the popular choice among my peers. As boys, we convinced ourselves that we had to learn how to fight in case of an attack.

I now recognize that piano skills could have been a valuable lifelong asset in today's world. When I rented a house in Sandton, South Africa, which came with a piano, it was just a piece of beautifully designed wood for me.

My journey underscores the critical need for better career guidance. I was an orphan of an illiterate, hardworking and determined mother, and came through a school system lacking in direction, and yet I went on to have a successful career that took me around the globe.

Remarkably, four decades later, little has changed. I spend time these days on career counselling. I help students and professionals find themselves—their potential and how to achieve their goals. In our recent volunteer outreach, we have gone to 121 high schools and close to 230 churches in Kenya, we have encountered the same void in career guidance.

Here is what we know. The absence of proper guidance often leads to negative stereotypes, such as the notion that certain academic subjects or career paths are gender-specific or insignificant. One critical step in the current education curriculum is in Form Two, where a student must choose between Biology or Physics as one of the optional subjects. The choice of Biology, for example, may lead to a career in medical sciences and Physics to a career in engineering sciences. However, at this early age, people already perceive Biology as a subject for girls while Physics is for boys.

We must ask whether this is the right time to make such an impactful decision, one with life-long consequences. This critical decision may mean saying goodbye to an academic field that, if given time, a student may turn out to be good at. So many factors beyond grades determine success, and it takes time for a student to develop an aptitude or a firm interest in a subject, not to mention the skill of teachers or curriculum they have at a given time or condition of their living at home or in their hostels or dormitories. It takes time and effort to determine whether one could be an outstanding scholar, an accomplished scientist, a successful entrepreneur, a brilliant inventor, or a business genius.

In our system of education, the responsibility for career guidance often falls into a grey area. While teachers may view it as a parental duty, parents view it as teachers’ responsibility. Yet, parents may lack the background or professional experience to effectively guide their children's career choices.

The reality is that schools lack the resources and capacity to provide comprehensive career guidance. As a result, young people often turn to their peers for advice, which can lead to decisions based on popularity rather than informed career planning. This disconnect highlights the need for a more collaborative approach to youth guidance.

Ideally, career guidance should be a shared responsibility involving educators, family, and community institutions like churches during youth programs. Drawing from personal experience and extensive community engagement, it is important to note that the absence of proper guidance can impact the trajectory of countless lives.

Implementing comprehensive career guidance for Kenya's youth requires a multifaceted approach involving various societal institutions. The government should take a leading role by introducing robust policies regarding career guidance in high schools across the country. Such an initiative would ensure that all students, regardless of their background or location, have access to professional guidance and insights about potential career paths.

Simultaneously, it is crucial to engage parents in this process, whether they are literate or illiterate. Parents, especially those with limited exposure, may not fully grasp the importance of career guidance or possess the knowledge to guide their children effectively. Therefore, developing programs to educate parents on the significance of career guidance could create supportive home environments that complement school-based initiatives.

Religious institutions--churches and mosques--also play a vital role in young Kenyans' lives. These organizations should expand their youth programs beyond traditional topics like bible studies, relationship and family issues and sex education to include career mentorship. By leveraging their existing community connections and trust, religious institutions can provide valuable forums for career discussions, potentially bringing in successful professionals from various fields to share their experiences and advice.

This comprehensive approach, involving schools, parents, and community organizations, would create a network of support and information for young people. It would help them make more informed decisions about future careers, aligning their choices with their aspirations and job market realities.

Dr Patrick Osewe is the senior director of Regenesys Africa. [email protected].